Employers have warned that an overtime strike by unionized dockworkers at the Port of Montreal could result in a complete shutdown of cargo operations at the vital eastern Canadian maritime hub. The work stoppage, initiated by Longshoremen’s Union Local 375 on Thursday, began after terminals and shipping lines requested the union to retract its overtime strike notice. The union advised that employees who were unable to work due to the stoppage would not be compensated for the hours they would have otherwise worked.

The union, an affiliate of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, represents approximately 1,200 dockworkers. Negotiations for a new contract with federal mediators have reportedly reached an impasse concerning scheduling and a proposed reduction in hours for senior forepersons.

The Maritime Employers Association (MEA), representing shipping lines, terminals, and other businesses, stated that even a limited job action could bring cargo handling to a standstill. "The MEA believes that the systematic refusal of overtime will have significant repercussions on the port’s activities — even to the point of stopping operations — and, by extension, on businesses, industries, and the public," the employers' group warned in a statement posted on its website. "The MEA reiterates its willingness to continue negotiations and asks the union to follow the process set out by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in order to reach a negotiated agreement as quickly as possible."

Dockworkers previously staged a three-day strike earlier this month at two container terminals.