Trucks carrying shipping containers drive through the Port of Montreal, on Sept.19, 2023.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
The Montreal Port Authority is urging the federal government to step in to end a lengthy labour conflict that’s disrupting container handling operations at Canada’s second-largest port, saying the city’s reputation as a reliable logistics hub is under threat.
Some 1,200 dockworkers belonging to the Port of Montreal Longshoremen’s Union have been locked in a dispute with the Maritime Employers Association for more than a year over a new labour contract. They’ve launched repeated pressure tactics in recent weeks that have stymied port operations.
The latest walkout by workers, which the union called an unlimited strike, has resulted in the closing of two terminals run by Termont Montreal since Oct. 31. Together, the terminals make up about 40 per cent of the port’s total container handling capacity.
Negotiations are currently deadlocked, according to the Port Authority, which called out “various pressure tactics” on both sides of the fight. It said it considers all container handling capacity at its international terminals to be at a standstill.
“I believe that the best agreements are negotiated at the table. But let’s face it, there are no negotiations, and the government must act by offering both sides a path to true industrial peace,” Julie Gascon, the port authority’s chief executive, said in a statement Thursday.
The value of goods moving through the Port of Montreal is close to $400-million a day, generating $268-million in economic activity, according to port authority data.
Ms. Gascon, who started as Port Authority CEO earlier this year, said this latest labour dispute is the third in four years at the Port of Montreal. She said that while Montreal’s logistics capability has grown, it’s now losing momentum as shipping companies and other clients take their business elsewhere.
“There’s no denying that our reputation has been harmed by uncertainty over the reliability of our activities, and in the long run, we’re losing competitiveness,” she said. “We need to be able to deliver stability and predictability.”
At the other end of the country, employers locked out unionized supervisors at British Columbia ports earlier this week, disrupting international shipping trade on the West Coast and creating upheaval across the supply chain.
The lockout by the BC Maritime Employers Association took effect Monday afternoon and covers about 730 ship and dock forepersons. The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade is warning that the shutdown of an array of B.C. terminals would disrupt up to $800-million a day in trade and send ripple effects beyond marine facilities, with cancelled train and truck deliveries this week.
Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon addressed the labour situations in both Montreal and B.C. Thursday, saying on social-media site X that the parties must reach an agreement quickly. “Both sets of talks are progressing at an insufficient pace,” he said.
Last month, the minister tried to reset faltering talks between the two sides by proposing to appoint a special mediator and bar work stoppages for 90 days but that was rejected by the parties. It’s unclear what else he might be prepared to do.
With reports from Brent Jang