Ottawa has stepped in to end to the labour dispute involving thousands of railway workers.
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon announced on Thursday the matter would go to binding arbitration to help the sides hammer out a deal.
The move comes after shipments at CN Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City came to a halt on Thursday and more than 9,000 workers were locked out.
It led to a total shutdown of Canada’s freight rail traffic.
In a statement on Thursday, CN announced that effective 18:00 ET, it ended its lock out and immediately initiated its recovery plan.
The company said it is awaiting the formal order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
They added, “While CN is satisfied that this labour conflict has ended and that it can get back to its role of powering the economy, the Company is disappointed that a negotiated deal could not be achieved at the bargaining table despite its best efforts.”
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