This text is part of the special Syndicalism booklet
They are traditionally associated with the color red, but it is indeed green that Quebec unions are now adding to their range of actions. Those who want to be agents of change intend to support the climate transition to continue to protect the workers who will be affected by the transformations to come.
“There are no jobs on a dead planet,” insists Anne Dionne, vice-president of the Central Trade Unions of Quebec (CSQ) and spokesperson for the Inter-union Climate Network (RIC).
This coalition, made up of nine trade unions, has been mobilizing for a year in the face of the climate crisis. For its part, the Quebec Federation of Labor (FTQ) took part in COP26 last fall, bringing back in its luggage a network and good practices.
A candle for the RIC
“From convention to convention, our members are asking us to do more and better,” notes Anne Dionne, who highlights the CSQ’s pioneering commitment to ecology. “We remember that the first recycling bins appeared in schools”, observes the one who calls for moving from small to large gestures.
The CSQ’s involvement in the RIC was therefore natural. This group was born on the sidelines of the world climate demonstration, in September 2019. It was formalized on the occasion of Earth Day, a year ago.
The objective of the RIC is to unite efforts towards a “just transition” for Quebecers. “It’s about making sure that we make an ecological transition without leaving anyone behind, and especially without workers paying the price,” explains Anne Dionne.
This concern primarily concerns jobs in heavy industries which have begun to disappear or will be called upon to do so. “They must be replaced by jobs beneficial to the environment or to the population, such as jobs in the public service, most of which are low carbon,” recommends the spokesperson for the RIC. This presupposes discussions and reflections, involving employers and workers, on job requalification plans.
Accelerate the transition
A year after its creation, the RIC has implemented a number of actions. “During this past year, we were still in a pandemic. We organized four webinars to help our members accelerate the transition in the workplace,” says Anne Dionne.
It’s about making sure that we make an ecological transition without leaving anyone behind, and above all without workers paying the price.
On November 6, 2021, the movement took off in Mount Royal Park, Montreal, as part of the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice. The objective of the mobilization was to demand sufficient measures to reach the greenhouse gas reduction target of the Paris Agreement.
“We are going to do a lot of networking and set up communities of practice to share our knowledge, our expertise and our actions,” announces Anne Dionne. On the RIC calendar, a major event will take place on May 14 in the form of a summer school.
The event, which will be held in hybrid mode with two in-person meetings in Montreal and Quebec City, will feature workshops on the climate emergency and the climate mural, and on the role of trade unions as agents of social transformation in the fight against climate change. “We will follow up on this work on October 22,” she adds.
COP26 actors
At a time when the RIC was taking part in the 75 global demonstrations on the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26) by marching in Mount Royal Park, a delegation from the FTQ took part in this major event. you international in Glasgow.
“One of our main objectives was to strengthen our network by meeting people and learning about what is being done elsewhere,” explains Denis Bolduc, General Secretary of the FTQ, who accompanied a delegation of several members of affiliated unions. in Scotland.
The land of tartans is also a source of inspiration for the FTQ. “As of autumn 2018, Scotland has set up a commission for the just transition, which is a model for us,” says Denis Bolduc.
The FTQ is trying to convince the federal government and the provincial government to follow this example, which Ireland has already done.
“It’s about bringing communities, businesses, unions and workers together to put mechanisms in place to deal with the transformation that needs to happen in the workplace. What changes do we need to make? How to support communities, workers and companies in this process? asks the secretary general. This involves discussing requalification, but also training.
Concretely, the FTQ has been working for a year with Énergir within the framework of “transition laboratories” to assess the situation and prepare for the company’s green transformation. Discussions are also underway to set up these laboratories in companies in the plastics sector.
Many challenges
It will take much more than meetings or a few events to support the green transition. “We are working on setting up our transition laboratories in different sectors of the economy, but it is a long process. Everyone knows that we have to act, but it seems that it’s difficult to get people moving,” admits Denis Bolduc, who is trying to convince the Ministry of the Environment to set up a provincial structure on the transition correct.
For the secretary general of the FTQ, the mission of the unions in the ecological transition is self-evident. “We need to play the role of agent of change in the workplace. We have to convince companies to make the green shift, but also in some cases our workers, which is not always easy,” he notes.
In some sectors, such as hydrocarbons or plastics, workers are worried. “We have to work with them and explain to them that we have no choice but to act. We have three years to stop the increase in greenhouse gases, warns the IPCC! “recalls the secretary general of the FTQ. His union will participate in COP27 next fall.