Montreal Port Workers Set to Strike Over Wage Dispute
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Two major terminals at Montreal Port operated by Terminal Termont Inc. will close next week as unionized dockworkers prepare for a three-day strike starting Sept. 30.
鈥淥perations, including service to truckers, will resume on [Oct. 3],鈥 the container terminal operator said Friday in a statement on its website.
The 1,200 dockworkers, represented by the Port of Montreal Longshoremen鈥檚 Union, have been without a collective agreement since Dec. 31, and talks are nearing an impasse over wages and work-life balance. The union gave 72-hour strike notice on Sept. 27 to the Maritime Employers Association.
Montreal Port Authority has activated a business continuity plan to ensure the actions don鈥檛 affect the rest of the port operations, according to a statement published Sept. 27 on its website.
鈥淎lthough negotiations are continuing, we are disappointed that they have not, to date, enabled both parties to reach an agreement, while nearly C$6 billion ($4.4 billion) worth of goods are expected to arrive on the Port of Montreal鈥檚 docks in the coming weeks,鈥 CEO Julie Gascon said in the statement.
The Montreal Port, Canada鈥檚 second-largest container port, has four terminals. Two terminals operated by Montreal Gateway Terminals Partnership won鈥檛 be impacted by the work stoppage.
The labor action in Montreal comes amid the threat of a strike starting Oct. 1 at major U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, and after grain workers at Vancouver Port, Canada鈥檚 biggest port, went on strike Sept. 24.
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