This week is Rail Safety Week. On behalf of our close to 15,000 members in Canada’s rail industry, we remind everyone of the importance of staying safe around trains. Never approach train tracks except at designated crossings, and always remain alert around tracks. Trains can pass at any time, are quieter than ever, and can take kilometres to come to a complete stop.
But rail safety is about more than just individual actions; it’s also about corporate practices and government oversight. This week, you’ll hear voices emphasizing what individual people can do—and while it’s crucial that people avoid taking a stroll on tracks or driving through crossings unsafely, we cannot ignore the larger issues at play.
For years, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has been recommending more government oversight of the rail sector. The TSB has criticized Transport Canada’s monitoring as “not sufficient,” allowing the recurrence of hazards year after year without serious intervention.
Worker fatigue is another big issue. Railroaders face gruelling 24/7 on-call schedules, leading to irregular sleep patterns and high levels of exhaustion. We’ve made progress addressing the issue over the years, by negotiating stronger collective agreements and lobbying for stronger federal regulations. But now, the rail industry is determined to roll back these hard-won protections.
Recent lockouts at CN and CPKC put a spotlight on the attack on fatigue management. Both companies were pushing for concessions that would undermine safety. The federal government panicked at the prospect of a supply chain disruption and imposed binding arbitration, violating workers’ Charter rights and putting much of our progress at risk.
Rail safety is about the choices we all make, but it’s also about the systems in place to protect everyone. We must hold Ottawa and rail companies accountable and demand policies that value people over profits.
Safety is everyone’s responsibility—but it starts with fair policies and safe working conditions for rail workers.
