Dockworkers launch port strike in Montreal, shutting down terminals

MONTREAL — Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal launched a strike Monday morning.

The longshore worker’s union failed to reach an agreement with the Maritime Employers Association despite discussions that continued until 1 a.m.

The union says the port-wide strike relates to scheduling and wage conditions.

The employers association says it believes the solution lies in a truce that would result in binding arbitration if no agreement is reached after two months.

The strike, which kicked off at 7 a.m., shut down activity at Canada’s second-largest port with the exception of grain transport and shipments to Newfoundland and Labrador.

The labour action by more than 1,100 longshore workers, who have been without a collective agreement for nearly two years, comes after a series of temporary strikes by the Canadian Union of Public Employees over the past six weeks saw several ships diverted ports in Halifax, New York City and Saint John, N.B.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2020.

The Canadian Press