Port of Montreal employers file final offer, lockout notice [Video]

Port of Montreal employers presented their “final, comprehensive” offer to the longshoremen on Thursday.

If they refuse, the employers say they plan to call a lockout at 9 p.m. Sunday.

According to the Maritime Employers Association (MEA), the most recent offer provides a wage increase of more than 20 per cent over six years, that is three per cent per cent per year for four years and 3.5 per cent for the subsequent two years, including a retroaction for the start of 2024.

The union had already said it would accept the same wage increases granted to longshoremen at the ports of Vancouver and Halifax, which was 20 per cent over four years.

The MEA points out that under the proposed contract, the average total remuneration of a longshoreman would be over $200,000 per year, and would also apply to pensions and benefits.

In return, the MEA is asking its …