http://themilitant.com/2016/8021/802132.html
The Militant (logo)
Vol. 80/No. 21 May 30, 2016
—ON THE PICKET LINE—
Maggie Trowe, Editor
Militant/John Steele
Members of Service Employees International Union Local 298 picket during
one-day strike by seniors’ residence workers across Quebec demanding
CA$15 an hour minimum wage.
Help the Militant cover labor struggles around the world!
This column gives a voice to those engaged in battle and building
solidarity today — including striking Verizon workers, Steelworkers
opposing concessions, construction workers demanding safe conditions and
workers fighting for $15 and a union. I invite those involved in
workers' battles to contact me at 306 W. 37th St., 13th Floor, New York,
NY 10018; or (212) 244-4899; or themilitant@xxxxxxx. We’ll work together
to ensure your story
is told.
— Maggie Trowe
Quebec seniors’ care workers hold day-long strike for $15 an hour
MONTREAL — In their first strike ever, some 3,000 nurses, nurses’ aides
and other care workers walked out for a day May 11 at 42 private
seniors’ residences throughout Quebec in their fight for a 15 Canadian
dollars an hour minimum wage (CA$1 = US$0.78). The contract of the
members of Service Employees International Union Local 298 expired in
February.
“This is a historic strike,” nurses’ aide Emmanuel Saladin told the
Militant at a press conference across from L’Image d’Outremont residence
here. Saladin is president of the union committee at the residence. “The
nurses’ aides start at CA$11.80 an hour and the average wage is
CA$12.50. It is not enough.”
“We do the same hard work as seniors’ care workers in the public sector,
but get paid less,” said Immegryde Rejouis, a worker and vice president
of the union committee. “We love our work, but it needs to be valued.
The residents support what we are doing.”
L’Image d’Outremont is owned by Le Groupe Maurice, which owns 20
residences in the province.
While the big companies are refusing to meet the union’s demands, some
small independent residences have reached agreements, including one with
an immediate raise to CA$15 an hour and further increases to CA$16.87, a
union press release said.
“We have a big job ahead of us,” Local 298 President Richard Belhumeur
said. “About 225 residences are organized out of 1,700 in the province.”
— John Steele
Thousands of Greek workers, farmers protest attack on pensions
ATHENS, Greece — Several thousand workers, students and others marched
to the parliament here May 8, part of three days of strikes and street
protests May 6-8 called by the country’s three main union federations.
Hundreds of farmers joined the May 7 action in Athens. Public transport
workers, civil servants, sailors, rail workers and others struck for the
three days.
The protests were called in response to proposed legislation to cut 5.4
billion euros ($6.2 billion) from social security pensions and hike
taxes. The Greek parliament approved the bill May 8, hoping to meet
demands by creditors before they will release more loans as part of the
86 billion euro “bailout” the Syriza Party government agreed to last year.
This is the latest round of attacks on working people over the last six
years of economic depression. Household income has plunged by one-third
and official unemployment stands at nearly 25 percent. Greece’s national
debt is 180 percent of gross domestic product.
“These measures are aimed at the working class, to take back social
benefits that working people have,” public school teacher Aggeliki
Katsamani, 34, said at the May 8 rally. “I came here today because if
there are no protests there will be many more such measures.”
— Georges Mehrabian
Related articles:
A month into strike, Verizon workers reach for solidarity
Indiana aerospace workers reject cuts, fight lockout at Honeywell
Australia truck drivers discuss fight for safety, unions
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