Port of Montreal: Employer suspends ‘salary guarantee’ for dock workers

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The Association des Empeurs Maritimes (AEM) announced Saturday morning that it will suspend “the salary guarantee” of dockworkers at the Port of Montreal who will not be at work starting at 7 a.m. on Nov. 5, with the exception of dockworkers in the main part. sector and essential services.

In a press release, the Maritime Employers Association said: “This is a mitigation measure aimed at reducing the cumulative financial impact of repeated strikes and the decline in volume at the Port of Montreal.”

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The employer criticizes the Montreal dockworkers union (CUPE, local section 375) for “deciding to embark on an indefinite strike on October 31, blocking two terminals and the processing of 40 percent of containers delivered directly to the port .

The association said it informed the union on Saturday morning of its decision, which will affect port workers assigned to container handling who will not be at work.

“Currently, dock workers at the Port of Montreal who are on standby, but not working due to a lack of volume, receive their full salary each week,” AEM said in the press release.

The association proposed earlier this week to the union to start a period of accelerated negotiations, with the support of a special mediator appointed by the Federal Minister of Labor, with the aim of concluding a new collective agreement.

In mid-October, Labor Secretary Steven MacKinnon proposed that the parties bring in a special mediator, chosen from outside the public service, to try to resolve the dispute. This would require both sides to refrain from any pressure tactics for 90 days.

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The dispute is mainly about working hours, work-life balance and salaries.

The union said it is willing to accept the salary increases awarded to longshoremen at the ports of Vancouver and Halifax, such as 20 percent over four years.

On Thursday, about 320 of the Port of Montreal’s 1,200 longshore workers walked off their jobs at the two terminals.

This company was already the target of a partial three-day workers’ strike in early October.

In addition, all dock workers have refused to work overtime since October 10. On October 27, they also held a 24-hour strike.

“Since 2022, volumes at the Port of Montreal have declined and AEM revenues have declined by approximately 40 percent. In this context, the actions initiated by the union force AEM to make difficult but necessary decisions to mitigate the financial impact of the pressure tactics on the organization,” the association wrote in its press release.

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