This text is part of the special Syndicalism booklet
On the Quebec calendar, since the 1970s, the 1er may is about celebrating activism and the collective power of the nation’s workforce. Different from Labor Day, which has its origins in workers’ gatherings at the end of the 19and century, does International Workers’ Day still have the same meaning in 2022?
In the opinion of Luc Vachon, president of the Central of Democratic Trade Unions (CSD), this is more the case than ever, and for a very simple reason: “to improve society as a whole”.
“Union centers must be agents of social change,” he explains. It goes beyond just the people our unions represent. Yes, union struggles start with our members, but unions must open up and fight for the betterment of all of society. That’s what the 1 is for.er May, to recall the importance of living together. »
The “big end of the stick” mirage
One of the recurring themes related to the job market in recent months is the labor shortage affecting various sectors of activity. With the pandemic dragging on for two years, the management discourse suggests that the workers “now have the big end of the stick”, an opinion that Luc Vachon does not share.
“When you look at salary increases, you can see big numbers, sometimes around 20%. But these impressive percentages are too often linked to entry salaries, those upon hiring, in order to attract new workers,” specifies Luc Vachon. As for the higher levels, “we are mainly seeing increases around 3%, well below the rate of inflation”, which reached 6.7% in March in Canada, unheard of for 31 years in the country.
How can a citizen make a decent living earning only $14.25 an hour? The amount of $15 an hour was already required 5 years ago.
In doing so, the critical mass of workers in Quebec does not improve its purchasing power, and the retention of talent constitutes a new difficulty for employers. “Because it is not true that the rise in prices is attributable solely to the increase in wages”, recalls Luc Vachon.
In connection with the question of the minimum wage, “an issue to which we always come back, since it is linked to what we live”, the wages of workers must experience a considerable increase at all levels, he believes. .
“How can a citizen make a decent living earning only $14.25 an hour? The amount of $15 an hour was already required 5 years ago. With inflation rates like the ones we are witnessing this year, you have to claim at least $18 an hour. In his opinion, a precise amount is not necessarily the avenue to take, but the claim must be combined with the consumption index, so that the salary increases automatically over the years, “as the cost of the basket increases. consumption of a family.
The tax challenge
If the salary remains an eternal question, the issues of social protection become a priority, believes Luc Vachon. Particularly those related to a fairer distribution of wealth.
“Each crisis has a collateral effect on the concentration of wealth, he illustrates. The pandemic has had that impact too, allowing some industries to get rich while others have taken a beating. On this, there is no magic recipe: it takes a different tax system to ensure that wealth is better distributed in society. »
The fight against tax evasion and the increase in corporate taxation are projects to tackle quickly in order to allow everyone to obtain their fair share, insists Luc Vachon. All the more so when we consider an element highlighted by the pandemic, namely the working conditions of vulnerable people.
“Recipient attendants and home help workers were perceived for a short time as essential jobs,” he says. Despite everything, their working conditions remain indecent. People who work in this field are often marginalized workers, living in precariousness. They must not be abandoned. »
While the population is aging and this type of trade is destined to occupy more space in the labor pool in Quebec, the working conditions of all workers in the province remain a major concern, “which must be in memory with the 1er may “.