Share
Last week, National Council 4000 continued negotiations with VIA Rail on the renewal of Collective Agreements 1 and 2, which covers the working conditions of 1,700 Unifor members. The Union has scheduled additional discussions with the Corporation on Wednesday December 2, with the aim of concluding our bargaining on various work rule proposals.
On Friday evening, November 27, the Union filed a Notice of Dispute requesting the assistance of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The Minister of Labour has 15 days to appoint a conciliator. The parties have agreed to continue to meet as we await the appointment of a government conciliation officer.
What is Conciliation? The conciliation process is a concise and legal requirement of the Canada Labour Code and provides a 60-day period of conciliation followed by a 21-day “cooling-off” period. Following the cooling-off period, either party is obligated to provide 72 hours’ notice of intention to initiate a lock out or strike.
This filing does not mark an end to our efforts, but is a show of our commitment to negotiate the best possible deal for members at these challenging times.
On Thursday, December 3, Council 4000 is joining Local 100, which filed for conciliation on October 28, to open discussions on economic issues for all three Unifor Collective Agreements. Together, Unifor members at VIA Rail form a strong resistance to push off concessions that the company has brought to the table with Council 4000.
We will advise the Council 4000 membership once the Minster appoints a conciliator and provide dates of the conciliation process.
In Solidarity,
The Council 4000 Bargaining Committee
