14 October, 2014In Canada on 7 October IndustriALL affiliates, the United Steelworkers Canada (USW), UNIFOR and the Fédération de l’Industrie Manufacturière de la Construction des Syndicats Nationaux (FIM-CSN) take action as part of the "Global Day of Defiance" against Rio Tinto.
USW
Activists from USW Local 9490 took action at Rio Tinto Alcan in Alma during the World Day for Decent Work (WDDW) on 7 October.
A special edition of USW Local 9490 at Rio Tinto Alcan in Alma Quebec newspaper «Le jaseur express» in French, was distributed to 800 members of the local on the WDDW. The message is clear, "Rio Tinto must change and end precarious work!"
One of the main issues of the Alma struggle was to garantee quality jobs for the next generations. It was a major struggle against subcontracting, against precarious work.
USW Local 7493 at at Rio Tinto Poudres Métalliques in Sorel Québec distributed in lunchrooms a place mat in French on october 7th to its 200 members. Text on the place mat documents Rio Tinto unsustainable behavior across the world and gave way to good discussions between workers and the members of the Union executive comitee on the need for example to build more solidarity to face the challenges in Rio Tinto facilities all across the world. They also put on all the boards the copies of the IndustriALL material for the action day.
Ron Thomas, president of the USW Local at Rio Tinto iron ore mine in Labrador City spoke to a reporter from the Aurora newspaper about the attacks on workers by the company. The USW local also distributed the global flyer to its members in Labrador.
UNIFOR
IndustriALL affiliate UNIFOR, at UNIFOR Local 2301 in Kitimat, British Colombia, held a march and rally protesting the treatment of Kitimat workers by Rio Tinto. They also distributed the global flyer to all their members at the Rio Tinto aluminum smelter there and to all the residents of Kitimat.
The action was part of a global "day of defiance" against Rio Tinto happening in more than 20 countries, coinciding with the World Day for Decent Work.
FIM-CSN
IndustriALL affiliate, the Fédération de l’Industrie Manufacturière de la Construction des Syndicats Nationaux (FIM-CSN) distributed the global flyer to its 1200 members at the RioTinto Fer et Titane worksite in Sorel, Quebec