Port of Montreal dockworkers threaten three-day strike beginning Monday, union says

Trucks carrying shipping containers drive through the Port of Montreal, Tuesday, Sept.19, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

The union representing longshore workers at the Port of Montreal said Friday that work at two terminals could come to a standstill next week as the union served a 72-hour strike notice.

Dockworkers could walk off the job as of 7 a.m. Monday, a work stoppage that could last until Thursday at two terminals owned by Termont Montreal.

About 350 members would be part of the labour action, impacting roughly 35 per cent of container shipments, according to the union local, affiliated with the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

Michel Murray, a union spokesperson told a news conference on Friday it would be willing to lift the strike notice if the employer is willing to address two issues. One pertains to the use of senior foremen during operations that has been greatly reduced and another on scheduling that was not supposed to be used frequently but has been at the Termont facility, according to union members.

Earlier this week, the 1,150 longshoremen at the Port of Montreal rejected the latest offer from the Maritime Employers Association by 99.63 per cent while also giving themselves a strike mandate.

For its part, Termont announced on its website that its Viau and Maisonneuve terminals would be closed for the duration of the three-day strike.

As early as May, a number of shipping companies had rerouted cargo from the Montreal port, the country's second-largest, over concerns about labour unrest.

At the Port of Montreal, negotiations continue with the Maritime Employers Association to renew the longshore workers' collective agreement, which expired in Dec. 31. The parties remain in mediation talks.

The union said a new proposal was filed Thursday and the employer's representative has yet to respond.

The employer said it had received notice at 7 a.m. Friday about dockworkers going on strike as of Monday morning and said it will review the union's specific demands before commenting further.

"Any work stoppage at the Port of Montreal has major consequences," the Maritime Employers Association said in a statement.

"With cargo handled by longshoremen already down by 24 per cent since 2022, we have a joint responsibility to secure a signed collective agreement as quickly as possible."

Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon said in a post on X that he was following the situation closely.

"The Port of Montreal is critical to our supply chains," he wrote.

In a statement, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said it too was concerned about the impact of a strike on its membership. The organization said it would be the third such action at the Port of Montreal since 2020.

"There have been too many strikes affecting our supply chains in recent years, causing delivery delays, production slowdowns and impacting small businesses' bottom line," Jasmin Guenette, the CFIB's vice-president said.

"It’s simply irresponsible for the unions to take strike action yet again."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.