CANADIAN LABOUR QUÉBEC:

RIO TINTO LOCKOUT SOON TO ENTER SECOND MONTH:

In the town of Alma Québec the lockout of employees of Alcan will soon be into its second month. 780 members of the United Steel Workers have been locked out since January 1. Management`s demand...simple "destroy the union"; all new workers hired from this point on are to be "subcontractors" rather than permanent employees. Here's the story from the International Metalworkers Federation.

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Canadian Rio Tinto lockout nears one month
On January 1, 2012, Rio Tinto’s aluminium subsidiary Alcan locked out 780 members of United Steelworkers at its smelter and refinery in Alma, Québec. The company refuses to negotiate limits on contract work.

CANADA: The company wants to have unlimited contracting out rights, and has replaced full-time, USW-represented workers with subcontracting employees, at considerably worse conditions, when they retire. Subcontracted work in the company is expected to increase from 10 per cent in 2010 to 27 per cent in 2012. The USW wants to create a floor of 750 permanent jobs at the Alma site.

Use of scab or replacement workers during a labour dispute is forbidden in Québec law. According to the company the site is now run at one third of capacity with the help of 200 "management" personnel. USW has lodged a complaint with the provincial labour board.

The IMF and ICEM have sent a strong protest to Rio Tinto's CEO Tom Albanese; "It is unprecedented in North America for a company to demand that a trade union accept the replacement of all permanent positions when workers retire with contract employees."

Affiliates are urged to also send letters to Albanese (with copies to IMF, ICEM and USW), making their opinions clear. See a model letter here.

Letters can be faxed to the Rio Tinto offices in London (+44 20 7781 1800) and Melbourne (+62 3 9283 3707), with copies to IMF, ICEM and USW.

See a detailed background to the dispute here.

Contacts:

Clairandrée Cauchy, Syndicat des Métallos /USW Communications, 514-774-4001, ccauchy@usw.ca ;
Joe Drexler, Syndicat des Métallos/USW Strategic Campaigns, 416-544 6009, 416-434 7907, jdrexler@usw.ca .

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Lock-out depuis près d’un mois chez Rio Tinto au Canada
Le 1er janvier 2012, la filiale de l’aluminium de Rio Tinto, Alcan, a lock-outé 780 membres du syndicat United Steelworkers dans ses installations de fonderie et d’affinerie situées à Alma, Québec. L’entreprise refuse de négocier des limitations au travail sous contrat.

CANADA: L'entreprise veut disposer du droit de sous-traiter sans restrictions le travail, et a remplacé du personnel employé à temps plein et représenté par l'USW, par du personnel en sous-traitance dans des conditions bien plus mauvaises, au moment du départ à la retraite. Le travail en sous-traitance dans l'entreprise devrait augmenter et passer de 10 pour cent en 2010 à 27 pour cent in 2012. L'USW veut créer un socle de 750 emplois permanents sur le site d'Alma.

La législation du travail interdit au Québec d'embaucher des jaunes ou du personnel de remplacement lors d'un conflit du travail. Selon l'entreprise, le site fonctionne au tiers de sa capacité avec l'aide de 200 personnes assurant la "gestion". L'USW a présenté une plainte au conseil provincial du travail.

La FIOM et l'ICEM ont adressé une ferme protestation à Tom Albanese, directeur général de Rio Tinto: "C'est un fait sans précédent en Amérique du Nord qu'une entreprise demande à un syndicat d'accepter le remplacement de tous les postes permanents par des contractuels quand les travailleurs et travailleuses prennent leur retraite".

Les affiliés sont invités à envoyer des lettres à Albanese (avec copies à la FIOM, à l'ICEM et à l'USW), en faisant clairement état de leur opinion.
Les lettres peuvent être envoyées par télécopie aux bureaux de Rio Tinto à Londres (+44 20 7781 1800) et à Melbourne (+62 3 9283 3707), avec copies à la FIOM, à l'ICEM et à l'USW.

Pour un historique détaillé du conflit, cliquer ici.

Contacts:

Clairandrée Cauchy, Syndicat des Métallos/Communications de l'USW, 514-774-4001, ccauchy@usw.ca ;
Joe Drexler, Syndicat des Métallos/Campagnes stratégiques de l'USW, 416-544 6009, 416-434 7907, jdrexler@usw.ca .

CANADIAN POLITICS QUÉBEC:

POLITICIANS LEAD CHARGE AGAINST PENSIONS IN QUÉBEC:

It seems that in almost all countries there is a concerted effort to deny workers the pension benefits that they have worked and struggled for. Canada is, of course, no different, and the following open letter from the Canadian Union Of Public Employees (CUPE) speaks of how this attack is playing out in the Province of Québec.

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Politicians attack pension plans and keep Quebecers in the dark

The following open letter from CUPE Quebec was recently published by a number of media outlets (Le Devoir, Cyberpresse).


The end of 2011 was marked by an unprecedented attack against the pension plans of hundreds of thousands of Quebec workers. Quebec City's mayor Régis Labeaume is leading the attack and requesting that the Quebec government change pension plans to cut costs.

Keeping Quebecers in the dark is part of a ploy and an ideological attack on the working conditions of the middle‑class. Countless omissions (presumably intentional) are clouding the issue and making it impossible to hold a healthy debate. Montreal's mayor Gérald Tremblay is threatening to do the same.

It's time to set the record straight so that Quebecers understand what is truly at stake.

The crisis

The financial crisis is largely to blame for the current strain on certain pension plans. Overall, pension plans simply have not perform as well as expected and the cause of this financial collapse is clearly the worldwide financial crisis.

We were falsely promised that the “free market” and “invisible hand” would lead us to an era of unprecedented prosperity, and more market stability and efficiency; when in reality, it brought nothing but confusion, fraud, inequity and crisis.

Workers have consistently stood-up against this financial carelessness, using unions and progressive politicians as their voice.

However, despite the opposition representatives of the 1 per cent have still managed to force the 99 per cent into a corner. And now the blame is being laid on the last bastion of the middle class: unionized workers and their pension plans.

The challenge now is how do we solve the pension plan dilemma?

First, take a deep breath. Second, we need to look at the long-term. We must measure the solvency of pension plans over the span of a career. Yes, there may be losses, but there is also an equal chance of incurring a surplus (which would be higher and more stable if our leaders regulated our financial markets more wisely).

What about surpluses?

For years there was a surplus. However, when that was the case did you ever hear Quebec municipalities offering to lower Quebecers' taxes due to a surplus in their employees’ pension plans? Of course not.

During those golden years when employers were making contributions directly from pension fund surpluses, they argued that they were fully within their rights. They claimed that any surplus belonged to them since they were the only ones responsible in the event of a deficit.

They were quite comfortable sticking their hands in the cookie jar whenever it was convenient. But now that the good days are behind them and pension plans are struggling with deficits, workers expect their employers to do the right thing. It is their duty to take responsibility for the deficits, just as they had promised.

Now we're beginning to see that employers never really thought they would have to deal with deficits and they are doing everything in their power to avoid taking responsibility. At the very least, is it not normal for workers to expect that their employers return the money they “legally stole”?

Possible solutions

Trade unions know that they must take action and that sitting back and doing nothing is not an option. The main objective must be to keep these pension plans, but solutions must be case-specific in order to make them more structurally viable.

Unions are already doing their part by discussing possible solutions with employers. CUPE is committed to a process of lengthy consultations to find ways to secure our pension plans. It is our duty to keep senior citizens above the poverty line to not further the gap between the rich and poor.

In fact, the current struggle for the labour movement is not only to uphold private or supplemental pension plans, but also to significantly improve public pension plans, including the Quebec Pension Plan and the Canada Pension Plan. In turn, this would help protect Quebecers against poverty while reducing the cost of other pension plans.

For the sake of all Quebecers, we must act now. As trade unions that is what we are working towards!

ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS:

OTTAWA DEMONSTRATION FOR BARRIERE LAKE SOLIDARITY:

The following notice of a demonstration set for December 13 on Parliament Hill comes from the Barriere Lake Solidarity group.

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DAY OF ACTION TO SUPPORT THE ALGONQUINS OF BARRIERE LAKE



DEMAND THAT CANADA RESPECT BARRIERE LAKE'S TRADITIONAL GOVERNMENT AND TRAILBLAZING ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS


MONDAY DECEMBER 13, NOON, PARLIAMENT HILL



DOWNLOAD FLYERS: Front and Back
DOWNLOAD EDUCATIONAL PAMPHLET: HERE

::TRANSPORT FROM MONTREAL::
For those in Montreal, hop on a free bus to the Ottawa rally!
Leaving 9am from the corner of Mackay and Maisonneuve (Metro Guy-Concordia)
Returning to Montreal in the late afternoon or early evening.
TO BOOK A SPOT, email barrierelakesolidarity@gmail.com with your name and phone number.



What if a foreign regime was destroying your system of government, so it could then steal your resources and prevent you from environmentally protecting your homeland? This is what the Harper Government and federal bureaucrats are doing to the First Nation of Barriere Lake.

For more than two decades, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake have been demonstrating environmental leadership to the rest of Canada, campaigning to stop destructive clear-cut logging and to implement a sustainable development plan in their homeland in north-western Quebec.

But multi-national forestry corporations and government bureaucrats have refused to honour any of the agreements signed with Barriere Lake. They have tried at every turn to undermine the small community, one of the poorest in the country, and prevent them from implementing and realizing their vision for the protection and stewardship of the forests.


The David-vs-Goliath story now has a dark new twist: the Conservative government and bureaucrats in Indian and Northern Affairs Canada are interfering in Barriere Lake’s internal affairs, using section 74 of the Indian Act to forcibly assimilate and destroy the community's traditional government -- a traditional government the community has used for countless generations and which maintains their hunting way of life and respect for the environment.


Led by Barriere Lake youth, the overwhelming majority of the community are struggling to preserve their traditional government, so they can continue protecting the watersheds, forests, wildlife and lands for all future generations, Native and non-Native.

The Harper government is violating the Canadian Constitution, which protects the Aboriginal right to self-government. They are violating the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples, even though they have now endorsed it.


Join the Algonquins of Barriere Lake on Parliament Hill as they demand the Harper government and federal bureaucrats reject the use of section 74 and respect the community's traditional government and vision for environmental protection!

For more info: www.barrierelakesolidarity.org



:: BACKGROUND: HOW IS THE GOVERNMENT DESTROYING BARRIERE LAKE'S TRADITIONAL GOVERNMENT? AND WHY? ::

The government has used an archaic section of the Indian Act – section 74 – to unilaterally impose a different system of government on Barriere Lake.

Barriere Lake’s traditional government – open to community members who have connection to the land, and in which Elders guide potential leaders and safeguard their customs – ensures that community members maintain their sacred bond to the land and their hunting way of life. The band council electoral system the Harper government has imposed destroys the sacred governance bond the community has with the land. By breaking Barriere Lake's connection to the land, the Canadian and Quebec governments hope to get away with violating trailblazing environmental agreements and with illegally clear-cutting in Barriere Lake's traditional territory.

The overwhelming majority of community members want to protect their traditional governance system, but the bureaucrats in Indian and Northern Affairs Canada are spreading the misinformation that they are only a small group.

Through the summer, the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada bureaucracy ran an illegal process, imposed by the Quebec police, to bring the new system into the community. Fewer than a dozen ballots were sent in to nominate candidates for an Indian Act Chief and Council, who where then seated by acclamation. Meanwhile, almost 200 community members had signed a resolution rejecting this process! That represents a majority of community members who are eligible to participate in their political process.

Even the acclaimed Chief resigned in protest, refusing to break ranks with the community's majority. But four rogue band councillors with no community support have been illegally making decisions on behalf of Barriere Lake ever since. Shuttled to secret meetings with forestry companies and government officials, these councilors are being used by the government to derail Barriere Lake's precedent-setting environmental agreements and to facilitate illegal clear-cut logging.

Youth in the community are leading the movement to protect their traditional government and to heal and overcome the community divisions created by the internal meddling of government bureaucrats.

They are demanding the Harper Government cancel the imposition on Barriere Lake of the section 74 Indian Act band council system and respect their right to select leaders according to their traditional system of government.

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:
HEALTH CARE ACTION IN SAGUENAY:


Yesterday, November 6, the Collectif Emma Goldman of the Québec UCL, along with the student employee's union of the University of Québec in Chicoutimi organized a demonstration against the privatization of health care and fees for service. The following is translated from the original French at the Québec City Voix De Faits Blog. More details and photo reportage are available at the Collectif Emma Goldman site.
@C@C@C@C@C@C


Action In Saguenay


The comrades of the Collectif-Emma Goldman (UCL-Saguenay) and the Union of students employed by the University of Québec at Chicoutimi organized a demonstration on Saturday, November 6 action against fees for service and the privatization of health care.

About fifty people gathered outside the hospital in Chicoutimi. Hundreds of leaflets, stickers against the privatization of health and the Cause Commune Express Newspapers were distributed to passers-by and motorists. This action was intended to oppose the last budget tabled by the Minister Bachand and the gradual commodification of health, through fees for service and privatization.

"The " health franchise " of Minister Bachand is a real shame. Quietly what they want with this kind of measure is to introduce into popular opinion that the idea that everyone should pay for health care. We are going back to 50 years ago. Moreover, on November 1st, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of universal health insurance. The idea behind the scheme was to ensure universal quality free health care to everyone funded through a progressive tax. "The Charest government is taking the ax to an important part of our gains and our struggles ", said Stephen David Bellemare, President of the Student Employees' Union of the University of Québec at Chicoutimi.

Stephane Turcotte, spokesman for the Collectif Emma Goldman:

"Over the last thirty years we have seen attacks by successive governments, whether Liberal or PQ. Anything that is not beneficial to economic growth is considered unnecessary. Education, health care, social programs, public services in general are all affected by this ideology of capitalist profitability. These attacks are occurring throughout the West. Greece, Spain, England, France, everywhere they ask workers to tighten their belt when we know that all these governments have given billions of dollars to banks. It is an international struggle, we must never forget that. "

"Always in the service of the rich and business, this government despises the working class and poor. Charest and his cronies have chosen their camp for a long time and it is not ours. The government is working hard to destroy everything that was built in the public interest to ensure a society that is a little more fair and equitable ", Stephen David Bellemare expressed indignently.

==> More details and pictures on the blog of the Collectif Emma Goldman

CANADIAN POLITICS QUÉBEC:

AGAINST THE QUÉBEC BUDGET:

On November 6 there will be a demonstration against the new Québec budget and its attack on health care in that province. Here`s the notice from the Collectif Emma Goldman. The original French version is at their site.

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November 6: Action in Chicoutimi against the budget and the commodification of health care



After holding a public meeting in Chicoutimi on the question " Liberal Budget: How to roll back government? " on October 21, the Collectif Emma Goldman now invites you to take action with us on November 6 to say no to the commodification of health care, with expected increased costs previewed in the last budget and the privatization of public services.

- We believe it is essential that all human beings can enjoy equal access to quality public health care .
- We believe that the Government has been contemptuous of health personnel in its negotiations of the Common Front and we support their struggle.
- We are supportive of the social movement on pensions in France and support their Day of Disturbance also on November 6.

We will be holding a picket and a press briefing:
Saturday, November 6, 14.00, Chicoutimi
Corner of Jacques Cartier and Sydenham, near the major seminary

Re-launching the fight, our health is not for sale!

Collectif Emma Goldman

Local collective Union Communiste Libertariare in the Saguenay
http://ucl-saguenay.blogspot.com/
http://www.causecommune.net

CANADIAN LABOUR GATINEAU QUÉBEC:

SECOND ORGANIZED WAL-MART IN NORTH AMERICA:

A recent Labour Board decision has certified a Wal-Mart in Gatineau Québec as the second unionized Wal-Mart on the North American continent. The only other location now represented by a union is also in Québec in St. Hyacinthe. Previous attempts to unionize Wal-Mart in Québec and in locations as far afield as Texas and Weyburn Saskatchewan have been beaten back either legally or by the expedient of simply closing the outlet affected.

The latter is both a favoured threat and a favoured action on the part of Wal-Mart management. The largest example of this was when Wal-Mart decided to withdraw from the whole German market rather than tolerate unions in its stores in that country. The only country where Wal-Mart is happy to coexist with a unionized workforce is...China. In China's case the "union" is, of course, the official government controlled federation which takes its marching orders from the Communist Party. Nothing could be plainer in pointing out the ideological affinity of neo-conservative managerialism and it communist counterpart. Two sides of one coin.

This Board decision may benefit the workers involved only marginally as the wage increases stipulated were only minimal, and the biggest issue, the use and abuse of the part time system, remained outside the Board's decision. Still it shows that even the Wal-Mart colossus is not invulnerable. It is a shame that the unions involved in Wal-Mart organizing are not imbued with at least a minimum of the internationalism and industrial unionism of the anarcho-syndicalist unions or revolutionary syndicalist unions such as the IWW. Things would go much better then.

Be that as it may if you want to follow the misdeeds of Wal-Mart in more detail Molly can suggest the following sites: Wake Up Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Watch. It`s almost a classic 'Perils of Pauline' series complete with evil top-hatted capitalist. A refreshing old fashioned morality play in an age when the corporate rulers more often than not adopt fuzzy "progressive" and "new age" public personae. Here`s the story from the CBC.

WMWMWMWMWM
Quebec Wal-Mart workers get rare union deal
Only one other North American Wal-Mart has a collective agreement

CBC News
The contract covers more than 150 employees at the store on Boulevard du Plateau in Gatineau. (CBC) Workers at a Wal-Mart store in Gatineau, Que., have won a new collective agreement, only the second at any Wal-Mart store in North America — but not everyone is celebrating.

A government arbitrator imposed the agreement, after negotiations between the union and retailer were judged to be going nowhere.

The contract covers more than 150 employees at the store on Boulevard du Plateau. It took three years for the United Food and Commercial Workers to unionize the store, and another two years to get the contract.

"We had a first assembly last night to present the first collective agreement that was imposed by the Labour Board of Quebec," said union member Matthieu Allard.

He said the collective agreement gives employees a grievance process, recognizes statutory holidays and considers seniority in determining working hours.

Wages will go up 30 cents an hour this year, and another 30 cents next year. None of the employees, however, would say how much an hour they make now.

The arbitrator modeled it on the contract at the Wal-Mart in St-Hyacinthe, Que., the only other store with such an agreement.

"It might not have been as much as we could have gained in a normal negotiation process, but it's a definite step forward," Allard said.

Some employees at the store think otherwise.

In the parking lot outside the store, Denise Barre said she and her coworkers are disappointed with a 30-cent-an-hour raise, especially when it means paying union dues.

She said only 13 of the 150 employees went to Wednesday night's meeting with the union, which she says shows employees aren't interested.

Barre said she doesn't need this contract.

She said Wal-Mart treats her well and gives her benefits.

In a statement, the company also pointed out that the arbitrator found its wages competitive with other retailers, and adopted the wage scale Wal-Mart proposed.

The union said employees at the store were concerned by Wal-Mart's previous actions at unionized stores, but the Gatineau location is busy, and they hope Wal-Mart will not close it

In 2005, Wal-Mart closed a store in Jonquiere, Que., days before an arbitrator imposed a contract for its employees. The employees took Wal-Mart to court over the closure but lost their case.

In 2008, Wal-Mart also closed a tire shop on Maloney Boulevard in Gatineau after its employees received union certification.

The new agreement has a start date back in 2008, which means the union will be back to negotiating next year.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/10/08/ottawa-wal-mart-deal.html#ixzz11vWkUx1U

EVENTS MONTRÉAL:

'VEGAN FASHION SHOW' AT CONCORDIA:

Molly has to admit that the following strikes me as more than slightly strange, but it was sent my way so here goes. Aren't "vegan" and "fashion" redundant if they appear in the same sentence ? To each their own.

VFVFVFVFVF
2010 Montreal World Vegan Day Fashion Show
Time Monday, November 1 · 7:00pm - 11:00pm

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Location Theatre Corona
2490 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest,
Montreal, QC

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Created By CARA Concordia Animal Rights Association

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More Info

Concordia Animal Rights Association (CARA) in association with La Vegan En Rose is proud to present the 2010 Montreal World Vegan Day Fashion Show!

On November 1st join us at Theatre Corona for an evening of cutting edge and cruelty-free couture, musical entertainment, silent auctions and gourmet vegan catering. All proceeds go directly to help animals.

Hosted by: Georges Laraque http://www.georgeslaraque.com/
Special Guest: Whale Wars star/Sea Shepherd member, Laurens de Groot

visit http://www.montrealworldveganday.com/ for more info

MOUVEMENT ANARCHISTE DU CANADA CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:

LANCEMENT DU CAUSE COMMUNE #29 / LAUNCH OF CAUSE COMMUNE # 29:


Cause Commune est le journal de l'Union Communiste Libertaire du Québec. Voici l'annonce du lancement de numéro 29. Cause Commune is the journal of the Union Communiste of Québec. Here is the announcement of the launch of issue number 29.

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Lancement du Cause Commune #29 Spécial Budget
Time Wednesday, September 22 · 7:00pm - 11:30pm

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Location Cheval Blanc, 809 Ontario Est

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More Info

L'Union Communiste Libertaire vous invite au lancement du 29e numéro de son journal Cause Commune à la Brasserie le Cheval Blanc. Ce numéro est spécialement dédié au dernier budget du gouvernement Charest, les fausses et les vraies alternatives ainsi que la lutte qui reste à finir pour contrer les mesures néfastes.

Venez discuter de tout ça avec nous et prendre votre exemplaire du journal.

http://www.causecommune.net/
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Launch of Common Cause # 29 Budget Special


Time Wednesday, September 22 · 7:00 pm - 11:30 pm

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Location Cheval Blanc, 809 Ontario East

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More Info
The Libertarian Communist Union invites you to launch of the 29th edition of its journal Common Cause at the White Horse Tavern. This issue is specially dedicated to the Charest government's last budget, the false and real alternatives and the struggle that remains in the end to counter the adverse measures.

Come discuss everything with us and pick up your copy of the newspaper.

http://www.causecommune.net/

CANADIAN LABOUR QUÉBEC:

NEW EXPLOITATION OF FARM WORKERS IN QUÉBEC:

Always in search of new sources of underpaid migrant labour to exploit agribusiness in Québec has finalized a deal with a new source- Honduras. Here's the story from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

QLQLQLQLQL

Federal Government Asked to Intervene After Quebec Agribusiness Owners
Cut a Deal With Honduras Under Federal Temporary Foreign Workers Program
Migrant agricultural workers from Honduras began toiling in Quebec fields this week, after a Quebec farm lobby group and Honduran officials cut a deal to bring the workers to Canada under the federal government's controversial Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program. The TFW program provides no oversight to prevent the abuse of foreign workers contracted to Canadian employers, yet it is a program the federal government has aggressively been expanding by the tens of thousands of workers.

"The TFW program is the federal government's "Exploitation Express" that delivers migrant workers to Canada as a vulnerable and disposable work force," says Wayne Hanley, the national president of UFCW Canada - the country's largest private sector union.

"The collusion between the farm lobby and the governments is not only appalling, but an assault on the rights and safety of precarious workers who are fired and shipped out if they voice any concerns."

While the newly arrived Honduran workers do have visas and a work permits, the employment contract they are forced to sign clearly states that Canada "has no power to intervene or ensure the contract is enforced" in case of dismissal, abuse or exploitation.

The abuse of migrant workers under TFW program was recently in the news after UFCW Canada and community allies launched a campaign to denounce the nefarious living and working conditions of migrant Guatemalan farm workers. For a number of years workers from Guatemala have been brought to Canada under TFW contracts that force them to sign away some of their basic workplace rights to get the job and keep it.

Yet in spite of the well documented problems with the TFW program, the federal government has begun discussions, along with industrial agriculture lobbyists, to "harmonize" the system; potentially allowing employers even less supervision, as well as passing housing and transportation costs that are now paid for by employers onto the workers.

"The TFW program absolutely has to change," says Hanley, "but what's going on here is the private sector, behind closed doors, calling the shots on employment and immigration policy."

"The abuse has to end - not increase. That will only happen with an open and just public review and reform of the programs that bring temporary workers to Canada," said the UFCW Canada national leader.

"Whether workers come from Honduras, Mexico, the Caribbean, Guatemala, Thailand, the Philippines or other sending countries, the story is the same. They are forced to surrender their human and workplace rights at the border in order to work here. The federal government would say it's not so but a public review would definitely show otherwise."

UFCW Canada has been an ally and advocate for migrant agricultural workers in Canada for more than three decades, and in association with the Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA) operates ten agriculture worker support centres across Canada.

CANADIAN LABOUR QUÉBEC:
CONSTRUCTION STRIKE IN QUÉBEC ?:

As August 30 draws nearer so does the deadline for a general strike in Québec's construction sector. As of today no further talks have been scheduled before the deadline. Whether the strike will actually happen or if it will be called off by a last minute deal like last May's construction strike in Manitoba is still in doubt. In the interim the unions involved (part of a five union common front) are mainly engaged in the tried and true tactics of on the job action such as work to rule, refusing overtime and taking all allowed breaks.

In the end these tactics may exert more pressure than the threat of a general strike which, as the writer of the piece below notes, would be rapidly legislated back to work. The delay since the opening of negotiations last fall in coming to a contract may possibly be due to employer intransigence. This suspicion is reinforced by what is also noted below, that any new contract will not be retroactive. In other words every minute of delay adds more to the construction company profits, and the companies involved would only soften their stance at the last possible moment to avoid serious disruption.

What can be done in such situations ? It may make me unpopular amongst "radical" circles, but it seems obvious to me that the possible general strike is almost certain to fail due to back to work legislation. That fact should be clearly pointed out, and the usual leftist cheerleading for "general strikes" should be muted. Not every such strike is a victory, and they often result in great defeats. And no such defeats do not necessarily "build militancy", let alone radicalism. At the same time the die has been cast, and Québec construction workers now have little choice but to go ahead with the strike unless the bosses back down. What should have been done long ago is the present pressure tactics at the actual job sites. A few days of such things actually costs the bosses far more than an ephemeral general strike that is rapidly legislated out of existence.

But that is a lesson for the future not for now. The following article is from the Québec City Voix De Faits blog, the blog of the QC section of the platformist Union Communiste Libertaire. The original French version can be read at that site. Molly takes full responsibility for any translation errors that the following may contain.
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Outline of the situation in Quebec.
Since January 2010, construction workers in Quebec have been working without a contract . Nevertheless , as many bosses as unions had announced in October 2009 , exemplary negotiations that would be settled by the due date of collective agreements. Practically nine months later , workers in shipyards have yet signed agreements and the situation is becoming increasingly tense .

What we should not lose sight of here is that the concept of " retroactivity " as if logic and common in the public service do not apply . Each day that passes represents several thousands of dollars of economic savings in the pockets of the bosses. In short , for almost nine months, the pressure tactics are one way : towards workers .

Recently , the unions began a common front in negotiations , all five represented in the construction field are involved this time , and began to implement a plan of pressure tactics voted for in a general assembly of the members present . Of course , for anyone coming from other areas of work , it is rather suspicious to see stewards on hand in the workplace asking members to leave. We must not forget, however, that construction is a sector that is excessively scattered over the territory and that is the only effective way to spread the word.

The media always refers to two or three " honest workers "who say they are not aware of all this is happening and that they felt " intimidated " or even " forced " to leave the targeted sites . First , ignorance of the current situation of these workers is their own fault as there are regular union meetings where it is possible for everyone involved to be informed. Then , all construction workers , including supervisors , are unionized and union representatives are equipped with cell phones reachable all week and just waiting to answer questions from their members . In terms of bullying , it is a little or nothing at all. On the site , workers present are not in the habit of being four and a half feet tall and weighing120 pounds . In short , of course, if a " union team " landed on construction sites, they are often large and heavy fellows , but they do not raise their voices except when necessary ( eg confrontation with employers or workers who are anti union ) . In short , we must take cognizance of the existence of these cases , but it is not necessary to make a big deal as in the mass media where one can see the boss' petticoat sticking out .

Employer Demands

The employer demands follow an inexorable logic exceedingly common in the capitalism of the twenty-first century : flexibility and deregulation . We want more hours working on construction sites with less overtime paid accordingly (time and a half , double time , etc. .) . We demand the elimination of many benefits deemed " unproductive " . These benefits can range from those called " team leaders "( a bit like a small foreman ) to work at night or in special conditions .

The bosses also want the best value for their money , otherwise there will be less of it coming into their pockets and that, that is the enemy of the bourgeois class . In this context, they want to cut down on operating costs directly related to the workforce . They want to cut the compensation offered for accommodation on remote sites , stretching the concept of the territorial zone of workers (a worker in the region of Quebec can not go, exceptions , and work in Abitibi) and in the industrial sector , begin to pay the worker only when physically present on the worksite . Thus one is left to go to different checkpoints for minutes or even hours, on his own time .

Basically, the employers' logic is simple: we want to increase competitiveness through deregulation, a reduction of wage costs and increased flexibility of the workforce . In short , they are quietly approached the model of employment in a fast food restaurant . Simply , the rules of collective agreements apply to all of Quebec , so we can immediately ask what the bosses want to really mean by 'competitiveness'.

Union demands

For the workers' representatives , the situation is quite different. They are asking to tighten the rules in connection with the territories of the workers, increase the premiums that employers consider "non-productive ", and to improve the concept of financial compensation for accommodation on remote sites . In short , as usual, the bosses and the workers both pull up the covers of their sides hoping to improve their lots.

It's a bit simplistic , but in terms of brevity and to avoid annoying repetitions , take the demands of the employers listed above and reversing them you get roughly the trade union positions.

The logic of the trade unions is also quite different. It is assumed that the construction market is moving in a "closed" way , that is to say that everyone should work by the same rules in Quebec , which eliminates the logic of competitiveness so dear to employers . In short , when the logic behind the demands are the opposite, do not expect the demands to be in close proximity to each other.

Interestingly , the issue of wages is hardly the order of the day!

Critique of the unions

We live in a system that leaves little room for radicalism , let alone anti-capitalism . So do not be surprised to see the central claim to be merely to improve conditions for workers under the current economic mode of production and no more.

Also , the construction environment is an area where everyone is unionized with no other choice but to settle down in one of five union centrals present . This leads to the perverse effect of disconnecting the unions from the unionized . General meetings are not held and efforts to attract the union members are hardly massive.

The centrals over time and except when negotiating collective agreements or filing grievances , seem like nothing more than service centers . There's even a central that looks more like a general store than a union , but this is not the subject of this text here. Obviously , it is the members who make their unions and it is they who must take action, but the absence of the option of organizing themselves has the perverse result of having an amorphous mass that is more reluctant to pay more for dues than anything else.

Finally, from a libertarian perspective , one could also wonder why one does not seek to change the very framework of functioning and take up, for example, a sort of anarcho -syndicalism, but that would be to live in a bubble, to ignore the society around us and to believe that the current trade unions have any revolutionary fervor .

The general strike?

It is effectively this option that is scheduled for late August , at the same time as it will nine months that construction workers are working without contracts and the bosses have saved millions of dollars in salaries .

This way of action will be hard , but will certainly be short. One of the major employers is the Québec state , especially roads. It should be understood that the four different sectors currently negotiating will return to work at the same time , even if only three out of four have agreements on principle .

This labor solidarity is good to see, but it will also certainly lead to a blow from the state expressed no doubt as a government decree that would force a return to work . In principle , workers should not admit defeat without at least trying to push , but also in principle, the Government will play its role in class struggle and will help its natural ally, the employers.

Meanwhile, workers continue to demonstrate their anger by randomly deserting work sites in the province one day at a time . Thus , legal or not , these means of pressure expressing the workers' anger will continue for a few weeks and , hopefully , will make the employers compliant before the end of the month .

* * *

The author is a construction worker who is active in the UCL and his union.

CANADIAN POLITICS:

SOLIDARITY RALLIES WITH G20 DETAINEES:

As those arrested at the G20 protests are gradually being released or charged solidarity for their situation is growing across Canada. It may be that the federal Conservative government has made a grievous miscalculation in their plans, both in holding the summit in downtown Toronto which a majority of Canadians disapproved of, especially considering the cost, and then in authorizing the mass arrests that seemed targeted at everyone but the small group of rioters. Given the fact that the Canadian population was quite divided about the protests to begin with and the fact that few if any arrests were made of actual rioters while numerous ordinary citizens unconnected with the protests were scooped up and held in cages it is likely that the consequences for the show of force may rebound on the heads of the Harperites. Questions about police tactics during the initial riots are revolving around whether it was deliberate or not that police cars and a section of downtown Toronto were left for the rioters to play with.

Meanwhile solidarity rallies for those arrested are being held in many cities across eastern Canada. Here's a rundown from the Ontario platformist group Common Cause.

PPPPPPPPPP
The fight back is on!

Solidarity with the Toronto 900 rallies organized across the country

All out against police brutality and in solidarity with the Toronto 900!

A protest outside police headquarters in every city!

June 30, 2010 in Hamilton
5:00pm at Hamilton Police Headquarters
155 King William Street

June 30, 2010 in London
6:00 pm at London Police Headquarters
601 Dundas St (Dundas and Adelaide)

June 30, 2010 in Windsor
6:00pm at Windsor Police Headquarters
150 Goyeau Street

June 30, 2010 in Ottawa
7pm at 474 Elgin Street (Ottawa Police Station)

July 1, 2010 in Montreal
1pm carré Phillips,
St. Catherine

The events of the past week in Toronto have been unprecedented in Canadian history. Over 900 people were arrested, the biggest mass arrests ever in Canada, for daring to protest against the destructive policies of the G20.

Protesters and local residents were subjected to violent baton attacks, snatch squads, tear gas and rubber bullets. Sleeping people have been pulled from their homes at gunpoint in the middle of the night. Many have been beaten. People who have been arrested have been strip-searched and held in cages, facing long delays in obtaining legal support. We have heard numerous accounts of sexual abuse by police from women who were arrested. Journalists have been punched, arrested and had their equipment broken.

On the streets of Toronto, the mask of “liberal democracy” has slipped off and the police reminded us of the State's willingness to use blatant violence against its own population in the face of popular dissent. And thanks to citizen journalists, the alternative media and even some in the corporate media, the truth of what happened in Toronto is slowly emerging.

In order to make sure that the actions of the police state are fully exposed, we must keep up the pressure on the police and the government.

We must also publicly demonstrate our solidarity with all those arrested so that they are released as quickly as possible and charges are dropped against all those caught up in the net of the police state.

In Toronto, solidarity rallies outside detention centres and police stations are already taking place. But just as police forces from across the province converged on Toronto for the G20, so our resistance must spread out from the epicentre of oppression to every corner of the province.

Common Cause thus calls on all those concerned to take the fight back across the province and across the country.

Starting this Wednesday, June 30, we are calling for solidarity rallies outside police headquarters in as many cities as possible.

Our message will be clear:

Free the Toronto 900!

Fight back against the police state! We are putting you under surveillance!

Build the resistance against the G20! Build the resistance against austerity!

Build the general strike!

Common Cause
http://www.linchpin.ca/
To add your rally to the list or to send pictures from rallies, please email us at commoncauseontario@gmail.com Media may also use the same email address to contact us. Check our website for regular updates on rallies in your city.

PUBLICATIONS ANARCHISTES:

CAUSE COMMUNE #28:

Numero 28 de 'Cause Commune' de l'UCL du Québec est maintenant disponible sur le web. Voice l'avis de Voix De Fait. /Number 28 of Cause Commune from the UCL of Québec is available on the web. Here`s the news from Voix De Faits.

@@@@@@@@@@
Cause commune no 28

Le numéro 28 de Cause commune, le journal de l'Union communiste libertaire (UCL), est maintenant disponible sur le web.

3500 exemplaires papier de ce journal sont distribués gratuitement par des militantes et des militants libertaires, membres ou non de l’organisation. Cause commune se veut un tremplin pour les idées anarchistes, en appui aux mouvements de résistance contre les patrons, les proprios et leurs alliés au gouvernement. Vous pouvez soumettre un texte ou nous faire part de vos commentaires en écrivant à journal@causecommune.net. Si le journal vous plaît et que vous voulez aider à le diffuser dans votre milieu, contactez le collectif de l’UCL le plus près de chez-vous (voir la liste sur http://www.causecommune.net).


Au sommaire du numéro 28:


Budget antisocial - Il faut faire reculer le gouvernement!

L’anarchie de A à Z - X comme... XXX

Il y a 40 ans en Italie, l'automne chaud de 1969

Camarade Michel Chartrand

Livre : Les Jacobins Noirs - Toussaint Louverture et la révolution de Saint-Domingue

Un monarque élu au Saguenay

Sur les lignes...

Du côté des patrons...

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Cause commune no 28

No. 28 of Common Cause, the journal of the Libertarian Communist Union (UCL), is now available on the web.

3500 paper copies of this newspaper are distributed free by militant activists and libertarians, members of the organization or not. Common Cause wants to be a springboard for anarchist ideas, in support of resistance movements against the bosses, owners and their allies in government. You can submit a text or send us your comments by writing to journal@causecommune.net . If you like the newspaper and want to help distribute in your community, contact the group at UCL nearest you (see list on http://www.causecommune.net ).

Contents of No. 28:


Antisocial Budget - We need to make the Government back off!

Anarchy A to Z - X as ... XXX

40 years ago in Italy, the hot autumn of 1969

Comrade Michel Chartrand

Book: The Black Jacobins - Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution

An elected monarch in Saguenay

On the lines ...

On the part of the bosses ...