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Canada must choose one side in wage war

Class struggle is not just a metaphor. It is a real war that is being murderously waged against workers around the world. We cannot conscientiously pretend to be neutral. Choosing one or the other is a thing of the past.

“What we want for ourselves is what we want for all” is one of the important mottos of the workers’ movement. It is a strong advocate of human solidarity and a manifestation of wise selfishness. Human freedom is indivisible. As long as workers everywhere are denied their basic human rights, those of us who silently enjoy those protections must speak up and demand equal protection for all. or complicit in the exploitation of their brothers. And our own ongoing struggle in Canada is undermined by global exploitation.

This is one of those cases where doing what is ethically right is also in our own best interest. Unless all workers have basic human rights protections, including the right to organize and bargain collectively, employers will exploit our divisions and undermine our struggles. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other bigotry structures have been used to undermine our solidarity and divide our movement for far too long in the tired old “ It’s a “divide and conquer” tactic.

While many Canadian workers have seen unions lose their organized jobs and production shift to low-wage, union-hostile jurisdictions, there are good reasons to embrace international solidarity. be. Until all workers in the world have the right to organize and have better working conditions, their low-wage workers will unfairly compete with those who pay decent union salaries in developed countries.

As this column prepares for late November, two examples of solidarity in action are in the news. We should all pay attention.

On November 22, 2022, the Canadian Labor Congress and the United Steelworkers (USW) filed a complaint with the recently created Canadian Responsible Enterprise Ombudsperson (CORE). CORE describes itself on its website as “…Human Rights Ombudsperson or ‘Ombuds’”. We consider complaints about potential human rights violations by Canadian companies when they work outside of Canada in clothing., mining, oil and gas sector. “

According to the complaint, a Bangladeshi factory that supplies garments to Canada Tire and Marks retail outlets says it pays its workers well below a living wage, and accuses the Canadian company of labor shortages. It urges suppliers to compensate for past damages, increase supply chain transparency, and immediately negotiate with Canada. Bangladeshi unions ensure that all workers in supplier factories are paid a living wage.

Read more: Canadian unions haven’t forgotten Rana Plaza

“In the first half of this year, the average monthly wage for female garment workers was only Tk 12,673 in the areas where Mark’s sources their goods, which is $173 per month, less than $1 per hour in current Canadian dollars. It’s not enough to live a decent life,” said Marty Warren, Canada’s USW National Director. “This is a shameful and long-standing violation of workers’ rights.”

Canadian Tire told CBC News it is working to ensure suppliers comply with all local laws, including compensation.

“As part of our activities to ensure compliance, [Canadian Tire] We regularly track wage rates and work with reputable third parties to audit the factories that make our own branded products,” the CBC article reads.

This sophisticated publicity jargon offers little solace to the exploited workers at the Bangladesh factories that supply Canadian Tire and its subsidiary Marks.

Meanwhile, a private lawmaker’s bill (C-262), which addresses some of the human rights abuses Canadian businesses inflict on workers around the world, passed first reading and stalled at that level. We should all reach out to our members of Congress to remind them that this is an important issue for many Canadian voters and urge them to step up their efforts to pass this bill. At least one labor rights advocate in Bangladesh thinks the bill represents a big step forward.

“If Bill C-262 is enacted, Canadian Tire will be forced to actively address human rights and poverty wage issues in its supply chain,” said Kalpona, executive director of the Bangladesh Workers’ Solidarity Center. Actor said. Call your MP and tell them Kalpona sent you!

Meanwhile, on another solidarity front, Amnesty International is currently launching a petition for justice for brutally exploited workers who died in agony while building infrastructure for the ongoing World Cup celebrations in Qatar. The contrast between the pain and filth that haunts Qatar’s exploited workers and the extravagant display of luxury and conspicuous consumption that attends the FIFA Gala is sharp and an argument for our solidarity. I’m here. I urge all readers to sign and distribute the Amnesty International petition. Also, if you are a union member, please consider encouraging your union to actively support this initiative.

Canada must choose one side in wage war

Source link Canada must choose one side in wage war

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