On April 16, a rally was held in support of Montreal’s blue-collar workers, who are on strike. The city is offering them an insulting 11% over five years, while employees in other municipalities have received an average of 22%.
One striker, who wishes to remain anonymous, told me about the working conditions. She explains that, even with the current budget, there is money available to pay decent wages, but it is constantly being funneled to private contractors who are supposedly more efficient… Yet the streets and aqueducts remain full of potholes. And these contracts are always kept secret. Otherwise, people would quickly realize that they are excessively expensive—and that there is often corruption involved. This underscores that a key demand is for workers to audit the books, even in the public sector. We need workers’ control.
Another blue-collar worker tells me how his foreman always tells him to “make sure” he clears the snow from the streets… where the borough council members live! You have to do whatever it takes to please the higher-ups in the administration.
They keep telling me about all sorts of problems: outdated machinery due to a lack of investment, top executives who don’t understand anything about the work on the ground, an excessive use of temporary workers…
“If people knew all this, they would support the blue-collar workers’ struggle,” she says.
A glimmer of hope: she explains to me, “We voted for an unlimited strike mandate last fall, and if they don’t back down, we’re ready to use it.”
Solidarity with blue-collar workers! A victory for one sector of the working class is a victory for the entire working class.
– Simon B., Montreal
