Port of Montreal braces for 24-hour strike
The Maritime Employers Association said it received notice of a strike at the hub from the Port of Montreal Longshoremen’s Union
The strike will last from 0700 hrs on Sunday October 27 to 0659 hrs on Monday October 28, affecting Montreal’s four container terminals and its two dry bulk terminals
PORT workers at Montreal will strike this Sunday as longshoremen at the port remain without a collective bargaining agreement after the last one ran out on December 31, 2023.
The Maritime Employers Association, which acts as a representative for terminal operators and shipping companies in negotiations with the Port of Montreal Longshoremen’s Union and Canadian Union of Public Employees, said it received notice of a strike yesterday.
Industrial action will halt all ship, rail and truck services at Montreal’s four container terminals and two dry bulk terminals between 0700 hrs on Sunday, October 27 and 0659 hrs on Monday, October 28. Liquid bulk handling and the Viterra grain terminal are not affected, the port said.
Negotiations for a new agreement between MEA and CUPE have been ongoing, but hit a significant stumbling block when longshore workers voted to reject the most recent pay offer on September 24 with a more than 99.6% majority. They voted for so-called “pressure tactics”, up to and including strike action too (close to 97.9%).
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MEA said these “pressure tactics” applied by the union had created “significant operational problems”, which, together with other significant obstacles, are “seriously affecting stability and reliability at the Port of Montréal, as well as in the Quebec and Canadian supply chain”.
The agency said the uncertainty had contributed to a significant loss of cargo at the port, which is down 24% since 2022, mainly to the benefit of US east coast ports.
Canadian Minister of Labour and Seniors, Steven MacKinnon, proposed the appointment of a special mediator to resume negotiations, free from pressure tactics from either side, for a 90-day period, to which the MEA said it has given “serious consideration”.
But CUPE has called on the federal government to “resist pressure from CEOs and their conservative allies, and not intervene in the labour dispute at the Port of Montréal”, citing the overwhelming vote in favour of strike action by more than 1,200 dockworkers at the port.
The Montreal Port Authority said it “remains concerned about the impact of pressure tactics on the logistics chain and on the supply of goods and commodities for businesses and the public”.
