Share
It was a celebration of five years of activism as National President Jerry Dias recalled the foundation of Unifor in his address to more than 1,300 participants at Canadian Council today at the Halifax Convention Centre.
“It was a vision of a bold, brave, inclusive new union that was big enough, smart enough and determined enough to change the politics of this country,” said Dias.
In his speech, Dias said that political action has been a key part of achieving that vision, enabling Unifor to become a union for all working class people – a union for everyone.
Major bargaining victories of the past year were highlighted, including those in the gaming and hospitality, aviation, pulp and paper, and shipbuilding sectors.
“We can never lose sight of how critical a tool collective bargaining is for workers to take back our share of the wealth that we help create,” Dias stressed. “I firmly believe that it’s our collective bargaining that builds the union, it’s a moment when members are the most engaged, it’s an opportunity to communicate, and it’s a platform for mobilization.”
Paying credit to striking and locked out members, Dias specifically acknowledged 65 members, all women, who just endured a 129-day strike at the Port Arthur Health Centre in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
“These women walked that picket line not just for themselves, but the millions of precarious workers in Canada. They fought not just for better working conditions, but to build a union that is rooted in its community.”
He went on to call on governments to legislate strong and enforceable anti-scab laws in every jurisdiction in the country.
The National President’s keynote speech covered a variety of issues including women’s rights, federal pay equity legislation, climate change and just transition programs. Speaking to the union’s decision to disaffiliate from the Canadian Labour Congress Dias insisted that workers must maintain full democratic control over their representation.
While commending the achievements of the union Dias also called for continued vigilance and activism, pointing to the rise in political conservatism and ongoing international trade threats.
Dias ended by encouraging delegates to keep up the fight and to make the next twelve months count telling them “We have made history and we’ll continue to make history. Our future is still being written and you are the ones that are writing it.”
