FIONA Famulak, President and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce, in response to the lock-out of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Union by CN Rail and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, said: “On behalf of the 100 local chambers of commerce and boards of trade and the 36,000 businesses that we represent, we are extremely disappointed that the parties have not been able to negotiate a new contract and that we are now facing unprecedented disruption on both of Canada’s national railway systems simultaneously.”

She said: “Based on the significant economic impact of last year’s labour disruption at our Western ports, a prolonged labour dispute on our Class 1 rail lines is untenable for our BC-based businesses. It will also cause further damage to our reputation as a reliable trading partner and consistent component of international supply chains. Canada’s railways move over $1 billion of goods each day. Every day of job action will have significant impacts for Canadians, businesses, and our economy.”

Famulak added: “While we believe the best labour agreements are those reached at the negotiating table, it is clear after many months of negotiations a new agreement is unlikely without intervention. We are therefore calling on the federal government to take immediate action to end the labour dispute as quickly as possible.”