Symbol of the Government of Canada

Minister Raitt congratulates VIA Rail and the Canadian Auto Workers' union for reaching a settlement

Untitled Document

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, July 22, 2010 - The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Canada's Minister of Labour, applauded VIA Rail and the Canadian Auto Workers' union for renewing their collective agreements.

"I commend VIA Rail and the Canadian Auto Workers' union for reaching a settlement; the best resolution is one that the parties reach themselves," said Minister Raitt. "Strong labour-management relations benefit our country's economic prosperity and the economic security of Canadians."

"This settlement is positive news for all the parties concerned," said the Honourable Rob Merrifield, Minister of State (Transport). "I am pleased that this successful outcome will enable VIA Rail to continue to offer efficient passenger rail service to the traveling public during the busy summer season."

The three collective agreements, covering over 2,000 off-train, on-board and shopcraft employees, expired on December 31, 2009. The dispute between the two parties was settled through challenging negotiations, with the assistance of two federal mediators from the Government of Canada's Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service was established to provide dispute resolution and dispute prevention assistance to trade unions and employers under the jurisdiction of the Canada Labour Code. Mediation aims to achieve a collective agreement and avoid a work stoppage.

- 30 -

This news release is available in alternative formats upon request.

For further information (media only):

Jocelyne Turner
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Raitt
819-953-5646

Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
819-994-5559

Email

Share this article

The Government of Canada and Service Canada are committed to providing visitors with web sites that respect their privacy. This page summarizes the privacy policy and practices on Service Canada Web sites.

  • Service Canada Web sites do not automatically gather any specific personal information from you, such as your name, phone number or e-mail address. We would only obtain this type of information if you supply it by sending us an e-mail or registering in a secure portion of the site.
  • All personal information held or collected by this department is protected under the federal Privacy Act. This means that at any point of collection you will be asked for consent to collect your information or advised of the authority for such collection. You will be informed of the purpose for which it is being collected, how to exercise your right of access to that information, and where and for how long the information will be kept.
  • Service Canada employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. This software receives and records the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that has contacted our Web site, the date and time of the visit and the pages visited. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site unless an attempt to damage the site has been detected. Statistical information may be collected for audit purposes or for maximizing effectiveness.
  • Service Canada does not normally use "cookies" to track how our visitors use this site or to determine sites previously visited. If cookies are in use and you have your cookies notification option activated on your browser the system will notify you before any cookies are used so that you may refuse them. (A "cookie" is a file that may be placed on your hard drive without your knowledge by a Web site to allow it to monitor your use of the site.)
  • Visitor information is not disclosed to anyone except Government of Canada personnel who need the information to carry out responsibilities of their job. Any further disclosure of the personal information you give us will be in accordance with the federal Privacy Act. It is to be kept in mind that electronic systems and email are insecure information transmission methods. It is not recommended that sensitive personal information be transmitted electronically.

Questions or comments regarding this policy, or the administration of the Privacy Act on the Canada Site may be directed to:

Access to Information and Privacy
Privacy Policy and Human Rights Division
Service Canada
85 de la Savane, 3rd Floor, Mailstop #42
Gatineau, QC K1A 0J9
Telephone: (819) 934-8903
E-mail Address: nc-atip-aiprp-gat-gd@servicecanada.gc.ca

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.







*Required