LONGSHORE workers will strike at two of Montreal’s terminals for an unlimited period of time on October 31 as the dispute over a new collective bargaining agreement continues.

This fresh strike comes only days after port workers walked out across the port of Montreal for 24 hours between October 27-28, because longshore workers remain without a collective bargaining agreement since the last one ran out at the end of 2023.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees said Termont, which operates the Viau and Maisonneuve container terminals at the port, was “the only company at the port of Montreal to modify schedules in a punitive way”.

CUPE representative Michael Murray said Termont was “provoking longshore workers and their local by using schedules that have negative impacts on work-life balance”.

“If we reach a permanent agreement on this issue, we could avoid a strike set to begin on October 31,” he said. “Let’s resolve the issues around work schedules, and then I am confident we can resolve the rest.”

CUPE said the strike would affect 15% of total volume handled at the port of Montreal and 40% of container traffic.

Termont has urged customers to pick up import containers by 2200 hrs on October 30 to avoid disruption.

The decision to strike over the weekend was blasted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses, which said the only reason the longshoremen were striking was “because they can”.

“They have no remorse for the economic harm and uncertainty their actions are causing,” said CFIB vice-president of national affairs Jasmin Guénette. “Canada’s SMEs are once again the collateral damage of the union's irresponsible actions.”

He called on the Canadian federal government to make ports an essential service, which would limit the ability of workers to strike.