Employers at the Port of Montreal initiate a lockout

The Association of Maritime Employers (AEM) carries out its threat and decrees a lockout at the port of Montreal after the longshoremen voted 99.7% against its “final and global” offer presented on Thursday.

In a press release released Sunday evening, theAEM deplores the negative result of the vote and announces that she has no choice but to declare a lockout starting this evening at 9 p.m..

Earlier Sunday, some 1,086 of the 1,197 union members voted almost unanimously against his employer offer.

Yes theAEM had respected the collective bargaining processes, we would have found solutions and avoided a conflict at the Port of Montrealdeclared in a press release the advisor to the longshore union, Michel Murray.

He emphasized that nothing in the offer reflects the union’s demands. According to him, this offer does not address one of the main points in dispute which concerns working hours.

L’AEM specified in its press release that its proposal included a salary increase of 3% per year for four years and 3.5% for the following two years and that the average remuneration of a longshoreman would be more than $200,000 per year.

The Association recalled the unique advantages from which its longshoremen benefit, including a very generous pension plan, 100% paid by the employer and entirely managed by the union, as well as a salary guarantee program.

In the eyes of Michel Murray, however, these are “benefits” that have existed since 1972.

The management side is asking the Canadian Minister of Labor, Steven MacKinnon, to intervene to resolve the impasse as quickly as possible, as he did this summer during the labor dispute in the railway sector. L’AEM argues that Canadian companies are taken hostage and that they must be able to rely on predictable and continuous activities at the Port of Montreal.

In their current form, the laws provide that only workers providing an essential service – which ensures safety and health – have the obligation to ensure the maintenance of service during their strike.

Many economic actors are demanding that supply chain workers also be forced to maintain their activities.

The spokesperson for the Port of Montreal, Renée Larouche, estimates that each day of work stoppage can inflict losses of around $90 million on the Canadian economy.

Impasse

The union and theAEM spent two hours with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on Friday without making any progress.

Since October 31, a partial and indefinite strike has affected the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals, operated by the Termont company. Employees have also refused to work overtime since October 10.

The CEO from the Port of Montreal, Julie Gascon, will provide an update on the situation at 7:15 a.m. Monday. The local section of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with FTQwhich represents the longshoremen will in turn hold a press briefing at 10:30 a.m.

This lockout in Montreal comes at a time when the ports of British Columbia are also paralyzed by a labor dispute which, for the moment, seems hopeless.

While 700 longshore supervisors in Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo have been without a contract since last March, negotiations were interrupted on Sunday due to lack of progress during mediation. No further meetings are planned.

With information from Élyse Allard.