Workers at two Montreal port facilities are set to hold a three-day strike starting Sept. 30, announced federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon on social media Friday.
“The Port of Montréal is critical to our supply chains. I am following this situation very closely,” said MacKinnon on the X platform. He said the SCFP/CUPE union issued a strike notice running from Sept. 30 at 7:00 a.m. until Oct. 3 at 6:59 a.m.
The CUPE Longshoremen’s Union, Local 375, filed a notice with the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) at Friday morning for a three-day strike at the Viau and Maisonneuve container terminals operated by Termont Montreal beginning Monday.
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The Montreal Port Authority has activated its business continuity plan. “For the time being, we intend to concentrate our efforts on ensuring that port operations are affected as little as possible, and we hope that the parties will quickly agree on a way out, as the uncertainty surrounding our activities will have a domino effect, both on importers and exporters who rely on the transportation of goods, and on the general public,” said Montreal Port Authority president and CEO Julie Gascon in a release.
The Viau and Maisonneuve terminals account for 41 per cent of all container traffic at the Port of Montreal.
Earlier this week, over 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal represented by CUPE voted 98 per cent in favour of strike action “if a fair deal can’t be reached with their employer,” said CUPE in a statement.
Wage increases on pace with the cost of living are a major issue, with work-life balance also highlighted by the union.
