The prospect of Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepping in to prevent Montreal port workers from launching more and wider strikes if they choose to do so after their 72-hour work stoppage ends Wednesday looks dismal.
Trudeau’s Liberal government is in an increasingly fragile alliance with a more leftist — and more pro-union — New Democratic Party. As Trudeau faced a second no-confidence motion in Parliament on Tuesday, the government urged Montreal port workers and their employers to return to the table and said it is monitoring the situation closely.
Knowing that Ottawa will not apply any significant pressure, Montreal port workers have seized on the timing of US East and Gulf coast longshore workers launching a strike Tuesday for the first time in nearly 50 years. Last week, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 375 announced that they would shut down the Viau and Maisonneuve container terminals, which account for approximately 40% of container capacity at Canada’s second-busiest port, starting the day before the International Longshoremen’s Association strike.
The union used a similar strategy in summer 2020, targeting specific marine terminals for three-day strikes before turning to other facilities, allowing — but significantly slowing — cargo flow. Those so-called rolling strikes lasted 12 days and were followed by five days of strikes in April 2021. The Trudeau government introduced back-to-work legislation to end the April 2021 strike.
The last few years haven’t shown any changes in Trudeau’s motivation to intercede. The federal government allowed a 13-day longshore strike at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert in July 2023 before forcing a deal. More recently, Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon didn’t stop the country’s first nationwide strike involving both major railroads since 1987 until the 17th hour.
Notably, Parliament also hasn’t had the resolve to table back-to-work legislation, in part because the Conservatives, historically a stalwart for business, have become cozier with organized labor, according to three people familiar with the matter.
That has shipping executives who spoke to the Journal of Commerce pessimistic about an immediate government response to rising Montreal port worker agitation. CUPE and employers remain far apart on the same issues, namely salaries, wage guarantees and paid vacation in which workers aren’t on call, according to two sources close to the matter.
Details please refer to the JOC news.
Source:
Szakonyi, M. (2024, October 1). Montreal port users not expecting quick intervention if strikes continue. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/montreal-port-users-not-expecting-quick-intervention-if-strikes-continue-5740119