Possible Strike at the Port of Montreal
Canada’s Second-largest Port May Face a Strike
During the first week of January 2019, the Stevedores’ Union warned the public of a possible strike after contracts expired in December 2018. The Union is currently renegotiating a contract with The Maritime Employers Association, which has for mission to represent all maritime stakeholders in the Ports of Montréal, Trois-Rivières/Bécancour, Hamilton and Toronto. It negotiates and administers the collective agreements to its members which includes ship owners and/or ship operators and/or ship agents and stevedoring companies.
According to the Montreal Gazette,
“Members voted 99.49 in favour of giving their union a mandate to call a strike, a result union spokesman Michel Murray said Wednesday is hardly surprising given working conditions he called ‘oppressive.'”
“Since the last contract was signed in 2013, 30 stevedores have been fired and 1,000 suspension days have been levied against the port’s roughly 1,100 members, he said in an interview.”
“Also at issue are salaries and schedules requiring stevedores to work 19 days out of every 21, Murray added….’The work schedules are from another era,’ he said. ‘There is a new generation and they want to better reconcile their work with their family and private lives.'”
Scarbrough will continue to monitor the situation and proactively contact our clients that are affected by changing port operations. For any questions, please contact your direct Scarbrough representative or email info@scarbrough-intl.com.
