Canada to intervene to end potential Montreal port strike

Montreal

THE Canadian government will intervene to end a potential strike at the country's second-largest port, the labour minister said on Sunday, as the clock ticked down to a walkout by Montreal dockworkers.

Unionised workers, who have been in talks for a new contract since 2018, warned last week they were prepared to walk off the job on Monday to protest changes to their work schedule.

The strike threat has raised fears of another economic blow as the country struggles to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Labour Minister Filomena Tassi said the government had filed notice for legislation that would result in a resumption of operations if a strike, the second at the Port of Montreal in eight months, goes ahead.

"Putting forward this notice is our government's least favoured option. We believe in the collective bargaining process," she tweeted. "The government must act when all other efforts have been exhausted and a work stoppage is causing significant economic harm to Canadians."

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Quebec's 1,125 longshore workers at the Port of Montreal had refused to work weekends and nights after rejecting a March offer from the Maritime Employers Association.

The association, which negotiates contracts on behalf of its members, including ship owners, said on Sunday it was preparing for scheduled mediation talks on Monday and wanted to come to a negotiated settlement. A spokesperson for CUPE Quebec did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The dockworkers' last strike at the port in August 2020 lasted 19 days and had a ripple effect on supply chains across Canada. REUTERS