Some time ago, I have already written about the relevant reports of the North American port strike, and now the strike incident has the latest developments.

This is less than two weeks after the last partial strike, when dock workers refused to work overtime on weekdays or weekends. This was in response to the Maritime Employers’ Association (MEA) suspension of guaranteed minimum wages.

After a 72-hour notice was issued by the Port of Montreal Dockworkers Association in Canada, it plans to start an indefinite strike at 7 am local time on Monday morning. This is the latest escalation of the current labor dispute. It directly caused the interruption of one of the busiest ports in the country and threatened the supply chains of thousands of companies.

However, during the strike, dockers will still handle boxes containing medical supplies related to the epidemic, provided that these containers are marked with medical supplies.

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The Workers’ Association stated that the overall strike was in response to the change in the regular work schedule from Monday after the Maritime Employers’ Association (MEA) cancelled the minimum wage guarantee.

A spokesperson for the union said: If the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) does not want to see a strike, all it needs to do is to relax its pressure strategy. The union will do the same. There will be no overtime strikes and no weekend strikes. "It's very simple, we want to return to the negotiating table."air freight from china

Protracted labor disputes in the Port of Montreal

The Port of Montreal is Canada’s second largest port, handling 275 million Canadian dollars ($220.4 million) worth of cargo every day, including agricultural products, medicines and construction equipment. A total of seven international shipping companies serve the port: CMA-CGM, MSC, , Hapag Lloyd, Cosco, Maersk, OOCL and Falline. Last year, the port handled more than 1.6 million containers.

Since the port labor contract expired in 2018, the conflict between labor and management has not been interrupted. In August last year, after a 12-day strike, the dockworkers and the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) reached a 7-month truce, which ended on March 20 this year.

The union stated that the current dispute was caused by their employer, the Maritime Employers Association (MEA), who extended working hours without consulting them.

This is the second labor dispute that occurred at the port in less than a year. The 19-day strike last August estimated that wholesalers lost 600 million Canadian dollars in sales.

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The strike has brought huge economic losses to all parties


The Port of Montreal Authority issued a statement today, saying, “Unfortunately, due to the indefinite closure of port operations, this situation will have a serious and tangible impact on local residents and small businesses. Unrestricted strikes will destroy millions of Quebecers. And the public infrastructure for Canadians.

After a weekend of work stoppages, the impact has been great. Nearly 10,000 TEUs have been stranded, the backlog has been overstocked, the railway fleet has been delayed, and shipping companies that have ships to Montreal have to rearrange logistics. "

Michelle LeBlanc, CEO of the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, said: "The announcement of an indefinite general strike heralds disastrous consequences for the economy of cities, provinces and other parts of the country."

"Strategic assets such as ports are vital to the supply chains of Quebec and Canadian companies. It is completely irresponsible and unacceptable to stagnate in this way."
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Economic studies have found that an outage will cause economic losses of 10-25 million Canadian dollars a day, and the port cargo volume has been severely affected by the strike activity.

Lane Farguson, a terminal operator and port authority spokesman for the Port of Halifax, previously stated that the railway company has been monitoring developments in Montreal and preparing for a possible strike again.

If the strike strikes Halifax again, the port and its partners will do their best to provide services for it, but regular flights are still the priority service object.

Dennis Darby, president and CEO of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said that more than 2,500 member companies of the association have spent tens of millions of dollars on transshipment issues.

Canadian companies are calling on the federal government to intervene in this matter and end the dispute, and many carriers have begun to re-plan cargo transportation routes to avoid uncertainty and potential strike threats.

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