Overtime strike by Montreal port workers begins Thursday, risking further delays in container traffic
Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal will halt all overtime work starting Thursday, according to BNN Bloomberg, as contract negotiations between the union and management continue to stall.
The union, representing nearly 1,200 longshore workers, filed notice on Monday that the ‘overtime strike’ will begin at 7 am EDT on Thursday and will continue indefinitely.
Michel Murray, a spokesperson for the union local affiliated with the Canadian Union of Public Employees, stated, “We're ready to negotiate intensively, but since the employer is dragging its feet, we're putting a little pressure on it to devote its energies to finding a solution.”
Scheduling remains a key issue in the negotiations, which resumed on Friday under the supervision of two federal mediators.
The latest action follows a three-day strike last week at two terminals responsible for handling 41 percent of container traffic at the port. The dockworkers have been without a contract since December 31.
The Maritime Employers Association, representing shipping companies and terminal operators, responded to the union’s strike notice by warning that the freeze on overtime will significantly affect port operations and employee wages.
The association noted that employees assigned to shifts with incomplete crews “will not be paid” and that such shifts could slow down or halt operations, with broader consequences for the public.
Management has urged the union to withdraw the strike notice and follow the mediation process to reach a deal quickly.
The drawn-out negotiations have caused uncertainty among shippers, leading some to reroute their freight, which the association says threatens Canada’s reputation as a reliable trading partner.
While some shippers had built up inventory in preparation for potential work stoppages in Montreal, delays can still have lingering effects.
Ron Lemaire, president of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, noted that although the impact is smaller when only overtime is affected, the action is part of an ongoing series of supply chain disruptions.
These include last year's 13-day dockworkers strike in British Columbia and the recent three-day shutdown at 36 US ports.
“You take weather incidents, you take labour actions, all these things that come at us from growers to wholesalers and retail services, it’s a continual struggle,” Lemaire said.
