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May 9, 2012 - No. 67 The Working Class as the Architect and
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Charest refused to even
recognize the workers' demand to
take action to lift the lockout and find a solution acceptable to
themselves and the Saguenay region. Asked by the Opposition what he
intended to do, Charest diverted the issue by remarking that the Parti
Québécois MNAs were wearing the red square
of the striking Quebec students. In this way he tried to insinuate that
they support violence and therefore are not worthy of receiving an
answer. He
then claimed that he had already done something to sort out the problem
in Alma. He had met with both the workers and Rio Tinto Alcan's CEO
Jacynthe Côté to encourage
them to find a negotiated settlement, he said.
 Marc Maltais speaks at the rally at the National Assembly, May 3, 2012. |
Following the action, union President Marc Maltais told TML:
"We are not here to find a culprit. What we are denouncing is the fact that Rio Tinto is selling its hydro during the lockout and that the secret deal is used as a pretext to say that nothing can be done. When the Charest government passed laws under closure to attack workers it did not say that its hands were tied. It passed the laws. It says that it did not expect a lockout when it signed the deal in 2006 and 2007 that declares a lockout a force majeure. Now there is a lockout. It can pass a law today to change this. We are ready to work with any party and any organization that can assist in finding a solution to this problem. That is why we came to the National Assembly."
During their demonstration the workers condemned the phony lock-out which is subsidized by the Charest government. Maltais, speaking to the press, pointed out:
"Hydro-Quebec has paid over $55 million to Rio Tinto since the beginning of the lockout. This hands a huge strategic advantage to Rio Tinto in the present conflict. We are here to demand an immediate stop to this sale of hydro during the lockout."
Another worker pointed out:
"This lockout is entirely financed by the people of Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean and, in fact, of all Quebec. Rio Tinto is making more money right now than it makes when the place is open. This is incredible. There is no incentive for them to come to negotiate with us."
The Charest Kleptocracy Sells Out Quebec
Later the Charest government's Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife Clement Gignac self-righteously declared:
"We cannot renege on the government's signature. We are not in a banana republic here. If I reopen the agreement tomorrow, the impact is going to be immediate. Investments are going to decline dramatically. Companies are going to say that as soon as there is some heat on Quebec, politicians give in. We can't send such a message. The whole image of Quebec would be affected."
 "Let's give quality jobs to our youth! Altogether let's work for our region!" |
Mr. Gignac is very confused. To sign agreements such as the one the government signed with Rio Tinto which give away the resources of Quebec in contempt of the duty of governments to uphold the public interest is precisely what a banana republic does.
The definition of a banana republic is "... a country operated as a commercial enterprise for private profit, effected by the collusion between the State and favoured monopolies, whereby the profits derived from private exploitation of public lands is private property, and the debts incurred are public responsibility. [...]
"Banana republic is a pejorative term for a country with a kleptocratic government, often with a primitive economy and sometimes a puppet state of a major power. [...] Kleptocracy, government by thieves, features influential government employees exploiting their posts for personal gain (embezzlement, fraud, bribery, etc.), with the resultant government budget deficit repaid by the native working people who 'earn money,' rather than 'make money.' Because of foreign (corporate) manipulation, the kleptocratic government is unaccountable to its nation, the country's private sector -- public sector corruption operates the banana republic, thus, the national legislature usually is for sale, and functions mostly as ceremonial government."[1]
A banana republic "usually features a classed society -- a large, impoverished working class and a ruling plutocracy, the rich élites of business, politics, and the military. In political science, the term banana republic denotes a country dependent upon limited primary-sector production, which is ruled by a plutocracy who exploit the national economy by means of a politico-economic oligarchy."
TML denounces the attempt by the Charest government to ignore the damage it is responsible for as a result of its secret deal with Rio Tinto that is creating havoc in the lives of the Alma workers and throughout the region. It is clear to everyone with eyes to see that Rio Tinto took advantage of the recognition of a lockout as a force majeure to stage this phony lockout and get Hydro-Quebec to subsidize it.
The more the workers fight against this secret deal, the more it will become clear where the fraud lies. To qualify as a force majeure, by definition the lockout must be out of the company's control which is not the case. All the circumstantial evidence shows the company planned it and executed it with precision, scabs and all. The company's accusations of sabotaged equipment to assault and expel the workers in the middle of their shift and many other things all point to this. It is only a matter of time until the truth comes out.
The workers are demanding that the Charest government be accountable for the damage created since it signed this secret deal in 2006-2007, starting forthwith by cancelling it. Proud of their action at the National Assembly, the workers told TML they are even more determined to keep exerting pressure to stop this misuse of the people's hydro to attack workers, and to force Rio Tinto Alcan to sign a collective agreement acceptable to themselves and the whole region.
Notes
Kitimat Workers Report on Company's
Bad Faith Negotiations
On April 20th the Union met with Management to review documents that we had recently received relating to the organizational plans for the modernized smelter. These documents contained a breakdown of the different organizations that are planned for the modernized smelter as well as indications of the number of employees who will perform the jobs. In 2007 we negotiated a Transition Committee, which has, as part of its mandate, the responsibility to work through all aspects of the transition from old to new technology. In order to carry out its work, the Transition Committee has been trying to get hold of the company's plans for years and it was only now that they chose to share them with us. The last page of the package of documents was a list of the jobs that the company plans to contract out once they reach "steady state."
The Union did an initial review of the documents trying to understand and identify what the company was up to. Much of the terminology was different although the direction the company was taking started to become clear. At the meeting, representatives from [the Kitimat Modernization Project (KMP)] and local management gave us an overview explaining some things and answering some of our questions. The company's position on the modernized smelter was an insult to the Union, tore away any sense of credibility that may have existed and has set the stage for a collision at this set of negotiations.
Our 2007 agreement was reached based on commitments the company made assuring the Union certain work would remain within the scope of the bargaining unit. We signed a Terms Of Reference before agreeing to re-open the collective agreement and in that document we were assured there would be a minimum of 850 bargaining unit positions. This was a number the company was comfortable with and Paul Henning was openly commenting to the Union that it could even be as much as 1000 positions. One other provision of note was the agreement that we would work together to identify jobs which could be performed by the bargaining unit thereby reducing the overall impact to the workforce. There was a spirit of working together as we move forward and with these commitments the Union agreed to re-open the collective agreement and gave the company a 5-year contract. This wasn't a decision reached easily by the Union and was the first time the CAW in Kitimat had agreed on a long-term contract.
So what did we learn from the meeting we had?
1. Regarding the 2007 commitment for a minimum of 850 bargaining unit employees, the Union believes the Company proposed different numbers to the board of directors long before they received the notice to proceed on Dec 1, 2011. This shows a blatant disrespect for what was agreed to with the Union in 2007. The Company didn't inform the Union at any time until we saw this in the documents we received in mid April. The new number of bargaining unit employees planned for the modernized smelter is 699.
2. In 2007 we agreed to define the "permanent jobs" in the modernized smelter as jobs that are continuing and/or jobs that are corresponding. The continuing jobs are the ones we currently perform that will be done in the new smelter. The corresponding jobs are the ones that will be done in the new smelter which correspond to jobs currently done. The company has reneged on this commitment and have included many of these jobs on the list which will be contracted out. Once again, the company never came to the Union to inform us of what they were planning.
3. The company has made these decisions with the full understanding that they aren't consistent with what was agreed to in 2007. The company told us that what was agreed in 2007 ends with the expiry of the collective agreement. Furthermore, we were told that their definition of "core" jobs has changed and that "core" is something we can only train employees at an aluminum smelter to do. They compare the jobs done here to what they do back east so if it's not done by the regular workforce back there it won't be done here.
Most of the direction indicated here is the same or worse than what the workers in Alma are presently locked out for. In spite of changes in the company philosophy we have a collective agreement that was built on a relationship between the parties. More recently, we reached agreements in good faith on what it would take to re-open our contract and sign a five-year agreement. These agreements were expressly tied to a modernized smelter; we agreed which types of jobs would be done by the bargaining unit in the modernized smelter.
To give you a flavour of what the company is planning to contract out, some of the "activities" contained in their document were:
Butt and green anode transportation -- we know this as trucking paste from the south end to the north end.
Anode stems assembly repair -- we know this as stud building, assembly and repair (this specific job was used as an example in 2007 and the company stated up and down for the recorded minutes that it would be our work).
Alumina and bath transportation -- we know this as the transportation and handling of alumina and bath.
Potlining and delining -- we know as potlining and demolition.
Pot shell repair -- similar name/duties.
Pot super structure repairs -- we know as a function of our welders.
Janitorial work -- similar name/duties
*There were 23 additional "activities" the company listed to be contracted out in the modernized smelter.
As you can see, the examples given take contractors right inside our day-to-day activities. This was never contemplated when we reached agreement with the company and it represents a major break in credibility as we enter into 2012 negotiations.
We are presently putting together our demands for articles 23 and 24 as they relate to job security. All members and activists are encouraged to attend meetings this week for more information.
Steering Committee Meeting -- Wednesday May 9th @ 7pm.
Membership Meetings -- Thursday May 10th @ 7pm, Friday May 11th @ 7am
Negotiations Committee
Governments Must Uphold Public Right, Not Monopoly Right
Workers Eloquently Expose Governments' Partisanship to the Monopolies and the Harm They Cause the National Interest
Throughout Quebec there is a high level of social consciousness about the failure of governments at both the federal and provincial levels to do their duty by upholding public right instead of putting the state power at the disposal of the private interests of the monopolies. This social consciousness was eloquently expressed by workers on the Radio Canada television program "Tout le monde en parle."
Three representatives of locked-out or terminated workers were interviewed on the show on May 6: Jean Poirier the Vice-President of Local 1751 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) representing the Aveos workers terminated as a result of the federal government's treachery in the Air Canada bankruptcy fraud and since then; Magali Picard, Interim Executive Vice-President of the Quebec wing of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC); and Marc Maltais, President of the Syndicat des travailleurs de l'aluminium d'Alma (STAA) representing the 778 locked-out Rio Tinto workers. All of them addressed the Charest and Harper governments' partisanship in favour of the monopolies, and the harm they are causing the national interest.
Jean Poirier denounced the
brutal termination of 2,600
Aveos workers (1,800 in Quebec) on March 19 when the airline
maintenance company that maintains Air Canada planes closed its
facilities and was granted bankruptcy protection in just one day. He
stated that for six to seven weeks workers were left without
income of any kind, many workers lost their homes, and even when they
did receive back wages a great many errors were made. Poirier's
harshest comments were for the Harper government and its Minister of
Transport, who refused to force Air Canada to abide by the law that
states it must keep its Montreal, Toronto
and Winnipeg maintenance centres in operation. Poirier said:
"When Air Canada was privatized, Minister Bouchard (then Minister of Transport) declared the law would never be accepted by the people of Quebec or Manitoba if it did not include keeping Air Canada's maintenance centres in Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg open. Today, in 2012, the law is still in force but the jobs are gone. The law has been violated. We have a government that is supposed to uphold the law, but this Conservative government, which is dictatorial, refuses to do so. If tomorrow morning I rob a bank, I will go to jail. Air Canada violates the law and the defender of the law, the federal government, refuses to enforce it." Poirier said some investors have come forward to buy Aveos, and have demanded the federal government intervene to force Air Canada to sit at the table with the parties, including the union, so the jobs of the Aveos workers are protected. He said the Quebec government is currently before the Superior Court to demand Air Canada abide by the law, and he called on the people of Quebec and the rest of Canada to stand up for justice for the Aveos workers.
Poirier raised the issue of Air Canada's multiple restructurings fraud and financial shenanigans. Referring to Air Canada's CEO at the time of its fraudulent bankruptcy protection proceedings in 2003, Robert Milton, who became CEO of ACE Aviation Holdings Inc., created as part of Air Canada's restructuring, Poirier stated:
"If you ask me, the kingpin of this fraud is Robert Milton and his gang. When Air Canada was under bankruptcy protection, Milton came to us and said we had to make concessions to save Air Canada. He did not inform us of his plan to dismantle Air Canada's assets. They sold Jazz, Aeroplan, and us at Air Canada Technical Services. In 10 years, over $5.6 billion went into the pockets of the ACE executives. None of this money was ever put back into Air Canada to save the company. And now ACE itself is being liquidated and its assets distributed among the shareholders."
Magali Picard, of PSAC, firmly denounced the April 30 announcement of the Harper government that over 7,000 federal civil servants would receive notices that their positions are to be eliminated as part of slashing 20,000 federal public service jobs.
"I was astonished when on
your show I heard Minister of
Canadian Heritage and Official Languages James Moore say these cuts
are not important, they are not going to have any impact on the
population, that these are just civil servants, as if to be a civil
servant is some sort of a shameful occupation." Picard
vigorously defended the key role civil servants play in the well-being
and safety of the Canadian people and the importance of their jobs for
regional and local economies. These are the jobs of those who do food
inspection or answer 911 calls from people caught in emergencies on the
St-Lawrence River, she said.
In particular, Picard exposed the role privatization and deregulation play in endangering the health and safety of workers and how the public must be protected. She gave the example of airline inspectors. They used to be civil servants employed by Transport Canada but were terminated when the airlines were deregulated. Since deregulation airline companies hire their own safety inspectors, who now have to serve the private interests that employ them, she pointed out. She correlated this with the fact that it is very rare now for airplanes to be kept on the ground and prevented from flying for safety reasons or for inspection. She said the impression is given that everything is going well, all the planes are in flying order. When the inspections were done by Transport Canada inspectors it was common to see as many as 20 planes kept on the ground at any given time for safety reasons. She asked if there is a link between these?
Marc Maltais joined the discussion highlighting the role of the Charest government on the side of Rio Tinto and its phony lockout against the workers, which is now entering its fifth month.
"In a traditional dispute, workers suffer because they don't receive their wages and the employer suffers because it makes less money," he said. This is not a traditional dispute because the Quebec government, in the secret deal it signed with Rio Tinto in 2007 at the time the company bought Alcan, declared a lockout to be a force majeure. Among other things, this forces Hydro-Quebec to buy all the unused hydro Rio Tinto produces during the lockout.
"Since the beginning of the lockout, RTA has received $55 million for its hydro. The Quebec people, I mean all of us, are financing the lockout. Myself, as a Quebecker, I am financing my own lockout in the form of $55 million in hydro that RTA sold to Hydro-Quebec, which does not even need it. We could understand, in the case of a civil war or a drought or major tragedy that the hydro should be produced and used to assist all Quebeckers. But here, the company has decreed a lockout and yet it can still sell its energy. We say the collaboration of the Quebec government in this situation is huge."
Maltais went further adding that with all the public money, subsidies and loans Rio Tinto received, each one of the 778 jobs of the locked-out workers is in fact subsidized at the level of $84,000 a year.
Maltais explained how the Charest government's intervention on the side of Rio Tinto is also clear as it facilitates the company breaking Quebec laws against the use of scabs in the plant.
 "RTA finances its lockout with money from all Quebeckers -- wake up! No to Hydro-Tinto!" |
"At the beginning of the lockout, scabs were brought into the plant by helicopters and skidoos. At that time, the Labour Minister said the union had complained that scabs were being brought in. She told Rio Tinto that government inspectors would come on a certain date to check if there were scabs in the plant. It is like me sending a message that on such and such a date and time I will come to your home to rob you!"
Maltais also explained that one of the key issues of the Alma workers' fight is their opposition to the company's use of subcontracting to transform decently paid jobs into cheap labour that may be paid at half the wages received by union non-contract jobs. "We don't want the people of the region to just survive, but to live a full dignified life," Maltais said.
The audience could appreciate the high level of the social consciousness of the representatives of the workers in these three sectors of the economy, highly affected as a result of governments which refuse to subordinate private interests to the public interest. It is clear it is the workers who represent Canadian and Quebec national interests, not the Harper and Charest governments.
(Translated from original French by TML)
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