Canada’s labour board orders operations to resume at Montreal port

(Reuters) – Canada’s Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered a resumption of operations at the Port of Montreal from Saturday morning, the port’s employers association said, after the federal government stepped in and directed the labour board to end port disputes.

Canada on Tuesday intervened to end the labour disputes at the country’s biggest ports, including Vancouver in British Columbia and Montreal in Quebec, citing economic damage and the potential for driving away trading partners.

It was the second time in three months that the Liberal government has stepped in to halt a labour dispute. In August, it ordered an end to work stoppages at the country’s two largest railway companies.

The Maritime Employers Association (MEA) said it would comply with the labour board’s directive, allowing Montreal port operators to resume activity over the weekend.

The Montreal Longshoremen’s Union on Sunday rejected a final offer made for a new labour contract, leading to a lockout being declared.

The union did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours on resumption of activities.

The dispute, which Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon said was affecting more than C$1.3 billion ($924.35 million) in goods every day, has impacted shipments of canola oil, forest products and other goods.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514, which represents supervisory longshore workers in the British Columbia dispute, said on Tuesday it would file a legal challenge to the minister’s orders.

The BC Maritime Employers Association, which represents West Coast port employers including in Vancouver, said it received the order from the labour board on Wednesday to resume operations on Thursday.

($1 = 1.4064 Canadian dollars)