Strikers at the Port of Montreal on Thursday expressed their anger over the adoption overnight by the federal government of legislation forcing them back to work.
Bill C-29 has been adopted by the House of Commons and will be studied by the Senate, which had been convened Friday to do so.
In a statement issued Thursday morning, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the Port of Montreal’s longshoremen, attacked the Liberal government and Conservative opposition for voting to pass the law.
According to the union, the bill infringes on their members’ right to strike, a right that has repeatedly been upheld in the courts.
The 1,150 longshoremen have been on strike since Monday.
The law calls for a return to work at 12:01 a.m. the day after the law goes into effect. Failure to do so by the union or management will result in a fine of $100,000 for each day of infraction.