This is because the government is in a hurry, for the reasons mentioned during Question Period. It is in a hurry because it wants to sell CN and can only sell CN if it makes drastic changes in the terms and conditions of employment. And because the government is in a hurry, it will not give the process designed by Commissioner Hope a chance to succeed. First, it says: You as arbitrators will have to ensure that terms and conditions of employment are consistent with employability in the short and long term.
For decades the railways have been allowed to deteriorate, and now in a single collective agreement, as a result of section 12, employees will have to pay for the disorganized approach and irresponsibility of the companies and the government. This is outrageous. Those who would blame us for the impact on small businesses and workers who suffer as a result of this right to strike should realize that the real culprit is a government that uses the situation to deal with problems it created in the first place, at the expense of the workers.