INDUSTRIAL relations at the Port of Montreal took another bewildering twist this week, after white collar staff at two CP Ships-owned terminals walked off the job.
The stoppage comes just days after the Quebec government ordered striking truckers back to work last week, under legislation hurriedly passed expressly to end the dispute. Despite having the force of law, the dictat appears to have met with a scant response.
According to Reuters news agency, some 30 office workers employed at the Cast and Racine terminals - which handle 75% of Montreal’s container traffic - stopped work on Monday in protest over wages and job losses.
A port spokesman said that the walk-out had not affected activities, as the work was being handled by non-union colleagues. It is estimated that some 13,000 containers are sitting on the quays since the truckers’ dispute commenced on October 23, with goods worth C$500m held up as a result.
Normally some 8000 boxes are moved through Montreal each week. But only 100 containers were shifted on Monday, after most truckers chose to defy the law despite potential fines of up to C$10,000 a day.
Union representatives can be fined up to C$35,000, and supportive unions as much as C$125,000. “It’s clear the truckers are not respecting the law,” said a spokesman for the port. “I don’t know what the government will do about it. We are very far from (normal).”
Federal government efforts to broker a negotiated settlement also appear not to have made progress. Container traffic represents about 40% of all freight through Montreal, which is one of North America’s largest container facilities.
