QUEBEC CITY – Since noon, the Société des arimeurs de Québec has locked out the 81 longshoremen at the Port of Québec, slowing down an important player in the local economy.
On August 30, the Port of Quebec longshoremen voted for pressure tactics that could go as far as a 98.5% strike and have since been exercising some of them to advance discussions at the bargaining table.
“It is truly terrible that the employer is able to fire our members while we are still at the bargaining table. Not only is the employer hurting the local economy by slowing down the stevedoring service at the port, but it will also hurt the international image of our town, as we are in the middle of the cruise season. We always believe that the solution to our differences lies at the bargaining table,” said Dominic Cordeau, CUPE representative.
The parties have been in talks since June 2022. The discussions are stalling over the work schedule. The employer maintains its request to have 12-hour shifts. Members do not want these types of schedules because they want to protect the important work-life balance. Like everywhere else, there is a lack of personnel at the Port of Quebec and the employer is determined to put the burden of this situation on the backs of the stevedores.
“It is not by reducing the quality of working conditions that we will attract more workers and the members are mobilized on this subject,” added the union adviser.
Meetings between the parties are scheduled for October. The Port of Quebec is the oldest in the country and plays an important role in the local economy.
With more than 125,000 members in Quebec, CUPE represents the Union of Longshoremen of the Port of Montreal as well as the longshoremen of the ports of Quebec, Trois-Rivières, Sorel, Matane, and the longshoremen of Arrimage du Saint-Laurent (Baie- Comeau), for a total of 1515 members. It is the largest union affiliated with the FTQ.
SOURCE Canadian Union of Public Employees (FTQ)
