Update: 30.10.2023

Services on the St. Lawrence Seaway in Ontario and Quebec provinces will resume today after labour union Unifor reached a tentative deal for its St. Lawrence Seaway members.

The workers started a strike on 22 October to call for wage increases. According to the union, this was the first strike the workers staged in 55 years.

The union added that "the tentative agreement covers Unifor members at Locals 4211, 4212 and 4323 in Ontario and Locals 4319 and 4320 in Quebec, who work in the supervisory and engineering group and the maintenance, operations, and clerical group."

Original article: 23.10.2023

Canadian labour union Unifor announced that its members, working at St. Lawrence Seaway, commenced a strike that could halt operations at 13 Canadian locks.

The St. Lawrence Seaway is a system of locks, canals, and channels in Canada and the United States. This system gives vessels, including containerships, access from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America.

According to Reuters, more than 350 workers went on strike on 22 October after labour negotiations failed to reach an agreement on wages.

"This impasse is extremely unfortunate, but our members remain committed to getting a fair agreement," Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a statement.

A few days before the workers started their strike, Unifor warned that the labour action would shut down all operations along the Seaway and stop vessel transit through the Seaway.

The union did not provide information about an end date for the strikes but hoped the negotiations would continue.

"There are no vessels waiting to exit the system, but there are over 100 vessels outside the system, which are impacted by the situation,” added the statement.

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector and represents 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The strikes involve workers in Locals 4211, 4212 and 4323 in Ontario and Locals 4319 and 4320 in Quebec, said the union.