Two terminals at the Port of Montreal could be paralyzed next week, as the Port of Montreal longshoremen’s union filed a 72-hour strike notice Friday morning.
In a press release, the Syndicat des débardeurs du port de Montréal confirmed that it had issued its strike notice at 7 a.m. on Friday morning, meaning that its members could stop work as early as 7 a.m. on Monday.
In the event of a strike, it would last for three days, until 6:59 a.m. next Thursday. The union specified that the strike would affect only Termont Montréal’s two terminals.
Representatives of the union are scheduled to hold a press conference later on Friday to provide an update on negotiations. Earlier this week, the Port of Montreal’s 1,150 longshoremen rejected the latest comprehensive offer from the Maritime Employers Association by 99.63 per cent. They also gave themselves a strike mandate.
On Tuesday, the bargaining committee and executive committee of the Canadian Union of Public Employees local had recommended that the longshoremen reject the offer.
The Port of Montreal longshoremen’s collective agreement expired on Dec. 31.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 27, 2024.