Union contract fight has halted container handling Container ships continue to line up outside Canada’s busiest import gateway as carriers wait for a lockout of union longshore employees to end. On Monday, 700 forepersons represented by International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 514 were locked out by ocean carriers and terminal operators represented by…
Canadian freight forwarders are “extremely frustrated” by the strikes across the country’s major ports, having to re-route cargo via the US. Director of policy and regulatory affairs for the Canadian International Freight Forwarder’s Association (CIFFA), Julia Kuzeljevich, told The Loadstar: “Both ports on the west coast and 40% of capacity at the port of Montreal are closed.…
Disruption continues across Canadian ports as rail embargoes are announced – and with no end in sight, carriers must weigh up whether their ships wait at anchorage or turn around. The union representing longshoremen at the port of Montreal, CUPE 375, began an indefinite strike on 31 October over its contract dispute with the Maritime…
Turmoil persists at Canada’s ports, with warnings that this could lead to spikes in road and rail freight, and congestion at ‘Plan-B’ US west coast gateways. Yesterday, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship & Dock Foremen Local 514 began an industry-wide, open-ended strike against all BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) member companies. The association…
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is expanding a centralized marine traffic scheduling system to encompass the entire Burrard Inlet, aiming to improve safety and efficiency in one of Canada’s busiest trade hubs. This advanced system enables the port authority to manage actively and sequence commercial ship movements in Burrard Inlet, home to 23 Port of…
BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), which employs port workers in British Columbia, Canada, is threatening to close all ports in the province in response to strike action called by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) for 8 am local time today (4 November). ILWU, on behalf of on behalf of the Longshore Locals and…
Terminals, carriers will suspend salary guarantees Maritime employers at the Port of Montreal warned that they will suspend salary guarantees for striking union members in an escalation of the longshore labor dispute. Saying it has “no other choice,” the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) said in a statement posted to its website that it will suspend…
Shippers face severe disruption in Canada after the weekend failed to see labour tensions decline at the country’s ports: in fact, rows on both the east and west coasts escalated. On the west coast, where the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert are affected, the BCMEA’s decision to lock out ILWU Local 514 workers today, triggered a…
Canada’s ports look set to be restricted on both coasts, with west coast ports including Vancouver and Prince Rupert to be hit with labour action on Monday, following the closure of terminals at the port of Montreal yesterday. The ILWU Local 514 yesterday issued a strike notice for Monday November 4 at 8.00. But the…
Canada’s Maritime Employers Association (MEA) is asking the Minister of Labour and Seniors, Steven MacKinnon, to appoint a special mediator as it has so far failed to reach a consensus with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), which has called for strike action in Montreal port’s Viau and Maisonneuve terminals today (31 October). Since December 2023,…
