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| Collectif travaillant sur l'Amérique Latine et contre la ZLÉA |
THE SUNDAY WARRIORS
Not so long ago, in late fall 2003, we thought that Quebec was on the verge of a civil war. Citizens committees, community groups, student associations, and particularly unionized workers were promising to put up a real fight against the Charest government. In December 2003, there was a demonstration or an occupation every day or so. On May 1st 2004, the International Workers' Day, more than 100 000 people took the street to protest against the Liberals during the traditional May Day march. At the time, union leaders told us that it was all or nothing, that if the Liberals adopted the reengineering projects, it would declare a "nuclear war". We were promised that they were ready to fight "like dogs". Yet, it seems that the Liberal ship has had pretty smooth sailing on the sea of Quebec social opposition. What the hell happened?
Today, at the peak of the period usually nicknamed the "rentrée sociale" (the back-to-school re-awakening of unions and community groups after their summer snooze), practically nothing is happening. What happened with all the warriors who had supposedly taken up the fight? In the end, it is money issues that have made everyone forget that they were all angry at the same things. Many groups just won't bite the hand that feeds them. The adoption of Law 30 has declared an open war between the unions to see who will win big after the fusion of health institutions. Some are gossiping that the Conférération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) could lose tens of thousands of members. Knowing this, the CSN publicity campaign asserting that solidarity can make mountains move makes all the more sense. Is it the mountain of once-assured dues that the CSN is worried to see move towards other union competitors? Now, let's be crystal clear: we are absolutely not in favour of Charest's projects aiming to break down the best of the reformist unions (the CSN). But it is utterly depressing to see that the biggest war currently being fought by the unions is the usual infighting and raiding, and that all unions fell into the government's so-obvious trap. We are to ask ourselves whether the unions are more preoccupied by their bank accounts than the realities of their unionized workers or the necessity to unite in front of a common enemy.
As for the community sector, it isn't much better. The "citizen" participation last fall and May 1st mobilizations was already weak, and is now pretty much in a coma. Overloaded, because they are the subcontractors of our public services and the bottom of the social economy, community groups don't even find the time to think about the direction they should give their struggle. And that's those who actually try to keep up the struggle. The projects of regional profiling and reengineering of the State might very well mean the death of many groups without anybody noticing, except maybe the few users of an obscure discount clothing store. If we agree that the Liberal plan to combine some groups and shut down others will have severe consequences, the reaction of many permanent staff at community groups shows their degree of dependence on the state. The habit of pleasing the government to receive the yearly subsidies has resulted in many groups losing sight of their fundamental mission, which is to organize themselves outside of state programs and funding in order to fight the state. More than ever, it is time for a social fight back that is autonomous and combative. How many kicks in the ass from this government will we need to wake up the troops?
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