Content of the article

The Association des employeurs maritimes (AEM) announced Saturday morning that it will suspend the “wage guarantee” of dockers at the Port of Montreal, who will be off the job starting Nov. 5 at 7 a.m., except for bulk liquidations. sector and essential services.

In a statement, the maritime employers’ association said “this is a mitigation measure aimed at reducing the cumulative financial impact of repeated strikes and reduced volume at the Port of Montreal.”

Content of the article

The employer is criticizing the Port of Montreal dockers’ union (CUPE, Local Section 375) for “deciding to undertake an indefinite strike on October 31 that directly blocks two terminals and the processing of 40 percent of the containers delivered to the port.

The association said it informed the union on Saturday morning of its decision which will affect dockers assigned to transshipment containers who will not be at work.

“Currently, port workers at the Port of Montreal who are on standby but not working due to lack of volume are receiving their full pay each week,” AEM said in the statement.

The association proposed to the union earlier this week that it undertake a period of accelerated negotiations, with the support of a special mediator appointed by the federal labor minister, with the objective of concluding a new collective agreement.

In mid-October, Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon suggested the parties use a special mediator, drawn from outside the civil service, to try to resolve the dispute. This would have required both parties to refrain from any pressure tactics for 90 days.

Content of the article

Content of the article

The dispute mainly concerns working hours, work-life balance and wages.

The union said it was ready to accept wage increases that have been given to longshore workers in the ports of Vancouver and Halifax, for example 20 per cent over four years.

On Thursday, about 320 of the 1,200 longshore workers at the Port of Montreal walked off the job at the two terminals.

This company had already been hit by a partial strike by longshore workers that lasted three days in early October.

In addition, all longshore workers have refused to work overtime since 10 October. They also went on a 24-hour strike on October 27.

“From 2022, volumes are down at the Port of Montreal and AEM revenues are down by about 40%. In this context, the actions initiated by the union force AEM to take difficult but necessary decisions to mitigate the financial impact of pressure tactics on the organization,” the association wrote in its statement.

Content of the article

Content of the article