Port of Montreal stilled by lockout

Port of Montreal stilled by lockout
   A labor union representing Port of Montreal longshoremen called a lockout by employer group Maritime Employers Association (MEA) on Monday morning “incomprehensible and pointless.”
   “All the port's marine activities stopped following the lockout,' the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) said. 'Furthermore, rail operations and truck traffic were halted when picket lines went up. Consequently, no container has entered or left the port since Monday morning.”
   Local 375 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees said news of the lockout was a surprise when it reached it Sunday night, and that longshoremen “were in the midst of a general meeting to cancel the planned application of pressure tactics. The union and the employer had met all afternoon on Sunday and planned to continue ongoing negotiations during the week.”
   “The best way to disrupt the functioning of the port is to lock up and send the workers packing. The solution is for the employer to let the work continue, in the port and at the negotiating table, and in the next few weeks, we'll have an agreement,” said union representative Michel Murray.
   About 900 Port of Montreal longshoremen have been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2008.
   Pursuant to Section 34 of the Canada Labor Code, the MEA, on behalf of its members, negotiates and administers collective agreements covering more than 1,450 longshoremen in Toronto, Montreal and Trois-Rivi'res/B'cancour.
   The MEA said it ordered the lockout because of “the union's refusal to acknowledge the urgency of the matter as well as the need to radically amend the collective agreement.'
   The union said on June 27, the employer “targeted the 169 longshoremen with the least seniority, changing their working conditions and depriving dozens of young families of income and stability. The longshoremen responded by refusing to work overtime as of July 9. “We wanted to demonstrate that our 169 colleagues are essential. The employer had to reinstate them to cover the overtime,” Murray said.
   The port, which is not a party to the conflict, said it “regrets the inconveniences that this situation may cause to shippers, their customers and other users of port services. The MPA hopes that the parties come to an agreement so that the port activities affected by the conflict can return to normal as soon as possible.” ' Chris Dupin