Hospital in Verdun: workers organize and discontent representatives CSN and FIQ

— Exclusive —

Update: Verdun workers have a blog: Verdun Mobilization Committee

This is a story that illustrates the pitiful state in which the Quebec unionism is, mired in a disincentive legalism, which is too often an excuse for inaction, which favors small petty wars and confined to the base of the unions in an apathetic inaction and a childish frame.

The IWW has always been for the action and direct democracy, the control of the union and resources by all working people at the base, the involvement of members is both a guarantee of fighting the union and its internal democracy.

The following letter tells the story of workers and workers in the health system that are trying to organize their workplaces to inform, politicize and mobilize their colleagues with a view to fighting, while union representatives trying to sabotage the initiative and behave like small shopkeepers afraid that “their” base could think to organize and move.

The workers in question are not anti-union, are not reactionary, of right, anti-worker… Nothing of the sort. These are just people determined to make things happen, who do not accept to wait indefinitely after bureaucrats who view their base as their private fiefdom, as their captive clientele.

Without further ado, cede them speak:

In context
We decided to form a mobilization committee addressing all workers within the Verdun hospital. Our action was first to create a space to discuss our working conditions. The land policy, or, in other words, the political organization of workers themselves in their environment, makes possible a collective awareness of our conditions and possibilities that we have to change. However, we were particularly disappointed with the attitude of local union representatives of the CSN and the FIQ who opposed our initiative.

Unionism has allowed historic gains to workers in Quebec. We have respect for workers and trade unionists who have led a fierce struggle even today to the union allows a power struggle with the employer. However, we would like to remind that before becoming the central, unions were born of the local union of skilled workers. How ironic that our union representatives now oppose the creation of a committee of workers !

The State Quebec wants to privatize health, but to get there he must first degrade the collective agreements of its public employees, that is to say ours. In this context, negotiations with our unions the government will determine our working conditions and patient services. It ''s because we fear the worst we believe it is imperative to organize now and had the idea of ​​this mobilization committee. However, following the opposition of our union representatives, Now we question the ability of our local unions to conduct a strategic fight.

The 13 May, Ariane Bouchard, nurse, Charles Boulanger meeting, FIQ union representative for the Southwest-Verdun CSSS. She explains the objectives of the creation of the Mobilization Committee and informed of the committee's work with the union, will as expressed in the invitation leaflet in the meeting. The agenda of the meeting is given to M. Boulanger. It is then displayed without any modification. Between this meeting and the first meeting of the committee on Monday 24 May 2010, nor representatives of the FIQ, nor those of the CSN contact us though our contact information available to them.

The 24 May the first meeting of the Mobilization Committee was held in the rest room in the basement. Some maintenance employees are present for this initial meeting. At our mobilization and during this meeting, several workers have shown that such an initiative responding to a real need and showed the enthusiasm that “Something” finally happens, regardless of whether initiated by the union or by colleagues. However, the atmosphere changes with the arrival of union representatives. We especially want to deplore the bullying attitude shown by 3 CSN representatives, which Guignard Elina and Denise Provost, who refused to sit even after we had them explicitly requested, specifying that we find intimidating they are standing when all the workers were seated. They have also ignored the speech turns, interrupting others or whispering among themselves while others spoke. Regardless of their arguments against this mobilization committee, This disrespect has no place in a political debate.

The meeting of 24 May was summarized in a response to criticism of the union on the agenda Representatives they interpreted as an attempt to impose pressure tactics. On this subject, they claimed that renvendicateurs employees who would act according to a decision of the Mobilization Committee could not enjoy union protection. In fact, several items on the agenda, such as that on the common front, had as goal to inform people, for example on the negotiations and to encourage collective thinking about it. Finally, The union says that as sole legal representative of the employees, it is the only one to initiate a reflection about the working conditions.

For a return to participatory democracy
The objective of the mobilization committee was merely the reverse of imposing pressure tactics. We wanted to provide a space for dialogue between workers to discuss proposals on how to make our work less painful. At the last special union meetings FIQ, original ideas and critical workers had no impact on the formula already ready-made means of pressure that we had to accept or reject, but obviously not change. Yet power in a union belongs to workers and local councils need to be sovereign, this means that union members have the final say on the measures to be taken in the workplace.
25 May – The administration had not responded to the posters of the Mobilization Committee and was not presented at the meeting 24 May. However, the 25 May, the manager of labor relations human resources contact Ariane Bouchard to tell him that the meetings between employees within the hospital are illegal and that only the union can represent workers from bosses. Mr. Poirier, human resources, wishes to defend the legitimacy of the union and even evokes the union raiding law. He does not hesitate to add that in case of meeting, security expel workers present.
It is clear that human resources and our local unions agree on the reasons not to tolerate political initiative on the part of workers.

26 May – The meeting is canceled. Workers are advised removed and posters.

widespread discontent
Union representatives themselves recognize their inability to interest workers in union activities and verbalize a loss of contact with their members. More, Are the means actually taken to remedy the situation?

Following discussions with many workers, we can only make the following observation : there is widespread disappointment with the labor union, even a total loss of confidence in certain cases. Employees lament a lack of contact with their representatives who rarely leave their offices to meet them. This is also what some workers expressed in many a return to their representatives at the meeting of 24 May. Clearly, field work is not properly organized as it could be. We realize that our union representatives are correct in stating that attracting people to the union meetings and interest in politics is difficult, but a first step to take is to restore the workplace as a space where it is possible to speak of our terms, where information flows other than on paper, where reflection can be done collectively at any time and not only during union meetings. To note : in our various touring units, no one, even in a global context of overwork, has refused to talk to us. On the contrary, many have welcomed our initiative and encouraged it to continue even without the support of the union.

The future
Our basic aim is to re-politicize our workplace and encourage criticism and collective reflection on the challenges facing our health system, we intend to continue on this path, with or without the union, as workers will be consistent with our approach.