The government-owned Via Rail has announced job losses and may award a fleet renewal contract to a foreign corporation. (iStock)

Rail workers protest jobs going to foreign firms

Employees of the national passenger railway, Via Rail, will be handing out leaflets at stations across the country today protesting the contracting out of work to foreign multinational corporations. Via Rail is a crown corporation and, as such, is wholly owned by the government but structured like an independent company.

The union representing the workers, Unifor, decries the railway’s announcement that it will cut hundreds of Canadian jobs and will contract that work out to a U.S. company called Aramark. In addition, the German company Siemens appears to be the top choice for a coming fleet renewal project.

Unifor says Via Rail is paid for by taxpayers and it calls on them to contact their members of Parliament and the minister responsible to demand the jobs stay in Canada.

This leaflet or the same one in French will be handed out at train stations across Canada.

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