The CP chief executive told agencies in Calgary today that he would contract out heavy repair work on the railroad tracks if the strike by maintenance workers lasted into the summer.

The slack season over the summer is the tradition rail maintenance period, with work usually done by members of the Maintenance of Way Employees Division of Teamsters Canada.

The railroad is using workers from its management ranks to take care of the day-to-day track and bridge maintenance that had been the responsibility of about 1,200 of the unionised staff. It deferred expansion activity during the dispute over wages and work-rule changes.

The railroad said earlier that it could afford larger increases, but only if the track workers gave up other work-rule concessions to generate savings and boost efficiency.