On Saturday I marched with tens of thousands of people in Montreal to support the Joint trade union front.
The Common Front includes four unions (CSQ, FTQ, APTS and CSN) and represents 420,000 workers in several public sectors such as social services, education and health.
People from all corners of Quebec were present for the cause. I have been attending protests for various causes for years and have never seen such a loud event.
The crissels, the megaphones and the air horns sounded. These people want to be heard, and for good reason.
Please give sensible suggestions
As they negotiate their collective agreement, these workers want meaningful proposals from the government.
In an article in the Journal we can read the words of Farah Brunache, a labor integration officer in Outaouais, in the context of the government’s proposed salary increase: “(…) we are offered 9% over five years.” That is less than inflation. This is nothing short of contempt. »
Questions for you, Mr. Legault
As I walked alongside the protesters, many questions came to mind.
Mr. Legault, are you not embarrassed to oppose in this way those who control many of our public services?
Aren’t you and the other elected officials embarrassed that they had the courage to vote for a 30% pay raise?
Don’t you realize the contempt you are expressing?
Our leaders must understand that we cannot achieve a strong society if we try to minimize the needs of workers in our public sector.
