End of Port of Montreal dock workers' strike

Longshore workers at Canada's second-largest port of Montreal ended a three-day strike Thursday morning that has paralyzed 40% of container traffic without reaching an agreement with their employer.

“The three-day strike is over,” Association of Maritime Employers (AEM) spokeswoman Isabelle Pelletier told AFP, adding that at the moment “no summons has been received from the federal mediation service” to continue negotiations.

For its part, the Longshoremen's Union said it was originally summoned to plan a meeting, but the employer refused to participate.

“What is this boss playing at? He decried the impact of the partial strike on the economy and supply chain, but was reluctant to come to the negotiating table to find solutions. It's amazing! Michelle Murray, the union's counsel, announced in a press release published Wednesday.

The partial strike, involving 320 workers who work half of the port's terminals, has paralyzed 40% of total container handling capacity during a “critical period,” according to the port authority.

“In just three days, the impact on our docks was more than 1,300 containers, including food and medical products, and more than 11,500 containers were delayed,” said Rene Laroche, spokeswoman for the Montreal Port Authority (APM).

Each day the strike puts 91 million Canadian dollars (60 million euros) in economic activity at risk, the APM estimated at the start of the strike, stressing that “$6 billion worth of goods will need to be transported through the port of Montreal. coming weeks.

The union said the last meeting with the employer was on September 26, with working hours and the number of senior foremen harming the quality of life of longshore workers at the center of the conflict.

Longshore workers at the Port of Montreal have been without a collective agreement since December 31, 2023.

“The Port of Montreal is essential to our supply chains,” Anita Anand, Canada's transport minister, announced at X earlier this week, calling on the parties to “return to the negotiating table.”

The strike came as tens of thousands of American longshoremen also walked off the job this week, blocking goods at 36 ports on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.