Workers at Port of Montreal Continue Partial Unlimited Strike as Part of Labour Action.

October 28, 2024 TruthUSA

After staging a 24-hour strike on Sunday, dockworkers at the Port of Montreal have opted to escalate their pressure tactics by initiating a general strike at two terminals.

The union representing almost 1,200 longshore workers at Canada’s second-largest port declared that the job action will commence on Thursday at 11 a.m. at the same two container terminals that were affected by a three-day strike earlier this month, and will persist until further notice.

Since October 10, workers affiliated with the Syndicat des débardeurs du port de Montréal have also been refusing to work overtime shifts.

The union specifies that the container terminals to be affected by the indefinite strike starting on Thursday are operated by Termont and account for approximately 40 percent of container traffic.

Dockworkers have been operating without a collective agreement since December 31, 2023, with matters such as salaries, scheduling, and work-life balance being central to the ongoing negotiations.

Earlier this month, Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon proposed the appointment of a special mediator to facilitate the resumption of negotiations between the parties for a period of 90 days, without the threat of a lockout or strike, but this offer was turned down.