This text is part of the special Syndicalism booklet
The world of work is going through profound upheavals which are creating new challenges within Quebec unions. These will have to innovate to prevent their presence from diminishing or from young people abandoning them.
The level of unionization of approximately 40% that Quebec has displayed for several years may lead one to believe that unionism is doing very well here. But the perspective changes when we dissect the figures a little.
“The unionization rate in the public sector, which exceeded 85% in 2021, hides a certain erosion in private enterprise, where this rate reached a historic low of 23% in the same year,” recalls Mélanie Laroche, professor at the School of Industrial Relations of the University of Montreal.
The pool of workers who can or wish to unionize is also tending to shrink. Professional jobs are taking up more and more space in the labor market. However, employees there are traditionally not very unionized. Only 5.2% of workers in the professional, scientific and technical services sector were in 2021, according to the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ).
The number of part-time employees and workers who are not recognized as employees—because they are true or false self-employed or their status falls into a gray area, such as Uber drivers, for example— also increases. This discrepancy between the Labor Code and the reality on the ground complicates organizing efforts.
“It is still the legal status of employee that gives the right to unionize. However, it no longer necessarily represents the norm,” recalls Thomas Collombat, professor of political science at the University of Quebec in Outaouais, where he is responsible for the Labor and Society research team.
More representative unions
Unions must also respond to the challenges posed by the growing diversity of their membership. “Many groups remain under-represented in unions, for example women, visible minorities and young people,” notes Mélanie Laroche. This sometimes makes it difficult to identify issues of concern to them, such as racial justice or discrimination, and creates blind spots in union positions. »
Over the years, unions have created many committees within them, where these groups can make their voices heard. They regularly play an advisory role to union leaders. “But these committees struggle to put their ideas and concerns at the forefront,” laments the professor. Unions must find other ways to become even more diverse and representative. »
Attract young people
The future of trade unionism also depends on its renewal, and therefore on young people. Thomas Collombat avoids, in this respect, giving in to generalizations which suggest that young people massively reject trade unionism. “Some of the sectors where trade unionism has seen its strongest growth in recent years are mainly occupied by young people,” he recalls. He gives the example of teaching and research assistants in Quebec universities, or employees of Amazon or Starbucks in the United States.
However, certain union traditions, such as the use of seniority in collective agreements, can sometimes irritate young people. This is particularly the case when seniority takes precedence in the choice of working hours or vacation periods, for example. “When used to reduce arbitrariness in certain decisions, such as during promotions, it doesn’t go too badly, but if it divides employees or places them in competition, it gets stuck,” adds Thomas Collombat.
The world after
The world of work has also undergone an accelerated metamorphosis due to the pandemic shock. Occupational health and safety have become hot topics, which have sometimes placed unions in delicate situations. This was the case, for example, when some of them had to defend workers who refused certain sanitary measures against COVID-19. They then strongly emphasized the responsibility of employers in protecting their employees by providing the necessary protective tools and safe workplaces and working conditions.
The reorganization of work, in particular the intensive use of telework, also poses new challenges. Employees are not all equal when it comes to telework. Some live in places that do not allow them to develop a suitable office space. Others do not receive sufficient support from their employer to obtain the equipment to create such a space. Women who live in situations of family violence are suddenly deprived of a safe place to work.
“The stakes are increasing and the unions will have to contribute to the systematization of this new organization of work so that it does not make victims”, affirms Mélanie Laroche.
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