Longshoremen return to work at Montreal port

Longshoremen returned to work this morning at the Port of Montreal, ending a lockout that has idled Canada's second largest port since last Monday. According to the Montreal Gazette.

Union president Daniel Tremblay said his members voted unanimously yesterday to accept a back-to-work protocol negotiated with the help of a federal mediator.

Both the union, representing about 850 longshoremen and women, and the employer have agreed to stop pressure tactics and to begin intensive contract negotiations today.

The Longshoremen's Union, Local 375 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, has been without a contract since December 31, 2008.

The longshoremen earn an average of US$80,000 annually in a job that demands shift work and being on-call.

The Maritime Employers Association, which represents shipping companies and negotiates with port workers in various Canadian ports, locked out the workers, it said, because union pressure tactics were causing an unacceptable level of uncertainty at the port.

It has agreed to reinstate a revenue guarantee programme for about 169 of its most recent hires, resolving an issue that had triggered the longshoremen's refusal to work overtime.
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)