The Seafarers’ International Union of Canada (SIU) is appalled by the recent letter from the Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC), which shamelessly advocates for undermining the fundamental rights of workers in the name of protecting so-called “supply chain integrity.” This letter is a glaring example of the CMC’s profit-first mentality and exposes their anti-worker, anti-democratic agenda for what it truly is—a campaign to silence workers and strip them of their hard-won rights.
In the letter, CMC President Bruce Burrows, alongside other business association leaders, decries the “consequences caused by work stoppages” in critical sectors like marine, rail, and air transport. Rather than encouraging companies to engage in fair bargaining, offer just compensation, and propose agreements that reflect the rising cost of living, the CMC calls for stripping workers of their fundamental right to strike. This attack on workers’ rights is not only morally bankrupt but flies in the face of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which enshrines the right to strike under section 2(d).
Let’s be clear: the right to strike is not some inconvenience to be swept aside whenever businesses find it profitable to do so. It is a cornerstone of democracy and workers’ power—an essential tool that ensures workers have a voice when bargaining for fair wages, safe working conditions, and dignity on the job. Suggesting that these rights be abolished, to preserve corporate profits, is as outrageous as it is dangerous. The leadership of the CMC seems to forget that without these workers—without seafarers, dockworkers, and transport workers—there is no supply chain. Their greed is on full display, as they attempt to scapegoat the very people who generate the value they so freely enjoy.
If the CMC truly cared about the health of Canada’s economy, they would be advocating for fair treatment of workers by their member organizations, not seeking to strip away their rights. They would be pushing for decent wages and improved working conditions for the people who keep our ports, ships, and railways running. Instead, they are doubling down on an agenda that seeks to divide workers and protect profits at any cost.
To the CMC, we say this: workers are not the problem—your members’ unwillingness to bargain in good faith is. It’s time to stop pitting workers’ rights against corporate profits. We call on the government and policymakers to reject this thinly veiled attack on workers and stand firm in their commitment to upholding the rights enshrined in our laws and in our values. The SIU Canada, along with other unions across this country, will not stand by while the rights of our members are trampled upon. The strength of our supply chain is not built on the backs of profits; it’s built by the hands of workers—and we will not allow those hands to be shackled.
