Quebec Construction Workers Defend Job Site Prevention
Whatever Happens, Health and Safety Representatives Will Be on the Job as of January 1, Workers Say
On December 13, over 200 construction workers took part in a rally outside the offices of the Labour Standards, Pay Equity and Workplace Health and Safety Board (CNESST) to affirm that, no matter what, health and safety representatives, elected and trained by workers, will be on the job at all construction work sites as of January 1.
The
rally was attended by members of Quebec's five construction unions:
FTQ-Construction, the Quebec Provincial Council of Building Trades
(International), the CSD-Construction, the CSN-Construction and the
Syndicat québécois de la construction. The
occasion was
the coming into force of the
prevention mechanisms provided for in the Act respecting
occupational health and safety,
which, since the Act's adoption in 1979, have never been enacted in the
construction industry. Mechanisms include joint worksite committees,
prevention programs and prevention representatives, now
called Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs).
The Act was modified by the Act to modernize the occupational health and safety regime which was passed by the Quebec government in October 2021, which enacts the prevention mechanisms in construction starting January 1, 2023 but leaves them in the hands of employers.
Through their struggle over the years, workers have succeeded in getting some of these mechanisms on larger sites, but worksite accident prevention has been made very difficult due to repression and a climate of silence imposed by construction companies and government, particularly since there is no job security in the industry. Workers consider the introduction of HSRs a way to provide a voice for workers and to effect a dramatic improvement in working conditions, which remain the most dangerous in Quebec in terms of occupational injuries and fatalities.
Following the CSN President's initial remarks, a representative from each construction union spoke. They denounced employer organizations that oppose the implementation of HSRs and negotiate with the government behind the backs of workers. One representative was vigorously applauded when he said that the health and safety of workers is non-negotiable, that it is not like a collective agreement. It's a matter of respect for human life, and cannot be reduced to an issue of a cost to the industry.
Another
representative, who received loud applause, said that health and safety
and job security go hand in hand, because the lack of job security in
the industry puts workers who dare to speak out at risk. This makes the
work of HSRs even more essential.
Yet another said that for the community to take ownership of the health and safety issue, it's important that workers are heard and denounced employer associations who say that the presence of HSRs will hinder the work and even constitute a danger on job sites.
All pointed out that health and safety are not a matter of one's union affiliation and that workers must use the strength of their numbers and solidarity to come together to eliminate job site hazards.
The rally was brief and militant, a declaration that the health and safety situation in the industry must drastically change and that workers are determined to take the necessary steps to make that happen.
This article was published in
Volume 52 Number 62 - December 20, 2022
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmld2022/Articles/D520621.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca