Several weeks after the start of the current labor dispute between the Quebec government and public sector unions, thousands are on strike in hospitals, schools and CEGEPs.
However, some union members question the actual value and impact of this leverage.
Does gathering with flags and signs really advance negotiations? asks this teacher from Montérégie. Basically, the real battlefield is in Quebec… We often wonder, she admits, whether there is any point in demonstrating in front of an empty regional school.
I understand why it was necessary to block access to factories in the past. But today I see a little less relevance in being present in front of our workplace every day, says a CEGEP professor from the South Shore near Montreal. The pressure not to teach is already great!
What does picketing mean?
To find out, Radio-Canada interviewed union and political leaders representing different generations and asked them to answer questions raised by certain picketing skeptics.
The solidarity barometer
From the very beginning, everyone is ready to recognize that this is not a panacea or a magic bullet that leads to the outcome of a labor dispute. However, everyone is convinced that picketing still plays a role in influencing to some extent the course of negotiations and rebalancing the balance of power between management and union parties.
Picketing is something very important in a negotiation to establish a balance of power between employer and employee, says Claudette Carbonneau, the first female president of the CSN.
It is also a way to break worker isolation. It is an opportunity for solidarity and socialization, adds Ms. Carbonneau.
Pickets are the barometer of the spirit, solidarity, tenacity and resilience of workers, continues Éliane Scofield-Lamarche, president of the CUPE-Québec youth committee and former activist.
The more numerous and enthusiastic they are, the more clearly it signals to the employer that they are willing to go all the way.
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Éliane Scofield-Lamarche has been active in the trade union sector since her involvement in the student mobilization in 2012. She also hosted a podcast on trade unionism.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Patrick André Perron
It is also a tool to make a social movement visible and generate a wave of sympathy among the population, adds Stéfanie Tougas, a former student leader during Maple Spring 2012.
Former Liberal minister Michelle Courchesne also finds virtues in this. MPs and citizens can hit the picket lines. A social dialogue emerges. And I believe that in a democracy this leads to healthy debates.
A sound that elected officials hear
But do pickets really influence the decision-makers at the negotiating table?
This question concerns many people.
Michelle Courchesne, who has witnessed many negotiations as Minister of Education and President of the Treasury, assures that the answer to this question is “yes”.
When I was minister I was very sensitive to the picketing. They make noise. They send a message to elected officials. You have to be able to hear it, listen to it.
As ministers, we have a responsibility to ensure services are delivered. So for decision-makers, this picket line is a kind of reminder, a kind of additional pressure, adds Ms. Courchesne, who always closely monitors the political scene in Quebec.
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Michelle Courchesne was Minister of Education and President of the Quebec Finance Ministry.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Patrick André Perron
Contacted in his corner of the country, Abitibi, which he represented as a PQ MP for more than forty years, former minister François Gendron adds his two cents. When you picket, you can't help but show you mean business, he explains. This helps create and maintain “momentum” among the strikers. The day this mobilization no longer exists, the pressure on the government is weakened.
In addition to being actively involved in the student mobilization in 2012, Stéfanie Tougas entered the political world as a political advisor to elected officials in Quebec and abroad. She is also convinced that the presence of striking workers in front of their workplaces is anything but useless.
It has a direct impact on the negotiating tables, she said before explaining herself. If we feel that workers are being demobilized, the government could bet that they will back down. On the other hand, if they are still highly visible on the streets and there is a movement of public support behind them, the government has less room to maneuver to maintain a firm line.
A tool that there is no reason to be without
Aren't the big demonstrations, the brilliant gestures, the thousands of striking employees what really matters?
Clearly, picketing cannot be the only means of pressure that unions and students use. It certainly has its limits, agrees Stéfanie Tougas. But it sends a signal that there is a unified and mobilized front opposing a decision.
“I believe that picketing is part of a continuum of complementary pressure tactics,” adds Claudette Carbonneau. If we make the sacrifice of a strike, we must ensure its effectiveness. And we must use all the tools at our disposal.
It seems to me that when we want to maximize our balance of power, we don't think and say to ourselves, “If I had fewer cards in my deck, things would go much better.” Quite the opposite!
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Claudette Carbonneau is one of the big names in the Quebec trade union movement.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Patrick André Perron
Especially when there is no involvement of union members [au moyen du] Picketing makes it easier for an employer to pretend they are dealing with unaffiliated union leaders who are making abusive demands, Ms. Carbonneau explains.
Without pickets there is no strike, adds Michelle Courchesne, agreeing with this logic. What happens if schools are closed but there are no pickets? This inevitably leads to a kind of disinterest among the population. We will ask ourselves: is there another strike or not?
Picketing in the age of social media
But hasn't this pressure tool become less effective over time? Is picketing still as relevant in 2023 as it was before?
In fact, pickets have historically been used to create a human barrier to prevent scabs from entering a striking workplace. Since then, Quebec has introduced anti-scab regulations.
That's why pickets play a less important role today than they once did, but that's no reason to relax our attention, according to Claudette Carbonneau. Please note that complaints about violations of this law continue, so vigilance regarding your business remains very important, she warns.
And for Éliane Scofield-Lamarche, picketing is far from obsolete.
It is possible to change the picket lines. It creates a world of possibilities and often requires hyper-creative ways to express mobilization and solidarity.
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Stéfanie Tougas was president of the Federation of Student Associations on the University of Montreal Campus (FAECUM) and a political advisor to elected officials in Quebec and abroad during the 2012 student strikes.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Patrick André Perron
Social networks are good, they can be effective in getting a message across. My generation grew up with these tools. But a government cannot be bent like this, emphasizes Stéfanie Tougas, convinced that physical mobilization is always one of the keys to forcing compromises from an employer like the government.