Some 320 stevedores at the Port of Montreal began a 72-hour strike on Monday which could have serious consequences, while two terminals – through which approximately 40% of the containers passing through the port pass – will be paralyzed until Thursday morning.
The workers concerned, members of the Union of Longshoremen of the Port of Montreal, walked off the job at 7 a.m. Monday morning, in accordance with the notice they had submitted last Friday. Their strike is scheduled to last until 6:59 a.m. Thursday.
The strike leads to the suspension of activities at the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals, which are operated by the Termont company. According to the Montreal Port Authority, these two terminals represent 41% of containers passing through the port.
“This situation has the effect of depriving businesses in Quebec and Canada of approximately 40% of the container handling capacity of the St. Lawrence in a crucial period, when goods intended for the holiday period, both in import that for export, must transit through the port of Montreal,” lamented the Montreal Port Authority Monday morning.
“We continue to hope for an agreement as soon as possible between the parties, while any delay generates costs for businesses using port services, in addition to putting 90.7 million economic activities at risk for each day of interruption” , she added.
The union, which is a local section of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, affiliated with the FTQ, indicated that it is specifically targeting the Termont company with this strike. He accuses the company of being a “delinquent operator who does not respect the duly negotiated employment contract”.
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.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
“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 Canada Industrial Relations Board in an emergency hearing (Sunday) afternoon, our efforts have not borne fruit,” said added the AEM, which said it was “very disappointed with this outcome”.
Economic impacts
The collective agreement for dock workers at the Port of Montreal expired on December 31. Negotiations to renew it have continued for nine months.
Last week, the port’s 1,150 longshoremen rejected the most recent employer offer by 99.63%, while giving themselves a strike mandate. Another offer, submitted in the spring, was also rejected almost unanimously.
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.
In anticipation of this week’s strike, several business groups had expressed concerns.
The president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, Michel Leblanc, notably argued that we must “consider all possible options, from binding arbitration to special legislation.”
“Once again, a strike threatens to hold our supply chains hostage, putting the survival of hundreds of businesses at risk. This is unacceptable,” he denounced last week.
Meanwhile, in the United States, a significant threat of strike looms over several ports on the east coast. The walkout could take place as early as Tuesday.