The Longshoremen’s Union at the Port of Montreal has launched a four-day strike seeking greater work-life balance and shorter working hours.
The union filed a 72 hour notice of a strike commencing on Monday, July 27th and ending on Friday, July 31 at 06:59 a.m., according to the Maritime Employees Association (MEA).
The strike affects all terminal operations at the Port of Montreal, except for the Oceanex service to Newfoundland and Labrador concerning liquid bulk handling and grain operations at the Viterra terminal.
The Montreal Port Authority said that necessary efforts would be made to make up for the delays caused by the situation once the port is back to normal operation on Friday.
German liner Hapag-Lloyd said yesterday that its ship, the Barcelona Express which had been alongside, would load as much cargo as possible and try to depart before the strike.
Its ships Liverpool Express and Ottawa Express will arrive as planned, once the strike action ends next Friday.
The OOCL Montreal will delay her arrival from Tuesday to Friday.
“We can, therefore, expect some delays and congestion at the port whilst the backlog of vessels and cargo is cleared,” the company said.
Since Monday, the Port of Montreal has counted 7 vessels that could experience direct impacts, with 4 already experiencing delays or have to change their navigation strategy, while the other 3 are yet to decide on their course of action, the port authority told Offshore Energy-Green Marine in a statement.
“The Montreal Port Authority is concerned about this situation, as port activities are essential to the smooth running of the economy and, in some cases, to the health and safety of the public. A prolonged stoppage or slowdown of port operations is not desirable for the logistics and supply chain, nor for the businesses and citizens who benefit from the transit of goods,” the port authority said.
“We are therefore monitoring the situation closely and we hope that the employer of the longshoremen, the Maritime Employers Association, and the Union will be able to come to an agreement quickly.”