by Manal Barakat, SeaNewsEditor

Canada's local media reported yesterday that the union representing longshoremen in British Columbia decided to challenge the ministry's order, instructing workers to return to work.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 submitted a legal document questioning the legality of the order issued last week.

The union believes that forcing workers to end the strike and get back to work "violates the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike," writes The Canadian Press.

Local media further states that a panel of the Canada Industrial Relations Board will review the questions on 9 and 10 December.

Similarly, the union representing port workers in Montreal Port declared it would officially challenge the federal government's decision.

Last week, port operations in Montreal and British Columbia ports resumed after several days of disruption, causing a backlog of vessels that could take weeks to clear.

Consequently, liners MSC and CMA CGM announced the implementation of a congestion surcharge (CGS) to ensure service continuity.

According to today's seaexplorer data, the 7-day average vessel waiting time at Vancouver and Prince Rupert reached nearly 8 days. The same average reached approximately 3.5 days in Montreal.