Unacceptable Comments from Quebec Premier and Labour Minister
5,000 people marched through the streets of downtown
Trois-Rivières in solidarity with the locked-out ABI workers on
May 25, 2019.
Quebec
Premier
François
Legault
in
speaking
to
the
press contemptuously
dismissed the formal complaint against the government filed by the
United Steelworkers to the ILO and again slandered the ABI workers as
overpaid. Meanwhile, in what sounded like a "good cop, bad cop"
routine, his Labour Minister said that while workers have the right to
make formal complaints such as they have done at the ILO, they must
understand that Legault's comments about the dispute come from his
concern for the economy, and that he is the Premier of the economy.
Neither
Premier
Legault
nor
his
Minister
considers
it
a problem for Quebec
society that workers are being deprived of a way to settle their
dispute with a global cartel in a way that respects their dignity,
well-being and rights. The actions of the Alcoa cartel and government
have caused the situation where workers have to resort to complaints to
a United Nations' labour relations body.
It
appears
whenever
Legault
hears
"ABI
workers"
it
sends him into a flurry
of attacks against "those guys who earn $90,000 a year." This uncouth
behaviour only brings shame on him and his government ministers. Their
dismissive words and actions regarding the real problems of labour
relations and the defence of workers' rights when workers face such
powerful global empires as Alcoa/Rio Tinto bring the government into
disrepute and call into question its ability to govern on behalf of its
own people.
Workers
recall
with
disgust
the
meeting
Legault
had
with union leaders on May
Day, in which he said workers had better settle for jobs at $75,000 to
keep them rather than jobs at $90,000 that are bound to be lost because
such wages make "production costs" uncompetitive compared to those
elsewhere. This comes from a man whom his Minister calls the Premier of
the economy. His so-called production costs are nothing but his and the
owners' self-centred outlook to demand more of the value of what
workers produce as enterprise profit and take it out of Quebec to the
detriment of workers, their communities and the Quebec economy.
Legault's
comments
are
further
evidence
that
his
outlook
is that of the global
oligarchs who own and control the economy and not those who do the work
and produce the social product. His viewpoint on the modern economy is
that of the global financial oligarchy, which could care less about the
people, their jobs, well-being and the social and natural environment
but only about receiving the highest return on their investment. The
backward viewpoint of the rich oligarchs needs regulation, restriction
and continuous organized struggle of the working people for otherwise
it runs amuck causing great problems for the people and economy.
Legault's
outlook
is
revealed
again
in
his
stance
of "well paid jobs" bad versus
"not so well paid jobs" good. This position forms part of the
anti-social "open for business" mantra of the financial oligarchy right
across Canada. The aim of this outlook is not to have business
investment that develops the economy to benefit all in a socially
responsible manner but to open the country to exploitation of its human
and material resources in violation of the interests and rights of all.
 Pitting workers in
one country or region against those in another country or region is now
commonplace with the global cartels that own multiple production
facilities and businesses and possess immense social wealth and have
their representatives in government. They can move or threaten to move
their business and most facilities to wherever it suits their narrow
private interests. The organized working class and its practical
politics must constantly struggle to restrict the power of the
financial oligarchy.
The
economy
that
Legault
views
and
speaks
about
is the world of intrigue,
collusion and contention of private global monopolies serving their own
private interests at the expense of the people and their societies. If
that economy of the financial oligarchy is not challenged and
restricted in its actions the results are destructive with recurring
crises and negation of the rights of all.
The
comments
of
Legault
and
his
Minister
are
meant to provide a shield to
Alcoa's attacks on the workers, their communities and Quebec society,
and make it more difficult for ABI workers to defend their rights. To
the great credit of USW Local 9700 and its members they are bravely
persisting in their struggle for their rights. They are continuing to
mobilize support, including financial support, for their just struggle,
as well as sending representatives to meet workers across Quebec to
explain their fight and win the battle in the court of public opinion.
In a recent action on June 11, ABI workers organized a picket in
Bécancour, as Quebec Minister of the Economy Pierre Fitzgibbon
delivered a speech to the Chamber of Commerce. Workers had asked to
meet with him to discuss the impact of the lockout on workers and their
community to which the Minister initially agreed. Subsequently, he
cancelled the meeting in what is seen by many as a vindictive move
directed by the Legault government in response to the complaint the USW
filed with the ILO.
The
continuing
struggle
and
actions
of
the
organized
workers at ABI are
important for this specific fight against the Alcoa/Rio Tinto cartel
but also for the future as they establish bonds of militant solidarity
of workers in all sectors in defence of their dignity and rights.
This article was published in
Number 23 - June 20, 2019
Article Link:
Unacceptable Comments from Quebec Premier and Labour Minister
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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