The union representing longshore workers at the Port of Montreal said Friday that work at two terminals could come to a standstill next week as the union served a 72-hour strike notice.\
Dockworkers could walk off the job as of 7 a.m. Monday, a work stoppage that could last until Thursday at two terminals owned by Termont Montreal.
About 350 members would be part of the labour action, impacting roughly 35 per cent of container shipments, according to the union local, affiliated with the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
Michel Murray, a union spokesperson told a news conference on Friday it would be willing to lift the strike notice if the employer is willing to address two issues. One pertains to the use of senior foremen during operations that has been greatly reduced and another on scheduling that was not supposed to be used frequently but has been at the Termont facility, according to union members.
Earlier this week, the 1,150 longshoremen at the Port of Montreal rejected the latest offer from the Maritime Employers Association by 99.63 per cent while also giving themselves a strike mandate.
For its part, Termont announced on its website that its Viau and Maisonneuve terminals would be closed for the duration of the three-day strike.
As early as May, a number of shipping companies had rerouted cargo from the Montreal port, the country’s second-largest, over concerns about labour unrest.