In a statement issued Tuesday evening, the ILA said negotiations are at an impasse, arguing that the association has “refused to recognize and negotiate numerous clauses dealing with job security and the job jurisdictions of our members.”
On Monday morning, the the Syndicat des débardeurs du port de Montréal launched a four-day strike after their negotiations with the association stalled.
Union representative Michel Murray said on Monday that members were being called upon to work 19 out of 21 days because of heavy activity at the port.
In 2015, Quebec’s longshoremen made an annual average salary of $110,000 before benefits, according to Quebec Labour Ministry statistics. Benefits paid to Montreal longshoremen stood at about $22,000 a year, including a pension plan funded by the employer.
On Monday, the Maritime Employers Association said it was “surprised and extremely disappointed” by the union’s decision to “use pressure tactics such as a strike.”