MONTREAL – Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal began a new strike Thursday morning, forcing the indefinite closure of two container terminals at the country’s second largest port.

The Port of Montreal says the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals are closed until further notice, crippling 40 percent of the port’s total container handling capacity. The union representing nearly 1,200 longshoremen began its latest strike at 11 a.m., affecting the two terminals operated by the Termont company. The latest strike involves up to 320 workers.

Thursday’s walkout comes on top of an ongoing overtime strike affecting the entire port, and follows a three-day strike at the same two container terminals earlier this month. The union also organized a 24-hour work stoppage on Sunday.

Officials with the union, which is linked to the Canadian Union of Public Employees, have said they are prepared to end the strike if an agreement is reached on part of the dispute centered on scheduling.

Union officials said earlier this week that Termont was targeted because it widely used scheduling practices that the union opposes on the grounds that they impact work-life balance.

The Maritime Employers’ Association denounced the strike and said it could not grant the request to change working hours without formal negotiations taking place.

“The timetables used on the various platforms (…) called into question by the union in recent days are included in the collective agreement in force and cannot serve as a bargaining chip for a strike targeting a single operator, as is the case. is the case today,” the statement said. »wrote the group Thursday in a press release.

The workers have been without a contract since December 31, 2023. In addition to scheduling and work-life balance issues, the union is also demanding a pay increase. He says he will accept the same increases as those granted to his counterparts in Halifax or Vancouver, 20 percent over four years.

In a statement, Port of Montreal CEO Julie Gascon warned that a prolonged shutdown could have broad repercussions on the economy and urged the parties to reach an agreement. She said ships were already being forced to reroute to other ports.

“This new work stoppage at the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals, at the very heart of our supply chain, can only have a profoundly negative impact on thousands of local businesses, as well as on the economy of Quebec and Canada. as a whole,” she said. wrote. “This closure affects half of our international container terminals and accentuates a climate of uncertainty which undermines the reliability and image of our logistics sector, key elements of the confidence that businesses place in the ecosystem of greater Montreal.”

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce posted a letter on its website urging the Canadian government to use “all tools at its disposal” to facilitate a return to the negotiating table, warning that an indefinite strike risks accelerating the inflation, increase costs for businesses and consumers, and harm Canada’s reputation as a reliable trading partner.

“Canadians expect rapid and decisive action from our elected officials to facilitate the resolution of this labor dispute and secure our economic future,” reads the letter, which was signed by dozens of business groups and chambers of commerce.