32nd Congress of the Quebec Federation of Labour
Quebec Workers' Movement Rises to Challenges Posed by the Times
- Pierre Chénier -
The Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ) held its 32nd
Congress in Quebec City from November 25 to 28 under the theme "In
Action in a Changing World." Over 900 delegates took part in the
proceedings. With the observers and guests, the total number of people
each day in the hall was slightly over 1000. The FTQ has about 600,000
members from the private and public sectors, including construction,
mining and metallurgy, communications, forestry, health care and other
sectors.
The main events of the Congress were the opening
speech by FTQ President Daniel Boyer, the presentation and adoption of
policy papers and demands on occupational health and safety, on
pharmacare, and on automation and digitalization of the economy.
Workshops were also held on automation and digitalization of the
economy in
which delegates and observers were divided into six discussion groups.
The Congress organized a mass demonstration on November 27 at the
National Assembly to demand pro-worker reforms to the Act respecting occupational health and safety.
Elections to the positions of President and Secretary General of the
federation were held.
Ninety-five resolutions were adopted on topics ranging from the FTQ
Constitution, occupational health and safety, precarious employment and
the Quebec Labour Code,
to defence of public services and of the workers that provide them, and
the natural environment, among others. There were also presentations by
experts on the topics of the
platform economy and on technological changes and the transformation of
the workplace.
Daniel Boyer was acclaimed for a third term as FTQ
President and Denis Bolduc, from the Quebec section of the Canadian
Union of Public Employees, was acclaimed as Secretary General,
replacing Serge Cadieux who is moving to the FTQ's Solidarity Fund.
In his opening speech, Boyer explained that the theme
"In action in a changing world" refers mainly to environmental change
and automation and digitalization of the economy and the impact of
these developments on labour, jobs and rights. The FTQ, he said, is
working for a just transition for workers and unions in response to
these changes.
Other challenges, he said, are to preserve and rebuild public services
and to improve working conditions in the sector, improve health and
safety conditions for all workers, and the need for pharmacare.
According to Boyer, the framework under which the FTQ is
working is the preservation of the Quebec model of the Quiet Revolution
and its adaptation to the new realities so that Quebec becomes greener,
more just, with fewer inequalities and more solidarity and that the FTQ
remains a recognized and legitimate player in Quebec society.
Throughout the Congress, workers spoke eloquently about the problems and challenges they are facing.
The Congress demanded the establishment of a publicly
managed, universal, accessible, fair, viable and independent pharmacare
system in Quebec.
On the issue of social programs and public services,
workers demanded immediate substantial improvements for the most
vulnerable workers, especially those who work in public and private
seniors' residences. Many workers intervened to say that their
contribution in caring for those who built the modern Quebec must be
recognized,
especially in terms of wages which remain abysmal and make it
impossible to retain and attract workers in the sector. The whole
Congress rejected with contempt the statement of Quebec Premier
François Legault, who said his government would not negotiate
with the workers providing public services but would impose wage
settlements limited to the cost of living for most workers and slightly
more for beneficiary attendants and low-paid teachers.
Demonstration during the FTQ Congress in support of striking workers in
private seniors' residences, November 26, 2019.
The discussion on occupational health and safety took
place in the context of the Quebec government's announcement that in
2020 it will amend both the Act respecting occupational health and safety and the Act respecting industrial accidents and occupational diseases. Delegates denounced the fact that 40 years after the Act
respecting occupational health and safety was passed, its four prevention mechanisms are applicable to only 12 per cent of Quebec workers.[1]
Article 2 of the Act says: "The object of this Act is
the elimination, at the source, of dangers to the health, safety and
physical well-being of workers. This Act provides mechanisms for the
participation of workers, workers' associations, employers and
employers' associations in the realization of its object."
That is not true, workers said, and deeds of government
belie its words. Construction workers gave the example of the crane
operators who are under vicious attack by the Quebec government and the
Quebec Construction Commission who have reduced the training standard
for these workers, which puts not only their lives at risk but the
lives
of the public as well. This is done, among other things, under the hoax
of fighting what they call the attempt of the crane operators' union to
exercise control over other unions representing other construction
trades, as if this was a power struggle between different unions. This
is a good illustration of what kind of "participation of workers,
workers' associations" this Act contemplates. Changes have to be made
on the ground, workers said, with workers having a decisive say to
determine the health and safety conditions at their worksites and how
they are protected by the Act, with all the prevention mechanisms in
the law applicable to all workers. Workers also said that adequate
compensation has to be provided to all workers who are injured or
become ill at work. They demanded the end of employers' systematic
challenges of workers' compensation claims because this deprives the
injured workers of the money they need, money which belongs to them by
right and is essential for them to live a dignified life. These
challenges and deprivation makes their injuries and illness even worse.
 Demonstration at the National
Assembly to Demand Pro-Worker Reform of the Act respecting occupational
health and safety, November 27, 2019.
Workers also spoke eloquently on the issue of automation
and digitalization of the economy. They support technological change,
which should improve their lives at work, but in the hands of the
private monopolies is being turned into a gigantic dehumanizing and
spying machine used against them. As one worker said in one of the
workshops, "Robots are turning us into robots." He explained that all
the actions of workers on the job are being spied on electronically and
then companies make accusations against the workers, demanding to know
what they were doing at such and such a time since they seem to have
not been moving. Companies monitor the pace of work achieved by
workers, and once a worker exceeds the standard, even once, their
performance becomes the new mandatory standard for all, set without
discussion or input from the workers. Others explained that metadata
gathered by the companies includes a great deal of personal information
on individuals which is used against them. For example, workers'
comments on social media are routinely spied on by companies which then
discipline workers for alleged 'lack of loyalty' to the company.
Metadata is being used to spot those who may become labour activists or
may want to unionize, so as to take repressive action against them.
There were many interventions in the workshops on what
is called the platform economy, with monopolies like Uber or Amazon
claiming that their digital platforms make them mere intermediaries
between different users. This is used to deny any link of employment
with people working for them and therefore any obligation to provide
pensions and benefits and anything else that may be claimed by workers
through regular employment. Those workers are often fraudulently
labelled "self-employed" and live a life of total instability and often
of extreme poverty while totally dependent on these monopolies for
their living.
Many demands were put forward such as amendments to both
the Canada and Quebec Labour Codes to change the definition of
"employee" so it includes these workers who are falsely labelled as
self-employed. Workers also demanded the strengthening of privacy laws to
prohibit companies keeping personal information on workers without
their permission.
The main point that workers made is that all of this is
making it very difficult for workers to affirm their collective
strength and to wage an organized collective struggle for their rights.
New forms have to be found, workers said, to solve the problem of
exercising the organized strength of the collective of workers, their
ability to discuss and
work out stands that are favourable to themselves and society, and to
fight for them in an effective way. Workers are not distressed by these
problems but are actively working to find new ways of organizing that
are appropriate in the existing conditions.
It is becoming more and more clear that workers'
reference point when they wage struggles is not a desire for the past
and forms belonging to a civil society that has been wrecked. The
workers' reference point is their current fight for rights which they
are waging in the battlefield of public opinion. It is in these battles
that new forms are being
created which correspond to the content workers are bringing forward,
including a new direction for the economy that serves the people and
not the rich and over which the people can exercise control.
The workers' interventions allowed them to work out how
the problems they face pose themselves and expressed their
determination to overcome the challenges. This made for an exciting and
lively FTQ Congress.
Note
1. These mechanisms are the
prevention program, the health program, the employer-worker joint
health/safety committee and the prevention representative.
This article was published in
Number 30 - December 11, 2019
Article Link:
32nd Congress of the Quebec Federation of Labour: Quebec Workers' Movement Rises to Challenges Posed by the Times - Pierre Chénier
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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