An Act Meant to Intimidate the Working Class
Community rally June 4, 2019, supports the locked-out workers at the Belledune smelter.
The 280 members of United Steelworkers Local 7085 have
been locked out of their Belledune smelter since April 24. The Glencore
cartel locked out the workers to force them to accept concessions on
health and safety and other issues. Local 7085 led by its President
Bart Dempsey has waged a determined struggle against the giant global
company. The locked
out workers have gained respect and support from Canadians for their
just stand in defence of their rights. In fact, members of Local 7085
were in Montreal reaching out to fellow workers at three Glencore
facilities the morning of the announced shutdown.
Many believe the sudden closure of the plant is meant to
intimidate Glencore workers at all its facilities and dissuade them and
others from organizing struggles in defence of their rights. The
intimidation comes at a time workers across Canada are finding new ways
to deal with the power and vast social wealth of global giants such as
Glencore.
ABI aluminum smelter workers in Bécancour, Quebec
put up a determined two-year fight under conditions of a brutal lockout
to reach terms of employment they could accept. USW Local 9700 at the
smelter took their members' fight against the financial oligarchy to
workers throughout the world. The United Steelworkers National Policy
Conference held in Vancouver last April announced a worldwide campaign
against the Alcoa/Rio Tinto lockout of the Bécancour workers.
The global campaign focused on exposing the anti-worker practices of
Alcoa, which owns 75 per cent of ABI, and the anti-worker comments of
the Quebec government and its collusion in allowing the cartel to
avoid paying for its contracted electricity during the lockout.[1]
Similarly, Belledune workers were gaining strength and
support during the lockout for their just stand in defence of their
rights. Many believe that the Glencore oligarchs are terrified to see
the Belledune workers' spirit of resistance spread throughout their
empire and want to destroy it at the source, as an example to others
not to defend their
rights. As can be seen around the world, the imperialists destroy
through anarchy and violence what they cannot control. This must be
stopped!
Note
1. "Steelworkers Launch Global Campaign to Force Alcoa to Negotiate a Collective Agreement Acceptable to the Workers," Workers' Forum, April 11, 2019
This article was published in
Number 27 - November 20, 2019
Article Link:
An Act Meant to Intimidate the Working Class
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
|
