The Union of Longshoremen of the Port of Montreal (CUPE 375) filed a strike notice Friday morning for a three-day strike which will come into effect Monday and until Wednesday at the Termont Montreal Terminals.
If called, the strike should begin Monday at 7 a.m. and continue until Wednesday at 6:59 a.m., the Canadian Union of Public Employees (FTQ) reported Friday in a press release.
“The union is targeting the Termont Montreal terminals, because it is a delinquent operator who does not respect the duly negotiated employment contract and acts in a cavalier manner with the workers in its service,” explained Michel Murray at a press conference on Friday. morning at the Maison des bardeurs du port de Montréal.
For Pascal Chan, senior director of transportation for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, this situation is difficult for businesses trying to plan when they doubt the stability of supply chains, with the possibility of a complete shutdown.
“It is the second largest container port in Canada after Vancouver. Transport Canada carried out an analysis in 2021 of the impacts that a strike at the port would have and the results indicated that the net losses to GDP would be $40 million from the first week, quickly increasing to 100 million thereafter, so it is still very important,” he explained.
Photo provided by the Port of Montreal
The parties involved are still in negotiations and in “regular contact” with the two mediators designated in the file. The Union said it was ready to return to the table at any time.
“This strike can be avoided if the employer respects its own word. The employer declared under oath that it would only use provisions that require longshoremen to work different hours than usual 1% of the time. If he puts this on paper, the strike will be avoided,” said Union spokesperson Michel Murray.
Longshore workers at the Port of Montreal have been without a collective agreement since December 31, 2023.
“The outcome desired by all is a negotiated resolution and we encourage the minister to engage with stakeholders to ensure that they remain at the table and that they reach an agreement that avoids an interruption of work,” continued Mr. Chan.
With more than 137,000 members in Quebec, CUPE represents the Longshoremen’s Union of the Port of Montreal as well as the longshoremen of the ports of Quebec, Trois-Rivières, Sorel and Matane, for a total of approximately 1,550 members.
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