As of the morning of October 21, disappointingly, there has been little progress in negotiations with UNIFOR. With less than 24 hours remaining before their announced strike deadline, UNIFOR continues to demand wage increases patterned after the current automotive negotiations. Automotive workers had fallen behind inflation following give-backs in past years.

This situation at the Seaway is vastly different. In spite of the recent increases in inflation, Seaway workers over the past 20 years have negotiated salaries well above inflation, and today find themselves almost 10% ahead of inflation. Also, SLSMC (the Seaway) is not the automotive industry and, as a not- for-profit corporation, manages and maintains the locks and waterway for the Government of Canada.

That said, The SLSMC is committed to negotiating a fair wage agreement with its employees, in order to continue serving the people of Canada by ensuring safe passage for ships and their cargoes.

“We, at the Seaway, are very concerned with the current situation and the effect it is having on our users, stakeholders and the people awaiting these essential cargoes”, stated Terence Bowles, SLSMC President and CEO. “As the clock ticks down to the potential start of a strike, we are working to ensure all vessels are able to safely exit the waterway or reach their destination within the system, at the same time as we are at the table trying to arrive at a labour agreement that is fair to the Corporation and itsemployees.”

Currently, there are approximately 36 vessels remaining to exit the system, of which 22 are upbound and 14 are downbound, and 70 vessels waiting outside the system. In light of the 72-hour strike notice, the SLSMC has maintained constant communication with the marine industry. They have initiated the necessary measures for a safe and well-organized shutdown, which includes establishing cut-off times for vessels to safely exit the Seaway system before the strike could take effect at 00:01 on October 22, 2023.