24 hours before the start of an overtime strike by stevedores at the port of Montreal, six associations representing the Montreal business community demanded Tuesday the “firm and immediate” intervention of the federal government to ensure the full maintenance of port activities.
• Read also: Port of Montreal longshoremen: overtime strike starting Tuesday
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“The hour is critical. The government must act quickly. Every effort should be made to ensure that SMEs that are already severely affected by the pandemic are not penalized, ”said Jasmin Guénette, Vice-President of National Affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) .
“It is not just a question of labor relations, but an important economic issue in a situation of historic crisis. The Canadian government cannot allow the situation to continue and must absolutely intervene for the good of the economy of Quebec and Canada, ”added Charles Milliard, President and CEO of the Federation of Quebec Chambers of Commerce (FCCQ).
The six organizations launched a joint declaration on March 18 calling on the Minister of Labor of Canada and the government to do everything possible to ensure the maintenance of activities at the port and reassure businesses. To date, the declaration has garnered close to 450 support from signatories working in all sectors of activity and from Quebec and Ontario.
Deterioration of relationships
Tensions remain high at the negotiating table, while the Port of Montreal has to deal with a reduction of nearly 30% of its port capacities.
“For a rare time in its history, the Port of Montreal is posting a performance that stands out against that of its competitors on the American east coast who, conversely, are experiencing significant growth,” said the President and CEO of Montreal Port Authority Martin Imbleau in an open letter published Tuesday.
The longshoremen have planned to stop working overtime starting Wednesday and stop working Saturdays and Sundays. The union announced the measures after the Maritime Employers Association announced the suspension of certain conditions of pay for longshoremen.
“Continued international trade is essential to the supply of critical goods, but also to the very functioning of our economy … recovery or not. Thus, the Port of Montreal has a dual role: whether import or export, it is both an economic agent that creates wealth and a reliable public service ensuring the safety of the communities it serves. However, this mandate promises to be increasingly difficult, ”said Mr. Imbleau.
Mediators from the federal government are invited to the negotiating table on Tuesday.
Recall that the longshoremen held a two-week strike last August, before concluding a seven-month truce with the Montreal Port Authority, which expired at the end of March. The longshoremen have been without an employment contract since 2018.
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