Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Urges Federal Government to Intervene in Port of Montreal Labour Dispute to Avoid Economic Shutdowns
TORONTO, April 12, 2021 /CNW/ - The Port of Montreal's longshoremen have announced that they will start a partial strike on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. This announcement comes after a 7-month truce that followed a costly work stoppage at the port in August. It is imperative that we avoid another debilitating strike. Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) is calling on the federal government to intervene to ensure service continuity at the port.
For several weeks, CME, along with several of Canada's leading national industry associations, have been raising concerns over this looming work stoppage with the federal government. The uncertainty caused by this labour dispute has had financial impacts on Canadian manufacturers and exporters, and the partial strike risks hurting the sector even more. Just the threat of a work stoppage at the port caused an 11 % decrease in activity this past month alone.
"Some manufacturers have had to redirect their containers to the Port of Halifax, incurring millions in additional costs every week. Industry will have to absorb these costs and delays, and it will ultimately hurt consumers. The situation also threatens manufacturers' ability to get the materials they need to make essential goods for Canadians. We must prevent a repeat of last summer. Supply chains, businesses, our economic recovery, and the livelihoods of hardworking Canadians cannot sustain further shutdowns." says Dennis Darby, President and CEO of CME.
As Canada's economy continues to struggle with the global pandemic, this strike action at the Port of Montreal will further impact an already fragile manufacturing supply chain, particularly in Quebec and Ontario.
"As governments are investing billions of dollars to restart the economy, it doesn't make any sense to allow a slowdown of operations at the Port of Montreal. This is why we need the federal government to intervene", adds Darby.
ABOUT CME
Since 1871, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters has been helping manufacturers grow at home and compete around the world. Our focus is to ensure manufacturers are recognized as engines for growth in the economy, with Canada acknowledged as both a global leader and innovator in advanced manufacturing and a global leader in exporting. CME is a member-driven association that directly represents more than 2,500 leading companies who account for an estimated 82 per cent of manufacturing output and 90 per cent of Canada's exports.
SOURCE Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
Ady Stefan Calin, Manager, Communications & Branding, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, C: 514-293-3765, E: [email protected], @CME_MEC
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