Loading and unloading workers at Montreal Port will start a partial strike starting Wednesday morning. They say they were surprised by the employer’s decision to cancel payment for hours they hadn’t worked the day after the last day of negotiations.
The “partial strike”, which will start on Wednesday morning, will consist of refusing to work at the end of the week and refusing to work overtime.
This was announced in response to AEM’s announcement not to provide minimum nonworking hours for stevedores, a clause usually guaranteed in the collective agreement. Middle East Airlines justified the measure with an 11% decrease in the number of passengers at Montreal Port.
Michelle Murray, a representative of CUPE Longshoreman, said at a press conference that there could be a “few days” delay in handling containers because stevedores will not be operating on weekends. According to him, “95% of the companies will not be affected” by the partial strike.
Stevedoring workers said they would treat the containers with materials that could be used to combat the pandemic. They will also continue to provide essential services on the weekends, namely the loading and unloading of grains and containers related to the supply of Newfoundland and Labrador.
An AEM reaction is expected soon.
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