Quality of service in the rail industry: the federal government must
legislate

The Teamsters Union believes that only though legislation will the rail industry improve the quality of its service…

LAVAL, QC, Dec. 15 /CNW Telbec/ - The interim report made public this past October by the Rail Freight Service Review Committee brought to light many complaints raised by shippers about the poor quality of rail service in Canada. More specifically, rail companies are being criticized for a large number of delayed goods deliveries.

http://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/policy/tp_15042_interim_en_web.pdf (in English)

Teamsters Canada is concerned by this issue because 15,000 of its members work daily in the rail industry. While the position taken by the government (i.e. by relying on the rail companies to improve their practices) may be an approach based on good intentions, it is not very likely to produce any concrete results.

"I doubt that rail companies will make these improvements voluntarily," underlines Robert Bouvier, President of Teamsters Canada. "We must maintain our competitiveness within the North American market if we want to preserve our jobs."

The Teamsters Union reminds the federal government that rail companies must not benefit from any special treatments. The railways, which are virtually in a monopolistic position, could ask for a 3 years extension without producing any results if the government's current position stays the same.

Ultimately, it is solely through legislation that the federal government will succeed in eliminating the shippers' criticisms. Industry self-regulation is certainly not the answer.

The Teamsters Union represents 125,000 members in Canada in all trades. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with which Teamsters Canada is affiliated, has 1.4 million members in North America.

For further information:

Stéphane Lacroix, Director of Communications, Teamsters Canada
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 450-682-5521, x236
Email: [email protected]