Sept 27 (Reuters) - Canadian National Railway ( CNI )

said on Friday that labor union Unifor has filed a notice of

dispute to the Canadian Minister of Labor, just three days after

initiating negotiations.

Also known as "conciliation", the notice of dispute can be

sent by either party to the Canadian Minister of Labor during a

negotiation and typically results in the appointment of a

conciliation officer to assist the parties in reaching an

agreement.

"While CN is disappointed that Unifor is filing the Notice

so early in the process, the Company is committed to reaching

negotiated agreements with the Union," the railroad operator

said.

Unifor asserted that it has filed for conciliation to move

talks into a positive direction, adding that, within 24 hours of

negotiations, CN issued a notice to the union expressing its

intent to lay off at least 65 of its members.

"CN Rail came to the table with demands for concessions that

would undermine our members' rights and working conditions,"

Unifor National President Lana Payne said.

The Union represents 3,600 members at CN, which includes

rail car technicians, heavy-duty mechanics, diesel engine

mechanics, crane operators, as well as clerical, administration

and customer support employees among others.