The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced that it reached an agreement with Unifor, representing 360 unionized employees, to end the strike that began on Oct. 22. The agreement will have to be ratified by employees in the coming days.

“We will begin to implement our recovery program immediately and will start passing ships progressively as of Monday, Oct. 30, with the return-to-work of employees at 7 a.m.,” SLSMC said in a news release.

“We have in hand an agreement that’s fair for workers and secures a strong and stable future for the Seaway,” SLSMC president and CEO Terence Bowles said in the release. “We know that this strike has not been easy for anyone, and value the patience and cooperation of our marine industry binational partners; carriers, shippers, ports, local communities and all those who depend on this vital transportation corridor on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border”.

Mediated negotiations

Unifor said in a news release that it had reached a tentative agreement with SLSMC during mediated negotiations on behalf of Ontario and Quebec members.

“For the first time in 55 years seaway workers took the very hard decision to go on strike. They did so to fight for a more respectful workplace and for an agreement that reflects today’s economic times,” said Lana Payne, Unifor national president.

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.