Two terminals at the Port of Montreal will be paralyzed as of 7 a.m. Monday morning, while 320 longshoremen will begin a 72-hour strike. This means of pressure could have numerous impacts, since these two terminals represent 41% of the containers transiting the Port of Montreal.
Last Friday, the Union of Longshoremen of the Port of Montreal filed a 72-hour strike notice, indicating that its members who work at the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals intended to strike from 7 a.m. Monday to 6:59 a.m. Thursday.
The union, which is a local section of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, affiliated with the FTQ, indicated that it was specifically targeting the two terminals operated by the Termont company. On the show All one morning On Monday, the union advisor for the dock workers at the Port of Montreal, Michel Murray, said he had targeted these terminals “specifically to influence the negotiation table and arrive at a negotiated agreement with the management side.”
The union had said it was prepared not to carry out this strike under certain conditions, but on Sunday evening, the Association of Maritime Employers (AEM) published a statement confirming that no agreement could be found at the end of of week.
“The AEM tried by all available means to avoid the planned strike (Monday) at the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals of the Termont company at the port of Montreal, but in vain,” we could read in a press release.
“Whether through mediation, supported by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, or before the Canadian Industrial Relations Board in an emergency hearing [dimanche] afternoon, our efforts did not bear fruit,” added the AEM, which said it was “very disappointed with this outcome.”
At the microphone of Patrick Masbourian, Michel Murray specifies that he was available the day before for negotiations, but “the management side preferred to put all its marbles before the labor court to try to have our strike declared illegal”. “There is no negotiation table, we are waiting to know when the mediators will call us back,” he laments, noting that the union is available to negotiate throughout the strike, but “ the management party did not make itself available.”
The collective agreement for dock workers at the Port of Montreal expired on December 31.
Last week, the port’s 1,150 longshoremen rejected the most recent employer offer by 99.63%, while giving themselves a strike mandate. Michel Murray indicates to All one morning that the union strike is partial so as, among other things, not to give the impression of taking the economy hostage. “This is the union strategy for the moment, but we will see if it will sufficiently influence the negotiating table and we will see if other legal means are necessary to give impetus to the negotiating table,” a- he said.
A number of shipping companies began re-routing their goods to the Port of Montreal as early as May due to concerns over a possible labor dispute.
Meanwhile, in the United States, a significant threat of strike looms over several ports on the east coast. The walkout could take place on Tuesday.
With Duty