Money world

MONTREAL–Via Rail Canada has laid off hundreds of employees because of a strike that has paralyzed passenger train service across the country.

Company spokesman Malcolm Andrews confirmed that the unionized employees received notice Friday.

Contract negotiations between Via and the union representing its 340 engineers broke down Thursday overnight.

Via officials had previously announced that they would consider the layoffs if the strike lasted longer than five days.

Andrews said that up to 2,400 employees may be laid off if the strike continues.

"Obviously, there will be some employees retained for the first few days should things go on that long," he said.

"But eventually pretty much all of those employees would have to be let go, unfortunately online payday loans."

The affected employees worked primarily in the service sectors: on trains, in stations and in maintenance centres.

"If there are no people to serve, trains to fix, we have a lot of people sitting around with nothing to do and we can’t afford to do that," explained Andrews.

"The second that we resume service they will all be recalled to work."

The strike comes during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, disrupting summer vacation plans and hurting Canadian tourism operators who are already reeling as a result of the economic downturn.

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