Federal labour board orders rail workers back on the job, imposes binding arbitration

Freight trains must start rolling again first thing Monday morning, the federal labour board ruled on Saturday as it ordered thousands of rail employees back to work to end a bitter contract dispute that shut down the country's two major railways.

The decision by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) imposes binding arbitration on the parties following an unprecedented dual work stoppage at Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) that halted freight shipments and snarled commutes across the country.

But the matter may not be settled for good, since the Teamsters union representing workers with both companies is pledging to appeal the ruling in court.

The board's decision dropped two days after federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon directed the arm's-length tribunal on Thursday afternoon to begin the arbitration process, stating that the parties were at an impasse and Canadian businesses and trade relationships were at stake.

The union representing the 9,300 affected workers challenged the government's move, but the board on Saturday said the tribunal had no authority to decide whether the minister's directive was valid.

«The board has concluded that, in this case, it has no discretion or ability to refuse to implement, in whole or in part, the minister's directions or to modify their terms,» chairperson Ginette Brazeau wrote in a pair of rulings

Brazeau ordered the two companies and the conductors, dispatchers and yard workers concerned to resume operations starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday.

'Dangerous precedent'

In addition to ending the lockout and simultaneous strike at CPKC, the ruling voids the 72-hour strike notice issued by the union to CN on Friday morning.

The Teamsters union said