Monday, August 24, 2020

Montreal port strike ends

A strike by 1,125 workers at the port of Montreal has ended with an agreement to spend the next seven months trying to reach an agreement.


The end of the strike means grain exports can resume.

At a joint press conference Friday, the Maritime Employers Association and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced the truce.

The two sides have agreed to work on negotiating a new collective agreement by March 20, 2021, without a strike, lockout or work tactics.

On Friday, the president of the Maritime Employers Association, Martin Tessier, and the CUPE representative, Michel Murray, both said they were hopeful of reaching an agreement within the seven months.

The port also reached an agreement in principle with a second union, representing about 150 auditors, who had also been on strike. The union will submit a tentative collective agreement to members today.