The union that represents Port of Montreal dockworkers is “strongly denouncing” the federal labour minister’s decision to force its members back to work, calling it “a dark day for workers’ rights.”
On Tuesday, Minister Steven MacKinnon announced that he had instructed the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to impose “final and binding arbitration” to put an end to labour disputes at various ports across the country.
This decision applies to the Port of Montreal, where employees have been locked out since Sunday night, ports in B.C., where the ongoing lockout has been in place for a little more than a week, and the port in Quebec City where dockworkers have been locked out for more than two years.
The port in Quebec City has been operating with replacement staff, but the more recent lockouts have heightened concerns about the damage that could be done to Canada’s economy if they drag on.
The Port of Montreal moves $400 million worth of goods every day and is Canada’s second busiest port after Vancouver’s.
“The work stoppages at the ports of British Columbia and the Port of Montreal are significantly impacting our supply chains, thousands of Canadian jobs, our economy, and our reputation as a reliable trading partner,” MacKinnon said in a statement.
“The responsibility for these negotiations belongs to the parties alone, but the impacts are being borne by all Canadians. We simply cannot afford this uncertainty and instability at this moment.”
In a statement issued Tuesday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) — the country’s largest union with 750,000 members including Montreal and Quebec City dockworkers — said the right to collectively bargain is a constitutional right, and the labour minister’s announcement goes against that.
It said the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) locked out workers in Montreal on Sunday night, and then asked the federal government to step in without making a sincere effort to negotiate.
“Citizens in this country should be very worried this morning. We have to collectively stand up and denounce this as a step back for the rights of the middle class,” said Patrick Gloutney, the president of the CUPE’s Quebec division.
“I can’t imagine those workers behind me going back to work with a smile on their faces,” Gloutney told reporters in Quebec City on Tuesday afternoon.
He said there had been progress on negotiations in Quebec City, making him wonder why the government imposed a return to work.
“Instead of putting pressure on the employers, the government is putting pressure on the unions, the workers,” said Gloutney.
In a statement on Tuesday, the MEA said it welcomed MacKinnon’s decision and that it is waiting to hear from the CIRB regarding next steps.
“The MEA will take the necessary measures to ensure activities resume as quickly as possible at the Port of Montreal,” the association said.
CUPE is also calling for the new federal anti-scab law — which was passed earlier this year and bans federally regulated workplaces from bringing in replacement workers during a legal strike — to take effect immediately instead of next June.
The group says the law would have helped end the labour dispute in Quebec City sooner.
Scheduling issues
The collective agreement between Montreal dockworkers and the MEA expired in December of last year.
Sunday night’s lockout came a few days after the association tabled what it described as a final offer. That offer was a six-year deal that would have increased salaries by 12 per cent in the first four years and seven per cent in the subsequent two years.
According to the MEA, this offer would put the average Montreal dockworker’s salary at $200,000 by the end of the six-year deal, but the CUPE section representing dockworkers has said that’s not true.
It also said the MEA’s offer only included “cosmetic changes” and didn’t address issues around scheduling, a major sticking point in negotiations.
The MEA also wants dockworkers to provide at least one hour’s notice when they will be absent from a shift — instead of one minute — to help alleviate management issues.
The labour dispute ramped up in late September, when the workers rejected an offer and approved a strike mandate.
Dockworkers went on a three-day strike on Sept. 30, closing two terminals — Viau and Maisonneuve — that handle more than 40 per cent of the port’s container traffic.
Since Oct. 31, the union launched an indefinite strike that has shut down those two terminals.
Lockouts have halted the movement of goods at Canada’s two largest ports, Montreal and Vancouver, just as the retail season ramps up — forcing many businesses to worry about their bottom line.