Canadian lawmakers early on April 29 passed legislation that will require striking longshoremen at the Port of Montreal to return to work. A general strike at the port began on April 26, resulting in a complete shutdown of cargo handling and docking services that affected all terminals except liquid bulk handling, grain, and Oceanex service.
The federal government had earlier issued notice that it was preparing back-to-work legislation if needed. The port on April 25 said clients should expect delays in delivery “for the next few days and even weeks” due to the strike, and warned that a prolonged disruption of port activities could result in daily losses of C$10-$25 million for the Canadian economy.
The legislation, which passed with a 255-61 vote, will require longshoremen at the port to return to work immediately after it takes effect, which could come as early as 12:01 a.m. on May 1 if the Senate approves the bill on April 30, which is expected. The longshoremen, represented by Canadian Union of Public Employees Local (CUPE) 375, will also be prohibited from further strikes until they reach a new collective bargaining agreement with the Maritime Employers Association (MEA).
The longshoremen have been without a contract since late 2018. Reported disputes over working conditions and schedules led to an 11-day strike last summer, while the MEA’s recent decision to suspend minimum pay guarantees in response to a drop in port cargo volumes led to a partial strike again on April 13, with longshoremen refusing to work overtime or extend their shifts beyond eight hours. As of April 17, striking workers had also stopped Saturday and Sunday shifts in advance of the general strike on April 26.
Fertilizer Canada on April 23 called on Prime Minister Trudeau and his government to immediately implement back-to-work legislation and work quickly to end the strike and get fertilizer moving again.
The trade organization said decisive action was needed to mitigate the impact of the strike on Canadian farmers, particularly in Quebec and Atlantic Canada. It noted that hundreds of thousands of tons of fertilizer enter Canada through the Port of Montreal during the spring planting season, and warned that up to 1 million acres in Eastern Canada could go unfertilized in one week if the strike were allowed to continue.
“Just as this strike begins, farmers are in a critical spring seeding season,” said Karen Proud, President and CEO of Fertilizer Canada. “As Canada continues to fight COVID-19, our citizens need a food supply that they can count on. Any strike will mean that essential fertilizer products cannot reach farmers in Eastern and Atlantic Canada. This strike threatens food security at a critical juncture.”
Fertilizer Canada also urged the government to implement a “long-term action plan” to prevent future labor disputes in services that are essential to Canada’s food chain. According to Bloomberg, Montreal is Canada’s second busiest port, handling 1.6 million containers with 35 million metric tons of goods last year.