Canada's Federal Labor Minister is calling on VIA Rail and its conductors and engineers to resolve their differences to avoid a possible strike during the busy holiday season.

The strike could begin on Christmas Eve.

On Wednesday, Labor Minister Joe Fontana asked the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to help secure a deal.
Fontana's office said in a press release its prime concern was avoiding a "disruptive work stoppage during the holiday travel season."

Some 350 Via Rail engineers and conductors have been without a contract since Dec. 1. The engineers and conductors are affiliated with a division of Teamsters Canada and on Monday they gave their union a strike mandate.

On Tuesday, the union issued a press release saying they had a "very strong mandate" but that there was hope a deal could be reached.

"The negotiation committee remains optimistic that an agreement can be reached without work stoppage," Gilles Halle, the president of the VIA Rail and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, said in a statement.

Fontana's office expects the union to begin striking if no deal is reached by Dec. 24.