Following a week of strike action by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 375 which represents the Port of Montreal Longshoremen, the Canadian federal government has passed return-to-work legislation to resume operations at the Port of Montreal.
This bill (C-29) was passed with a 255-61 vote in the House of Commons on the morning of Thursday, April 29, 2021, and the Senate provided the final approval in the evening of Friday, April 30, 2021. It is expected that CUPE Local 375 will formally contest the validity of the bill.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 375 which represents the Port of Montreal Longshoremen provided a 72-hour strike notice to the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) last Friday, April 23, 2021, which resulted in a strike officially beginning on Monday, April 26, at 7:00 am. Although the strike officially began on Monday, the strike began on the evening of April 23, 2021 due to the ongoing actions which have led to no overtime or weekend operations recently.
This indefinite strike following a breakdown in labour negotiations resulted in the stoppage of cargo and container movement at the Port of Montreal. The Port of Montreal is the 2nd largest Canadian Port and this strike involves over 1,150 employees who are affiliated with CUPE Local 375. This action had an impact on all terminals and the movement of any vessels due to arrive at the Port of Montreal during this time frame.
If you have questions about the potential delay of goods, please reach out to your Freight Forwarder or booking agent. If you are unable to reach them, please reach out to our Freight Operations team at freightops@buckland.com or 519-631-4944, option 2.
Buckland will continue to monitor this situation and will provide any relevant updates.