Employers lock out longshore workers in Montreal after contract offer rejected

MONTREAL — The employers association at the Port of Montreal locked out nearly 1,200 longshore workers Sunday night, bringing a halt to traffic at the port.

The Maritime Employers Association is calling on federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to intervene in the dispute to resolve the impasse at Canada’s second-biggest port.

The employers association said it initiated the lock out at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday night after the unionized workers voted to reject a contract offer tabled last week.

A spokesman for the Canadian Union of Public Employees says members voted 99.7 per cent to reject the proposal.

The workers have been without a collective agreement since Dec. 31, 2023.

The union has said it will accept the same wage increases that were granted to its counterparts in Halifax or Vancouver — 20 per cent over four years. It is also concerned with scheduling and work-life balance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press