Montreal port to resume operations Aug. 23 as tentative agreement struck

Houston — Port of Montreal longshoremen will return to work on Aug. 23, thanks to a tentative labor agreement reached Aug. 21 between the longshoremen's union and an employers group

The agreement will end the 12-day strike began by port workers and starts a seven-month truce between the two parties, during which negotiations will take place to agree on a new labor contract.

"We are confident that we will be able to reach a deal between now and then," Martin Tessier, president of the Maritime Employers Association, said at a joint news conference.

The strike concerned working hours and wages.

"I received confirmation that carriers are going back to Montreal in two-three days," a logistics manager at a Canadian retailer told S&P Global Platts.

The Port of Montreal is Canada's second largest container port by volume.

The Platts Container Rate 9 -- UK Continent to East Coast North America -- has remained steady at $1,800/FEU throughout August.