The port of Montreal on Friday said customers would experience an operational slowdown after a union issued a notice for a three-day strike next week attwo terminals that account for 41% of its container traffic.

“The uncertainty surrounding our activities will have a domino effect, both on importers and exporters who rely on the transportation of goods, and on the general public,” port authority President Julie Gascon said in a statement.

Nearly C$6 billion worth of goods were due to arrive in coming weeks, she said.

In a statement, federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon said the port was critical to Canada’s supply chains, adding that he was following the situation very closely.

The strike is due to start at 7 a.m. (1100 GMT) on Monday. The workers are demanding higher wages.

Montreal is the largest container port in eastern Canada and accounted for 3.5% of Canadian GDP in 2022, Gascon said.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)