With their fists tied since the imposition of a special law forcing their return to work a year ago, the Port of Montreal longshoremen have had enough: they want their employer to be fully involved in the negotiations on their next contract. collective.
The longshoremen’s union held a press conference on Sunday to denounce what it calls “bad faith” on the part of the Maritime Employers Association at the bargaining table.
According to the union, the employer is trying to drag out the process, since nothing is forcing it to find an agreement quickly since the federal government passed special legislation on April 30, 2021 to force the resumption of activities at the port of Montreal.
Previously, the 1,125 stevedores at the Port of Montreal went on strike for the first time in the summer of 2020, then a second time in April 2021.
The Federal Minister of Labor at the time, Filomena Tassi, had passed a special law forcing the return to work. The special law also provided for the appointment of a mediator-arbitrator to settle the issues still in dispute.
A year later, the union feels that it is the employer who is still in a strong position because of this law.
In particular, he criticizes the Maritime Employers Association for not making itself sufficiently available for negotiation sessions.
For its part, the Maritime Employers Association declined to comment on the situation.
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