Partial strike at Eastern Canada s biggest port to clog shipping already under strain thewhig.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thewhig.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Marcy Nicholson and Sandrine Rastello (Bloomberg)
A partial strike scheduled to start Wednesday by Port of Montreal dockworkers threatens to increase congestion in other parts of North America and further waylay shipments at a time of surging shipping costs and delays.
Longshoremen at eastern Canada’s biggest port will work regular shifts Monday through Friday without overtime hours and refusing to work weekends. This comes after the Montreal Employers Association stated it will exercise its right to lockout, the workers’ union said, following drawn-out contract negotiations.
The port’s capacity is now expected to drop by 30%, Montreal Port Authority Chief Executive Officer Martin Imbleau said in a statement.
The masks must either be surgical or approved by Quebec’s standardization bureau. The order comes after the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) released recommendations for mandatory masks in workplaces last week. The INSPQ also recommends workers rotate meal times, favour eating in individual offices when possible or that companies make more rooms available for workers. Veronique Proulx, CEO of Quebec Manufacturers and Exporters, said the adjustment shouldn t be difficult for many businesses in the sector. “Quebec manufacturers have been working since the beginning of the pandemic, and masks have been mandatory for the employees working on the shop floor – so there won’t be a big change or those working within the manufacturing plants, she said.
Quebec manufacturers, builders warn against new COVID-19 lockdowns
Jacob Serebrin, The Canadian Press
We re going to see burn-out of front-line workers: Epidemiologist VIDEO SIGN OUT
âMONTREAL - Quebec s manufacturing and construction associations say there will be major damage to Quebec s economy if the government imposes a strict COVID-19 lockdown similar to what occurred last spring.
Veronique Proulx, CEO of Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Quebec, reacted Tuesday to multiple media reports saying Premier Francois Legault is set to close non-essential manufacturing businesses to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
âThe worst scenario for us would be to go back to the same situation we had last spring,â Proulx said in an interview. She said Quebec manufacturers lost $4 billion in sales when they were shut during the first wave of the pandemic and she expects a similar situation if manufacturers are forced to close again.