Have you heard about the record-high level of workers’ actions in 2023? Has it been all over the news and social media? No. Big business does not want workers to know that “When You Strike, You Can Win!”
Strikes in Canada hit the highest level in 2023 since 1986! The bosses lost 6,631,724 days of work in 776 strikes last year. Not since 1986 have there been that many days on strike with 7,151,470 days in 748 strikes. 2022 started this upward trend with the most strike days since 2009. Workers’ determination is driving this upsurge. The working class is coming back.
The massive public sector strikes in Québec late in the year involved over 500,000 workers in various strike actions over several months.
Earlier in the year over 100,000 federal government workers struck for two weeks, which won an improved contract.
Other key strikes included BC’s longshore workers, who stood firm against multiple government attempts to get them to stop their action and accepted a contract that did not include protection for their jobs.
As well as these big battles, there have been important hard-fought struggles by smaller groups of workers.
The 3,700 Metro grocery workers in Greater Toronto, members of Unifor, voted 100 percent in support of a strike. In spite of courts interfering in picketing, the workers held firm and won a better contract.
After 41 days, 1,400 workers at Hamilton’s National Steel Car won a 13 percent wage increase over three years, with six percent in the first year, a $1,000 signing bonus, and improved health benefits and safety provisions. Safety was a key concern as three workers had died on the job in recent years and in July National Steel Car was fined $140,000 for failing to maintain safe working conditions.
Workers have had enough of soaring food and housing costs on top of years of stagnant wages. COVID proved that they were “essential,” but the bosses didn’t want to pay up, even though profits are up. As many workers said, they went from “heroes” to “zeroes.”
A common feature in these actions is the huge majorities in strike ballots, often with over 90 percent of workers demanding better pay and conditions, and expecting their union’s leadership to fight for these demands. In several notable cases, tentative agreements (TA) recommended by union leaders were rejected by the membership as they told their officials to go back to the bargaining table and do better.
Québec’s Massive Strike
A public sector strike wave shook Québec. Workers said no more to stagnant wages, burnout, worsening public services and creeping privatization. In 2021-22, Québec lost nearly 21,000 healthcare workers — they were paid 40 percent less than workers in Ontario!
The CAQ government insulted workers by giving National Assembly members a 30 percent raise, while offering public sector workers just 9 percent over five years. The 560,000 workers in the Common Front (negotiating on behalf of five unions), the FAE’s teachers and the FIQ nurses all demanded significant wage and condition improvements.
November and December were rocked by escalating Common Front and FIQ strikes, and a month-long FAE strike. Facing over half a million striking workers with strong public support, the CAQ was forced to more than double its pay offer.
The Common Front membership largely accepted an agreement with a 20.4 percent raise over five years, more than double the first offer before they took action. While this would be the biggest pay bump since 1979, considering inflation and falling real wages, it is not much.
The teachers in FAE voted by a small majority to accept the latest offer, 23.5 percent over five years. However, many were unhappy as the government had not agreed on class size and composition provisions.
The FIQ nurses, striking for the first time in 25 years, are still negotiating, having recently rejected a tentative agreement with 61 percent against it. The big sticking point is the government wants “flexibility,” to be able to send nurses anywhere, and impose compulsory overtime. The union could again be taking strike action.
Leadership Important
The working class’s shift towards greater militancy and the use of strikes to rebuild the labour movement are important. But success requires a resolute leadership with strategies to win. Some strikes did not win all they could, not because of the workers’ timidity, but due to conservative leadership. Unfortunately, the public sector union leaders in BC and Ontario were less solid than those in Québec. Unifor’s leaders, unlike the US United Auto Workers, did not lead a militant strike. They negotiated a weak contract for the members, and just 54 percent of Ford workers voted to accept it.
The bosses and their politicians are considering declaring more workplaces “essential services,” restricting the right to strike. Basing resistance on the courts is not enough. It took four years for Ontario’s Superior Court to rule that Doug Ford’s 2019 legislation, which capped annual public sector pay increases at one percent, was illegal. “Justice delayed is justice denied.” Defeating anti-union laws and winning real workplace victories will require electing a fighting leadership.
Lack of a Political Choice
Despite strong strike actions, the conservatives are leading the polls federally and in Ontario. In Québec, the CAQ’s support has plummeted, but the PQ (another right-wing nationalist party) is reaping the benefits. As the leftish QS failed to strongly support the strikes, it has not gained workers’ support. Similarly, the NDP is not making gains.
The federal NDP has tied itself to the Liberals who are rightly seen by many as failing. Trudeau makes lots of speeches filled with platitudes but delivers very little. The NDP’s “gains” — very limited dental and prescription programs — could have been won without a partnership with the Liberal government.
Poilievre, like similar politicians around the world, pretends to stand up for ordinary people, giving expression to the anger that many feel at rising inequality, the soaring cost of living and lack of affordable housing and social services. But these right populists have no answer because the root of the failings is not this or that politician but capitalism. Poilievre and his ilk defend capitalism to the hilt.
A workers’ revolution requires building militant unions that are determined to elect militant leaders, support striking workers, fight to get rid of the bosses and create a society that works for all of us!
