This text is part of the special section The 50 years of the CSD
Created by workers, the Central of Democratic Trade Unions (CSD) has been equipping its members for 50 years to work towards a fairer society.
1972. It’s the end of the Quiet Revolution. In Quebec, the labor movement is in full swing. The major federations—the Corporation of Quebec Teachers (CEQ), the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) and the Federation of Quebec Workers (FTQ)—want to overhaul the foundations of Quebec society, and formed the first Front common ground to negotiate with the government, in what will ultimately be a true dialogue of the deaf.
Several members of the CSN no longer find themselves in their union. “The organization found itself defending radical positions; it opened the way to political action and politicization,” says François Vaudreuil, who was president from 1997 to 2017. The CSN then experienced rapid growth in the number of its members, in particular thanks to the unionization of the public sector.
“The CSN workers no longer recognized themselves. They had the impression that the movement was led by intellectuals who wanted to manipulate and instrumentalise them,” adds the man who was also vice-president of the central for eight years before becoming president, and who began his career at the CSD in 1974, just two years after its founding.
Paul-Émile Dalpé, vice-president of the CSN, Jacques Dion, treasurer, and Amédée Daigle, coordinator of union action, dissociate themselves from the positions taken by the CSN. Nearly 1150 delegates gather at the Center Mgr Marcoux in Quebec in May 1972 to analyze ways to regain possession of their movement. the status quo is rejected, and the delegates vote to set up a new trade union central. The Central of Democratic Trade Unions was officially created at the founding congress in June.
“All of this was based on a principle that is still relevant today: the democratic foundation, and respect for the individual freedom of members and affiliated unions,” summarizes Mr. Vaudreuil. The majority of unions come from industry and the regions.
A center for and by workers
From its birth, the CSD wanted to be a central organization owned by the affiliated unions. “They are the decision makers of the destiny of the organization. It is a founding element”, says Luc Vachon, current president of the CSD. The CSD is in fact the only central created by workers, without the interference of an external organization (American, Canadian or religious).
“People were guided by a concern for freedom, emancipation, solidarity and the improvement of living and working conditions,” recalls François Vaudreuil. The founders want an organization in their image. “There is no one better placed than workers to know what is best for them,” he continues.
Each union and each member association of the Centrale is autonomous: each must assume administrative and democratic functions, and define its rules and its operation. “We don’t put them in a box: everyone defines their reality,” explains Mr. Vaudreuil.
“Our role is to help them go where they want to go, and even where they didn’t think they could go,” says Mr. Vachon. It is up to the unions to ensure the procedures with their employer, and thus to defend the rights of their members.
Key values
To develop the autonomy of its members, the CSD supports them in various ways. One of the foundations is also the training of activists, to ensure succession. “One of the big challenges at the plant is that among the leaders, people had little formal education. We have therefore adopted a simple pedagogy, so that people can develop a quality of analysis, a critical sense and a judgment of their own,” Mr. Vaudreuil points out.
Thus, the central set up tools from its foundation and works on several axes: information (between its members, associations and with the outside), training (how to teach leaders to be autonomous and to become trainers themselves) and research (to understand the complexity of ever-changing socio-economic relationships).
The CSD wanted to create an open, flexible environment with a human dimension. Perhaps because of its size (it is the smallest of the centrals), the CSD remains close to its members. Each year, the members of the executive meet all the representatives of the affiliated unions, during a congress or a plenary assembly. Without being decision-making events, these meetings make it possible to prepare the debate and take the pulse of the important themes on which to work. Because the battle topics are defined by the members.
“The CSD does not comment on a subject if it does not have a specific mandate on this issue,” underlines Mr. Vaudreuil. Financial support is offered to unions to encourage their participation in conventions and plenary assemblies.
For the sake of democratization, the CSD has also adopted simple rules of procedure. “We don’t use the Morin code. We want people to express themselves freely and that no one thinks they are being manipulated by the procedure,” notes Mr. Vaudreuil. “We make sure that we never embark on a war of procedures or that a small group takes control of the organization,” adds Mr. Vachon.
CSD today
“When it was founded, some believed that the CSD would not last long,” says Mr. Vachon. But 50 years later, the CSD continues on its way. Of the 30,000 members drained from the CSN when it was founded, there will be approximately 72,000 members in 2022, 95% from the private sector. Initially, the majority of workers came from the clothing, textile, metalworking and lumber sectors, but a large proportion today come from construction, manufacturing and resource associations (host families and residences). ‘welcome).
“The setup of the membership has changed significantly. There were several closures, and we had to support people in that,” recalls Mr. Vaudreuil.
The CSD also has several professional groups by sector (agri-food, construction, family-type resources, etc.), but also by region. “The same sector will have different issues from one region to another,” notes Mr. Vachon. These groups allow discussion on issues specific to different workplaces, and allow members to recognize themselves and form a strong identity.
“Work is important in the construction of the person and of society. We spend so much time at work, we have to go beyond pay and take ownership of our workplace,” believes Luc Vachon.
On a larger scale, the labor central continues to work on issues that transcend the organizations with the other centrals and in various bodies, such as the Commission of Labor Market Partners and the Labor and Workforce Advisory Committee. . It is also a member of the International Trade Union Confederation, which represents nearly 200 million members.
“We don’t live in a vacuum. The labor movement has an interest in working together on issues such as minimum wages, occupational health and safety, etc. observes Mr. Vachon. Indeed, beyond the negotiation of conditions for its own members, the union struggle must serve to build a more just and egalitarian society.
“We can’t stop there. If the person loses his job and there is no social safety net, the negotiated salary increase will be useless. Our role is to work to improve society for everyone,” concludes Mr. Vachon.