Port of Montreal: Maritime Employers Association wants special mediator

The Maritime Employers Association (MEA) wants Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to appoint a special mediator to help bring negotiations with the dockworkers’ union to a close.

The MEA hopes to reach an agreement by Dec. 3.

In a statement released Tuesday evening, the association said it had made a request to the minister’s office during the day.

The MEA said in its press release that the “discussions held within the last few hours have not succeeded in bringing the union back to the table in a constructive manner.”

It justifies its request to the minister by explaining that the negotiations remain at an impasse.

This comes as the union prepares to launch an unlimited general strike at the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals starting Thursday at 11 a.m.

The MEA assures that this strike “will quickly lead to major operational upheavals,” citing the consequences on the operations of several companies, but also on the finances of the association itself. The latter says it is already dealing “with declining volumes.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews