QUEBEC CITY – The unions representing workers in Quebec’s forestry sector – the United Steelworkers (USW), the Centrale des syndicats démocratiques (CSD), and the Fédération de l’industrie manufacturière (FIM-CSN) and Unifor – have joined forces to denounce the Quebec government’s inaction. They urgently demand that the government put in place a comprehensive plan to address the issues that are hitting forest industry workers the hardest.
The Quebec forestry industry is facing unprecedented crises. Market instability, exacerbated by U.S. countervailing tariffs on softwood lumber, is compounded by the challenges posed by climate change and the protection of woodland caribou. The federal government’s proposed decree to protect the caribou will cause even more instability and uncertainty. These pressures have led, and will continue to lead, to the closure and consolidation of several mills, plunging many working people into precarity either after losing their jobs or in fear of losing them.
“Faced with this untenable situation, François Legault’s government remains silent and stands still, claiming to be saving jobs. Its inaction and attitude are exacerbating the situation and turning workers into an instrument of political discord. We, the unions representing these people, believe it’s long past time for the federal government to stop issuing ultimatums on a stance it knows to be unreasonable, and for the Quebec government to take the issue seriously and implement an organized, smart plan, to protect woodland caribou, ensure a sustainable future for the forestry industry and adequately support the workers who make it prosper,” said Dominic Lemieux, Quebec Director of the USW, Daniel Cloutier of Unifor, Kevin Gagnon of FIM-CSN and Luc Vachon of the CSD.
The unions understand difficult times lie ahead, and that the forestry industry is at a turning point. “We’re calling on elected officials to raise the discussion and think together about solutions to modernize the forestry industry and make it more resilient and efficient.
A real industrial transition plan must be developed, one that will be truly fair by putting workers’ concerns first. Discussions must be held openly and publicly and not be limited to secret deals between private companies and the government. Workers must be involved because it’s their jobs and the strength of their communities that are at stake,” said the union leaders.
The Syndicat des Métallos/United Steelworkers, affiliated with the Quebec Federation of Labour, is the largest private-sector union in Quebec, representing more than 60,000 workers in all sectors of the economy.
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