Cargolution takes action to avoid a potential strike at the Port of Montreal


By Geneviève Cournoyer-Scalise March 02 2021

After 10 days of a costly strike last summer at the Port of Montreal, the Maritime Employers’ Association and the Union of Longshoremen concluded a truce until March 20, 2021, to extend the negotiation period for the signing of a new collective agreement without any further disruptions of the port operations. Now less than a month from the truce deadline, the two parties still have not come to an agreement. The possibility of a strike looms once again over the Port of Montreal causing concern for our customers and the entire transportation and logistics industry.

At Cargolution, we firmly believe that any further strike action at the Port of Montreal would have a devastating impact on the entire Canadian supply chain and jeopardize the economic recovery in several business sectors. Considering the precarious situation that we evolve in with the global pandemic still ongoing, the strike must be avoided at all costs.

Therefore, we have decided to mobilize and get involved to express our point of view to our leaders. Recently, Cargolution joined the initiative of the Canadian Association of International Freight Forwarders (CIFFA), which aims to pressure the federal government to intervene with both parties concerned to accelerate the settlement of the conflict and reach an agreement as quickly as possible. We raised our concerns through a letter we sent to the new Federal Minister of Transport, Mr. Omar Alghabra, and as well to the MP elected in Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle, Ms. Anju Dhillon. Both are the representatives of our respective regions according to the location of our offices in Toronto and Montreal. Our purpose is to clearly express our concerns about the potential outbreak of a strike at the Port of Montreal and to sound the alarm about the collateral damage that will ensue; not only for our company and our customers, but for our entire industry which plays a major role in the Canadian economy.

In the interest of transparency, here is a copy of the letters sent by Cargolution.

Letter to the Federal Minister of Transport.

Letter to the Liberal MP for Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle.

In the coming weeks, we will be following this labor dispute situation very closely. You can count on our team to keep you informed as soon there are further developments.

We sincerely trust that all parties concerned will be able to resolve this conflict before the truce deadline.

Cargolution

Like this article? Share it with your friends!