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11 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 29/2002
Canadian workers have emerged victorious from a six-month strike against cement multinational Lafarge.
Members of the Communications, Energy & Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) ended the dispute at the company's Bath, Ontario facility last Saturday when they ratified a new agreement by 77 per cent. They will return to work on 2 July.
photo: CEP
The four-year deal includes gains for the workers in wages and pensions and an end to the employment of all strikebreakers hired during the dispute. Disagreements about overtime and subcontracting have also been resolved, with the company committing itself to hire 17 per cent more staff at the facility.
"The overtime issue has been resolved through a voluntary system," the local union's website states. "The contracting out language has been reworked in a way that actually strengthens our job security. The company has committed to hire 11 more persons and given a commitment to a minimum level of union members. Not only do both parties benefit from this agreement, but there are now a few more jobs available to the general workforce."
"This is the best kind of union victory," said CEP Ontario Vice President Cec Makowski. "Not only did we win on the wage front, but less hours means safer working conditions for these workers and more time with their families."
Before the strike, workers were putting in 300 to 400 hours of overtime a year, and some were on call 24 hours a day.
"Other employers should take note of the priority our members and our union place on the hours of work issue," commented Doug Chisholm, local union president. "This small group stood up against a huge multinational company and they won.
"I'm extremely proud of our members and our union which provided unwavering support throughout this difficult strike," he added.
During the dispute, the CEP received solidarity from other unions, both in Canada and beyond. In the US, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers & Helpers and the Paper Allied-Industrial, Chemical & Energy Workers International Union, both of which represent Lafarge workers, mobilised in support of the CEP. So did British unions the GMB and the Transport & General Workers' Union, which also have membership at Lafarge.
Like the CEP, these unions are affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM).