The clock is ticking on a potential lockout of 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal if the Canadian Union of Public Employees does not agree to a final contract offer from the employers association by Sunday. Dockworkers were voting on the offer on Sunday afternoon, with the results to be released afterward. If a deal is not reached by 9 p.m. on Sunday, workers will be locked out, with only essential services continuing at the port. This lockout would impact the country’s two largest ports, with workers in British Columbia already locked out since Monday in a contract dispute at the Port of Vancouver.
The Port of Montreal, Canada’s second-largest port, handles nearly $400 million in goods daily. The Port of Montreal stated that three terminals would remain operational in the event of a lockout, including the Bickerdike terminal, liquid bulk terminals, and the grain terminal. The conflict between the union and the employers association has significant commercial and human impacts on thousands of Quebec and Canadian businesses, the economy, and the supply of goods for millions of people in Quebec and Canada. The employers association tabled a final offer on Thursday evening, calling for a response by 8 p.m. on Sunday, accompanied by a 72-hour lockout notice.
The offer from the Maritime Employers Association includes a salary increase of three percent each year for four years, followed by a 3.5 percent increase for the subsequent two years. This would bring a longshore worker’s total average compensation at the Port of Montreal to over $200,000 per year at the end of the contract. The association is also asking workers to provide at least one hour’s notice when absent from a shift, rather than one minute, to address management issues affecting daily operations. The union has expressed concerns about scheduling and work-life balance, stating that the new offer only contains “cosmetic changes” and does not address these critical issues.
The Syndicat des débardeurs du port de Montréal official stated that the union had no issue submitting the latest offer to a vote but expressed doubt about it being supported as members have already rejected similar offers in the past. The union is seeking increases similar to those granted to counterparts in Halifax or Vancouver, which were 20 percent over four years. Despite spending two hours with a federal mediator on Friday morning, no progress was made in resolving the contract dispute. Workers at the Port of Montreal have been without a collective agreement since December 31, 2023, adding urgency to the need for a resolution to avoid a lockout.
The looming lockout at the Port of Montreal highlights the tensions between the union representing dockworkers and the employers association as they struggle to reach a new contract agreement. The impact of a potential lockout on the economy, businesses, and the supply chain is significant, with the Port of Montreal playing a critical role in moving goods in and out of Canada. The issues of salary increases, scheduling, and work-life balance are central to the negotiations, with the union seeking equitable terms compared to counterparts in other ports. The outcome of the vote on the final contract offer will determine whether the conflict escalates further, with both sides facing pressure to reach a resolution to avoid disruptions to operations at one of the country’s key ports.
