United Food and Commercial Workers Canada isn’t holding back as it fights the Quebec government over labour legislation.
Bill 8 is seen as an attack on the labour rights of seasonal agricultural workers in Quebec, taking away their ability to unionize and bargain collectively.
“All they are doing with this bill is trampling on the rights of the least privileged members of our society,” UFCW Quebec regional director Anouk Collet told a Sept. 9 legislative committee hearing about the bill.
She said labour laws need to be applied fairly.
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“The time has come to put an end to the exceptions and bring agriculture operations into line with other seasonal industries like ski resorts and tourism.”
A five-year legal battle led by UFCW Canada resulted in the Supreme Court of Quebec declaring a clause in the Quebec Labour Code that excluded employees of agricultural operations from the right to unionize to be unconstitutional.
Bill 8 proposes to create worker’s associations whose only practical power would be to “inform” employers of the worker’s concerns.
“It gives employers permission to just listen and then ignore whatever concerns workers raise,” said UFCW Canada president Paul Meinema.
He said it provides the stamp of approval to “discriminate against the labour and human rights of agricultural workers.”
Meinema said the union won’t back down from the fight.
“We will continue to fight against this cynical, unconstitutional legislation until it is repealed because every agriculture worker in Quebec deserves equal treatment under the labour code.”
