Locomotives sit idle in the railyard as Canadian National Railway workers begin a nationwide strike, Tuesday, November 19, 2019 in Montreal. The Teamsters union says Canadian National Railway Ltd. has begun to transfer workers as part of an apparent move to relocate its rail traffic control centre to Edmonton from Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

MONTREAL - Canadian National Railway Co. is transferring some rail traffic control positions to Edmonton from Montreal, prompting a backlash from the Teamsters union as talks to ratify a post-strike collective agreement continue.

CN said Friday that fewer than 15 workers are affected by the change, though Teamsters Canada complained that the relocations were happening less than a year after the workers had been transferred to Montreal from Toronto.

"For reasons of efficiency and management, it was decided that operations for northern Ontario would be controlled from Edmonton starting in the spring of 2020," CN said in an email.

"Note that this office (northern Ontario) was in Montreal only recently as CN constantly assesses its needs and makes decisions on an ongoing operational basis."

The union says that supervisors were telling workers that the company aimed to relocate the bulk of its Montreal rail traffic control centre to Alberta's capital, which would affect more than 100 positions.

"CN is moving families across the country like goods on a train," said Teamsters Canada president Francois Laporte in a release.

"Some of these families had just found schools and daycare for their children in Montreal. You can't play with people’s lives like that."

Union representative Lyndon Isaak said CN could lose experienced staff and increase risk for rail workers, since leaving their communities may not be an option for some of the affected workers.

CN said workers who choose not to relocate will be entitled to the benefits laid out in their collective agreement.

The railway control centre — two others sit in Toronto and Edmonton — handles the majority of rail traffic in Eastern Canada for the Montreal-based CN, according to the Teamsters.

The move comes as talks to ratify a tentative deal with the company continue following an eight-day strike by 3,200 workers that brought the railway to a near halt.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2019.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR)

News from © The Canadian Press, 2019