**Update 29th August – The Canadian strike is over after 4 days, the Indian strike has been called off after parties reached an agreement **

Original Post 15th August:

A proposed rail strike in Canada, and a port workers strike in India, threaten to bring major disruption to ocean freight services in the respective countries from later this month.

In Canada, the country’s two main railways and their workers remain in dispute over scheduling, safety and salaries as we approach a planned walked out on August 22nd. The dispute has continued for months, but a ruling last Friday made a strike legal under Canadian law and ordered a 13-day cooling-off period.

Canada is the world’s second biggest country in land size and relies heavily on rail freight. Any strike action will also hinder ocean freight movements in and out of many northern US states, especially in the US midwest.

Meanwhile, port workers in India are due to start a national strike on August 28th, unless an immediate resolution can be achieved over their wage, allowance and pension demands. The National Coordination Committee of Port Workers announced their decision after prolonged negotiations with the Ministry of Shipping.

The walkout is expected to impact all of India’s major ports should it go ahead, which will add further disruption to logistics in and out of the country.

Your Unique team are keeping a close eye on developments.