Locked-Out Workers' Energy March Declares Forcefully:
"The Lockout Is Not a 'Force Majeure'; ABI Must Pay What It Owes!"
Quebec City, March 27, 2019.
Locked-out Bécancour ABI aluminum smelter workers
organized an Energy March in Trois-Rivières and Quebec City, on
March 26 and 27. The purpose was twofold:
- demand the Legault government do its duty to
intervene so that the Alcoa/Rio Tinto cartel ends the lockout in a
manner acceptable to the workers;
- demand the energy contract between Alcoa, the
government and Hydro-Québec be re-opened so that Alcoa pays in
full for
its reserved preferential rate energy block.
The workers made it abundantly clear that in no way
does the lockout, planned and decreed by the company itself, constitute
a "force majeure" or "Act of God," that would free it of its
responsibility to pay for its reserved electricity. ABI must pay what
it owes Hydro-Québec and the people!
Trois-Rivières -- March 26
Two hundred ABI workers marched two hours to the riding
office of Labour Minister Jean Boulet in Trois-Rivières. From
there, they marched another two hours through the city's streets.
Throughout their action, people warmly greeted them, shook their hands,
waved and honked their horns
in appreciation of the determined stand of the ABI workers in defence
of their rights and the interests of Quebec.
United Steelworkers' Local 9700 President
Clément Masse spoke to the workers during the march. He reminded
everyone that prior to the Quebec election, Premier François
Legault said that Alcoa's demands for concessions and refusal to
negotiate a contract acceptable to workers could not be considered
serious. If that is so, why has the
Premier not acted to enforce the energy contract? The time to act is
now.
"The lockout has lasted for so long, over 14 months and
counting, because ABI is not fully assuming the economic consequences
of its decision. In 2018 alone, Alcoa was able to save $165 million at
the expense of Hydro-Québec and Quebeckers. As citizens, it is
outrageous to see that our government is complicit in the lockout,"
Clément
said. As of March 30, 2019, Alcoa owes $275 million to
Hydro-Québec for
electricity set aside for it under a long-term contract giving the
company preferential hydro rates.
 
Quebec City -- March 27
Hundreds of workers from Quebec City, the Beauce region,
Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and from as far away as Fermont on the North
Shore were waiting at Quebec's National Assembly on March 27, to greet
with affection the arriving delegation of 300 ABI workers.
 Present amongst the
assembled workers were members and representatives of many unions
including the United Steelworkers, the Canadian Union of Postal
Workers, the Teamsters, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
Retirees from Arcelor Mittal in Contrecoeur were also in attendance, as
were students from Laval University,
who announced a donation of $600 for ABI workers.
Several speakers addressed the crowd. Clément
Masse said that Premier Legault in comments to the press dismissed the
energy contract and its "force majeure" clause allowing Alcoa to evade
its social responsibility to pay what it owes to Hydro-Québec as
"kids' stuff."
Someone pointed out that the amount in arrears to
Hydro-Québec is now $275 million, which can hardly be termed
"kids' stuff."
Clément said the Premier must do his duty, "show
leadership, modify the clause and re-balance the power between
ourselves and our employer." The fact that Alcoa is not paying for its
electricity block explains in part why it is able to take such a hard
line and demand sweeping anti-labour, anti-union concessions and
systematically refuse to
negotiate an end to the lockout, he added.
 
During the actions it was announced that Premier
Legault would meet with the union and company representatives on
Monday, April 1. Before the meeting even took place however, the
Premier in a most boorish manner stated his anti-worker position. He
told the media that he expects the union to make further concessions
and that he will not
touch the energy contract. These statements are totally unacceptable
and reveal the government not as representative of Quebec working
people but of foreign private interests out to enrich themselves at the
expense of Quebec workers and the nation's natural resources.
Many point out that even though the energy contract is
a one-sided dictate giving monopolies such as Alcoa and other big
industrial cartels electricity at a price below the price of
production, the contract in question states that a lockout is a "force
majeure" releasing Alcoa from paying for the electricity only if the
interruption in production is an "unforeseeable, irresistible event
beyond the control of a Party that delays, interrupts or impedes the
performance, in whole or in part, by that Party of its obligations
under the Contract." This lockout is the doing of the company and its
continuation is the doing of the company.
The ABI lockout was planned from A to Z to attack the
workers, the community and the union. The lockout was completely
foreseeable and is completely under the control of Alcoa, which is
using it to extort anti-worker concessions that are unacceptable in
this modern age.
The Lockout Is not a Force Majeure; ABI
Must Pay What It Owes!
End the
ABI Lockout Now on Terms Acceptable to the Workers!
This article was published in
Number 12 - April
4, 2019
Article Link:
Locked-Out
Workers' Energy March Declares Forcefully: "The Lockout Is Not a ‘Force
Majeure'; ABI Must Pay What It Owes!"
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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