April 13, 2021 – There are reports that a strike at the Port of Montreal will be a reality as both sides are now airing their grievances with separate news conferences. Both sides will meet today with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service: the MEA at 10:00 am, the union separately at 2:00 pm. It is hoped that the situation will be resolved in order to avoid a catastrophic situation for importers and exporters alike.
April 11, 2021 – The Maritime Employers Association (MEA) shared the following message on Saturday, April 10. The Port of Montreal suffered a substantial 11%-volume drop in March, caused by the uncertainty and anxiety triggered by the labour relations situation. The employer exercised its right and gave a 72-hour notice to the union executive of the longshoremen before removing the income guarantee and stops paying the hours that are not worked, in order to mitigate the adverse effects of this volume drop.
The MEA will continue its efforts to conclude a negotiated collective agreement as soon as possible.
The MEA emphasized in a follow-up message to CIFFA that this is not a lockout. “Employees that are not working will not be paid. That’s it."
The MEA received a response on Saturday evening from the union, providing its own 72-hour notice, key elements of which are that:
· Starting Tuesday, April 13 at 6:00 pm, employees will do no overtime / fishing / extension hours.
· Starting Tuesday, April 13 at 6:00 pm, employees will not participate in any training activities.
· Starting Saturday, April 17, no linesmen will work on the weekend between Saturday 8:00 am and Monday 7:59 am.
· Starting Saturday, April 17, no employees will work on weekend shifts between Saturday 7:00 am and Monday 5:59 am.
All of these measures are applicable for an unlimited period of time.
April 5, 2021 – As the investigation into the grounding of the Ever Given in the Suez Canal begins, the vessel’s Japanese owner, Shoei Kisen, on April 1 declared General Average. While there is no reported damage to the cargo, and that to the vessel appears to be minimal, the cost of the salvage operation, which ultimately required 11 tugs and two dredgers, as well as possible compensation claims from a variety of interests such as the Suez Canal Authority or shipping companies caught up in the backlog, could amount to a sizeable bill. Canaan Transport will be in touch with customers whose cargo has been affected.
April 1, 2021 – Reports show cautious optimism as negotiations continue to avert a Port of Montreal strike. We have received confidential information that both sides are close to a deal and that the weekend may prove fruitful.
March 29, 2021 – The Suez Canal was officially back operating today as the Ever Given was refloated. About 421 ships are lined up to transit and the delay will take at least 1 week to clear up.
March 25, 2021 – The Suez Canal Authority said in a statement Thursday that it had officially suspended traffic while efforts to dislodge the 1,300-foot Ever Given, stuck crossways in the canal, continued, raising the possibility of major new disruptions to global commerce just as supply chains have begun to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Peter Berdowski, CEO of Dutch company Boskalis, which is trying to free the ship, said "it might take weeks" to get the vessel off, possibly necessitating "a combination of reducing the weight by removing containers, oil and water from the ship, tugboats and dredging of sand." Meanwhile, shipping traffic is quickly backing up at both ends of the canal, which normally sees about 50 ships transit each day. Shipping experts said that, if the canal can’t be cleared in the next 24 to 48 hours, vessels plying routes between Europe and Asia may be forced to divert around Africa, adding up to 12 days to the journey.
March 24, 2021 – An article in Quebec’s La Presse newspaper (available only in French) on March 23 suggests that the Trudeau government plans to react quickly to any strike action on the part of the longshoremen at the Port of Montreal. Apparently, Filomena Tassi, the Minister of Labour, is preparing back-to-work legislation in the event a strike is declared. Quebec Premier François Legault is said to have met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week and to have stressed that a strike would harm any economic recovery after a year dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two parties, the Longshoremen’s Union Local 375 and the Maritime Employers’ Association, are said to be heading back to the negotiating table this week after the union rejected the employer’s so-called "final offer" on Sunday, March 21. The office of Labour Minister Tassi told the Canadian Press that it is pleased with the parties’ return to the bargaining table and invites the parties to come to an agreement as soon as possible. “The government’s clear intention is for the parties to come to an agreement. This has been made clear to the parties,” said Lars Wessman, Director of Communications for Minister Tassi. Wessman also noted the Port of Montreal’s pivotal role.
“We are aware that the current situation is creating a lot of uncertainty in supply chains, and risks harming our reputation and the Canadian economy, especially in Montreal as well as in Quebec and in Ontario. We have heard the concerns of numerous parties over the course of the last several weeks and we take them seriously,” the Minister’s office said.
March 21, 2021 – The Longshoremen’s Union Local 375 held a press conference broadcast on its Facebook page on Sunday, March 21 at 4:00 pm. After a special meeting of its members during the day on March 21 (from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm), at 3:00 pm, 91% of the union local members voted on the Maritime Employers’ Association’s final offer, which was presented to the union on March 12. Of 1,023 total votes, 1,020 members refused the final offer, meaning that 99.71% voted no to the MEA offer. During the press conference, the union cited hours of work, job security, ocean carrier profitability and the need for the “real decision-makers” to be at the table as issues. Michel Murray, the CUPE union representative, said that, “Symbolically, the union also voted today to ask the employer to go back to the negotiation table. We intend to call the mediators this evening and our goal is to go back to the negotiation table to work on a collective agreement.” Murray also commented during the press conference that the union is aware of vessels already being diverted through the Port of Halifax even before the end of the truce and that this to them shows the employer is not playing fair. In a release, the MEA said that it acknowledges the employees’ vote. MEA said it would have preferred a yes vote to the final job offer, but recognizes the will of the union to pursue further negotiations. MEA said it is looking at its options and its priority is to have a decision as soon as possible. Beyond this, MEA said it would not comment further.
March 17, 2021 – Here is the latest on the Port of Montreal potential labour situation. On March 15, a hearing took place before the Canada Industrial Relations Board on the issue of the union being said to be negotiating in bad faith. A ruling from the CIRB is expected soon. On March 12, the employer, the Maritime Employers Association, put forth a final offer to the union. This is not an agreement in principle. The union will send out the final offer to members on March 18. The Port of Montreal will be closed on March 21 from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm for a special meeting of members, during which time the contents of the final offer will be discussed. The union will follow up with information on timing and format of the meeting in order to facilitate maximum attendance for voting on the final offer.
March 15, 2021 – In a memo, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 375 informed its members on Sunday that the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) issued a final offer to the union late on Friday, March 12. The union president stresses that this is an offer, not an agreement in principle between the parties. There are no details on the content of the MEA offer. The memo says the union executive committee will undertake a detailed analysis of the offer and submit it for a vote by the members.