Collective Agreements Between VIA Rail and Unifor Ratified

Terms of the agreements include a 2% wage increase for 2021, benefits improvements and the review of several work rules.

MONTRÉAL, March 15, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Following the tentative agreements reached in January, VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) is pleased to announce the ratification of collective agreements 1 and 2 by the members of Unifor Council 4000, the union representing more than 1,600 VIA Rail employees in stations, on board trains, in call centres and in administrative offices.

These two-year agreements (from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021) were ratified by the membership on March 12 and include a 2% wage increase for 2021, benefits improvements as well as the review of several work rules.

"We are delighted by the ratification of the collective agreements. Our employees are key contributors to VIA Rail's success, without whom the fulfillment of our mission to put our passengers first would not be possible," said Martine Rivard, Chief Employee Experience Officer. "I would like to thank Unifor's representatives and National President, Jerry Dias, as well as the negotiating teams and conciliator. The determination and professionalism of everyone involved led to fair and reasonable agreements despite the unique challenges faced over the last year. In addition to providing a safe, accessible, sustainable travel experience to our passengers, our team looks forward to continuing to build the VIA Rail of tomorrow by creating a more modern passenger rail service."

In February, the CSN filed a petition for union certification concerning VIA Rail employees in maintenance centres represented by Unifor 3, which the Canada Industrial Relations Board is currently reviewing. As a result, ratification for the agreement with Unifor 3 has been postponed until further notice.

Useful link: VIA Rail Reaches tentative agreements with Unifor (January 30, 2021)

About VIA Rail
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and all its employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada, and about 180 more communities through intermodal partnerships, and safely transported over 5 million passengers in 2019. The Corporation has been awarded five Safety Awards and three Environment Awards by the Railway Association of Canada since 2007. Visit the "About VIA Rail" section at https://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.

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SOURCE VIA Rail Canada Inc.