by Manal Barakat, SeaNewsEditor

Last week, after three days of full strike, dockers at the Port of Montreal suspended overtime work indefinitely.

According to the latest port advisory, all terminals will remain operational; however, longshoremen will not work extra hours. 

This decision will likely cause processing delays and a backlog of containers awaiting handling, says the port. 

The affected terminals and handling companies include Cast, Maisonneuve, Racine, Viau, Logistec terminals in Montreal and Contrecœur (dry bulk), CanEst, and Lantic.

In the meantime, the overtime ban does not impact Liquid bulk handling, Oceanex service (Bickerdike terminal), or grain terminal (Viterra).

Seaexplorer data shows that, as of 17 October, eight vessels are expected to arrive in the weeks up to 1 November.

Kuehne+Nagel expects the current pressure tactics at the port to slow down the speed and process of handling vessels and containers.

In response to the ongoing industrial action, Canada's Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon has proposed a 90-day freeze on strike activities this week to facilitate contract negotiations.

Both parties have until 18 October to accept or reject the offer.