Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal have been locked out by their employer after rejecting the latest contract offer put forward by management.
The employers’ association at the Port of Montreal has officially locked out nearly 1,200 longshore workers, bringing a halt to all traffic and activity at the busy East Coast port.
The Maritime Employers Association is calling on the federal government in Ottawa to intervene in the contract dispute and get trade flowing again at Canada’s second-biggest port.
The employers’ association said it initiated the lockout at 9 p.m. on Nov. 10 after the unionized workers voted to reject a contract offer tabled last week.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the Montreal dockworkers, said its members voted 99.7% to reject the proposed new contract.
The workers have been without a collective agreement since Dec. 31, 2023.
The union has said that it will accept the same wage increases that were granted to their counterparts in Halifax and Vancouver, i.e. a 20% pay raise over four years.
The union says its members in Montreal are also fighting for better scheduling and work-life balance in the current contract negotiations.
The situation at the Port of Montreal comes amid similar labour strife at ports throughout British Columbia on Canada’s West Coast.