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Dockworkers at the port in Montreal, the second-largest in Canada, ended a partial three-day strike as scheduled on Thursday, officials confirmed, with both sides summoned to mediation. The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), 85,000 members strong, had launched its first strike since 1977 after weeks of deadlocked negotiations over a six-year labor agreement.
The work stoppage by 320 dockers at two Montreal terminals came as tens of thousands of US longshoremen walked off the job this week at major East and Gulf Coast ports. The three-day strike is over, Isabelle Pelletier, spokeswoman for the Maritime Employers Association said. A federal mediator has summoned both sides to a meeting on Friday. Each day of the Montreal strike put Can$91 million (US$67 million) worth of economic activity at risk, the port authority said. It said Thursday that 11,500 containers had been blocked or delayed because of the strike, creating supply chain backlogs, delivery delays and additional costs for businesses and consumers.
A spokeswoman for the port authority, Renee Larouche, said it would work to ensure a return to normal (operations) as quickly as possible.& The port handles most of Canada's container traffic with the European Union. Transport Minister Anita Anand said this week that the port was critical to our supply chains and urged both sides to return to the table and put in the work needed to get a deal done." Their last meeting to negotiate a collective agreement was on September 26. Michael Murray of the Port of Montreal Longshoremen's Union accused the employer of refusing to come to the negotiating table to find solutions.
Pelletier said the Maritime Employers Association is hoping for a "lasting agreement that takes into account reality in order to work collectively to bring stability and cargo back to Montreal."
