Operations to resume at Port of Montreal on Saturday

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

Operations at the Port of Montreal will resume this weekend following an order issued Thursday evening by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).

The board's order requires work to resume at 7 a.m. Saturday.

"The Maritime Employers Association (MEA) is complying with the CIRB's order to allow port operators to resume operations. Port employees will therefore receive their assignments on November 15 at 6pm for the following day," the association said in a press release.

The MEA locked out about 1,200 longshore workers at the Port of Montreal on Sunday after workers rejected a final contract offer.

Federal labour minister Steven MacKinnon intervened on Tuesday to put an end to the work stoppage and directed the CIRB to order operations to resume. He also ordered negotiations to move to binding arbitration after both sides reached an impasse.