It is official: partial strike at Port of Montreal
A labor dispute at the second largest seaport in Canada has boiled over into a partial strike.
By Michael McGrady, Maritime Direct Americas & Pacific Correspondent
MONTREAL — The Port of Montreal, the second largest seaport in Canada, is now the scene of a partial strike put on by longshoremen represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Employers at the port mode earlier to suspended minimum pay for the employees due to an 11 percent decline in overall cargo volumes moving through the port.
However, CUPE Local 375 announced on Monday that they are calling for merely a partial strike, asking that members not work overtime on weekdays or at all on the weekends.
The union did specify that it will handle pandemic-related containers and will provide food and grain offloading services. Other than that, the partial strike basically shuts down weekend operations.
This could mean bad news for manufacturers. Reuters wire services report that manufacturers and exporters are asking the Canadian Government in Ottawa for assistance.
The Port of Halifax, the closest major seaport, is also expected to take in a major surge of cargo due to the strike in Montreal. Halifax, the fourth-largest port in Canada, saw a surge in business during a similar strike in 2020.
This is a developing story.
