According to reports, the Montreal Longshoremen’s Union rejected a final offer made for a new labour contract.
The reports state that after the final offer rejection a lockout was declared, the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) and the union said on 10 November.
The lockout will further slow Canadian imports and exports at a time the Port of Montreal was already operating at partial capacity and as West Coast ports are stopped due to a separate dispute.
Per the reports, the union representing longshoremen at the Port of Montreal said the offer was rejected by 99.7% of members because the employer refused to negotiate.
“If the MEA had respected the collective bargaining processes, solutions would have been found and a conflict at the Port of Montreal would have been avoided,” said union adviser Michel Murray in a statement.
According to the reports, two terminals operated by Termont, the container terminal operator based out of the Port of Montreal, representing about 40% of Montreal’s container traffic and 15% of total port volume, have been shut down by the union’s strike, which began on 31 October.
The MEA said that its final offer provided for a 3% salary increase per year for four years and a 3.5% increase for the two subsequent years.
West Coast ports including Canada’s largest port of Vancouver have also been mostly shut down since 4 November due to a labor dispute, impacting exports of canola oil and forest products.
