This text is part of the special Syndicalism booklet
“The FTQ in the lead”, or the future of trade unionism in the next two decades: this is the theme chosen by the Fédération des Travailleurs du Québec for its 33e congress, which will take place in Montreal from January 16 to 19, 2023. Without forgetting to defend current demands, such as salary increases in the public service (for which the central is joining forces with three other organizations) and the modernization of anti-breaker laws of strike.
“It’s an interesting exercise that we are going to do,” says Denis Bolduc, secretary general of the FTQ, who hopes to bring together 1,200 delegates to the convention. This gathering will be an opportunity to reflect on how to prepare the future of the union movement (and more particularly that of the FTQ) in view of the Estates General on unionism that it hopes to lead with other union organizations.
The teams of the central labor body have been working for more than a year to develop the forward-looking approach that will serve as a framework for the discussions of the convention on the challenges that await it. “We try to project ourselves 20 years ahead with different scenarios — from the darkest to the most optimistic foreseeing an expansion of unionism — to see where the FTQ could be in two decades,” explains Mr. Bolduc.
FTQ teams met with hundreds of activists, delegates and members of the Quebec federation to present trends. “In particular, we tried to imagine what the socio-economic portrait of Quebec might look like in 20 years, depending on climate change,” explains the Secretary General, who announces moments of reflection to discuss the different ways in which the FTQ could react to different scenarios and anticipate possible futures.
Unite
Fifty years after the historic common front of spring 1972, which led to the imprisonment of union leaders, the FTQ is participating in a new common front (see page E2) with the Centrale des unions du Québec (CSQ), the Confédération des (CSN) and the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services (APTS). “Our four organizations represent more than 420,000 workers in the health, social services and education sector. We estimate that more than 80% of this staff represented in the public sector are women,” emphasizes Denis Bolduc.
These four unions have agreed to jointly conduct the common framework for the next collective bargaining for public service workers. “They cover major financial issues (salaries) and work organization,” said the secretary general of the FTQ. In these predominantly female trades, there is still a lot of catching up to do in terms of compensation compared to comparable jobs in the private sector, despite an improvement obtained during the last negotiation, indicates Denis Bolduc. Furthermore, the maintenance of purchasing power must be protected against inflation.
The union expectations were submitted to the Treasury Board Secretariat on October 28. In addition to the wage claim, other demands are made by the Common Front, notably concerning retirement, parental rights, regional disparities and collective insurance.
Break scabs
Anti-scab laws prohibit employers from bringing in replacement workers to circumvent the effects of the work stoppage. In Canada, this device only exists in Quebec and British Columbia. “In Quebec, the law was passed by the National Assembly at the end of the 1970s,” recalls Denis Bolduc. But 40 years later, the reality of workers has changed a lot. “There is more and more telework, which has become a daily reality for hundreds of thousands of workers in Quebec. This is an important aspect which the law does not take into account, ”points out the secretary general, who wishes to include in the Labor Code the prohibition for companies to use remote replacement workers in the event of a strike.
At the federal level, consultations have been launched for an anti-scab bill that could see the light of day in 2023. “Every day that passes before a federal law is voted on is one day too many! launches Denis Bolduc, who deplores the current legal void. “There are workers in federal enterprises, in the electronic communications sector (television, radio) or ports, for example, who are not covered. We want the law to be adopted as soon as possible,” he insists.
Protecting workers and retirees
The Employment Insurance Act is another battleground for the FTQ. “We have been calling for its modernization for years and the government is in a consultation process. He knows very well what is wrong and needs to be modernized,” laments Denis Bolduc. His union is calling for better access to employment insurance, better benefits and simplified and faster processing of claims. Arrangements should also make it possible to take certain specific situations into account. “Take for example the workers in the fishing sector, illustrates Denis Bolduc. Their seasons are short. They don’t work many hours in a year and many are in what is known as a ‘black hole’ as they fail to meet the necessary hours or weeks worked criteria to qualify. »
Business failures can also push retirees into poverty. “We are asking that they be protected, because we have had too many examples in the past of workers covered by a pension plan who saw their pensions reduced by 30% or 40% when their company went bankrupt (Sears or White Birch, for example)”, denounces Denis Bolduc, calling in particular to improve their rank among creditors. “They must not be the last to check out. We are working on this subject and we hope that the current federal bill will pass. I have seen too many retirees suffer from this reality. »
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