Federal tribunal rules that the Port of Montreal ‘punished for having been a union representative’

An aerial view shows container ship Mombasa Express waiting to be unloaded in the Port of Montreal in Montreal on Thursday, Nov.14, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

In a decision that has just been handed down, a federal labour tribunal concludes that the dismissal of a longshoremen’s union representative at the Port of Montreal was “an illegal reprisal” against him for “an anti-union motive.”

“He was punished for being a union representative,” the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CCRI) concludes bluntly.

The tribunal, which specializes in labour law, also concludes that the descriptions used to describe his behaviour in his letter of dismissal are “so exaggerated” that it “can only conclude that there was a pretext for dismissing Mr. Lacasse.”

Michel Lacasse was an occupational health and safety advisor and an ex-officio member of the executive committee of the longshoremen’s union, which is a local of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with the QFL.

The CCRI is shocked by the situation.

“The speed with which the employer settled Mr. Lacasse’s case is shocking to the Board, which believes that this scenario is a perfect pretext for dismissing Mr. Lacasse,” it said.

It, therefore, ordered the Maritime Employers Association to reinstate Lacasse in his duties and to compensate him for any loss of salary and benefits he may have suffered as a result of this dismissal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 6, 2025.