An unprecedented response to a serious blunder. From Vancouver to Halifax, via Montreal and Toronto, for the first time in history, the unions representing longshoremen in Canada’s largest ports are in Montreal for a joint press conference to denounce the use of Article 107 of the Canada Labour Code which put a pre-emptive stop to labour action in the railway sector last week.
After the intervention of the federal government, the Canadian Industrial Relations Board, CIRB, imposed binding arbitration on railway workers represented by Teamsters Canada, trampling the constitutional right of union members to negotiate collectively.
The decision sets a dangerous precedent for future labour disputes, and sends a signal to Canadian businesses that when negotiations get tough, the federal government will always come to their rescue to help them flatten on the rights of their employees.
WHO: Common front of unions representing longshoremen:
Rob Ashton, President of the Port of Vancouver Longshoremen, ILWU;
Martin Lapierre, president of the Union of Longshoremen of the Port of Montreal, CUPE;
Albert Battens, East Coast Vice President of the International Longshore Association, ILA;
Elizabeth Rancourt-Bond, president of the Union of Auditors of the Port of Montreal, ILA;
Kevin Pipper, President of the Halifax Longshore Union, ILA.
WHAT: Press conference to denounce the intervention of the federal government in railway conflicts
WHEN: Thursday August 29, 2024 at 10 a.m.
WHERE: Maison des débardeurs, 7020, rue Notre-Dame E, Montréal, Québec, H1N 3L6