What Now For Quebec Labour?

The month long strike by 47,000 nurses in Quebec is over. Nurses are back on the job with no contract after rejecting a weak contract agreement reached by the union leadership and the provincial government.

This strike has exposed many important lessons to the workers of Quebec and the rest of Canada. The strike has shown the class separation between the union leadership and the rank and file nurses. The union leaders used the language and phraseology of union militancy, but in the end collapsed and conciliated due to the pressures of capitalism and the ruling class. Despite the growing activity of rank and file nurses, the union bureaucracy is full of careerists and opportunists acquired during the quiet times. These people are more interested in saving capitalism and preserving their positions rather than representing or defending the interests of workers.

In fact, the leaders of the nursesž union were more afraid of the rank and file nurses than anything else. When the union leaders said that if no agreement was reached that the strike could last until Christmas, they knew it was true and feared that prospect more than anyone else. They feared losing control of the situation. The entire situation now, the rejected contract and the lull in activity have been caused by the fact that the union leadership wanted to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand. The nurses were extremely militant. 93% of the union members voted for the strike and 70% of the population supported the nurses.

Contracts

This fall, some 400,000 public sector workeržs contracts will be coming up. They are demanding wage increases from anywhere between 10%-20%, while the Bouchard government has promised only a 5% increase because of a lack of funds and plans to cut income taxes. The trade union leaders accept this, and that is completely unacceptable. Workers have seen wage roll backs, downsizing, increased hours, and a loss of stability in their jobs over the past 10 years. The stress is unbearable and causing many health related problems, particularly in the situation of the nurses. Things cannot continue on this way, something has to give. The notion that there isnžt enough money in society to provide the conditions that the nurses or any other workers demand is ludicrous. Corporate profits are at record levels, there is more than enough money available. The truth is that giving public sector workers a decent settlement is no longer compatible with capitalist society. The workers need political and union leaders who will fight capitalism to provide these things. The nationalization of the pharmaceutical companies and other health related industries would open up millions of dollars to provide what the workers need and a quality, properly funded health care system.

The strike has also shown that the class struggle will cut across the national divide and the issue of Quebec independence. Joseph Facal, Quebec Minister for Constitutional Affairs even stated that the issue of independence was not relevant at this time, and support for separation has slumped. It is because french and english nurses and other workers find themselves side by side on the same picket line, fighting the same battle against a common enemy - capitalism and the bosses. Workers realize that they must work together on a class basis if they want to achieve their goals, rather than be divided on national lines.

General Strike