During a recent meeting, North Bay and District Labour Council decided endorse and sign on open letter asking unions to help ensure union members are not divided by racism and lured into voting for a right wing government that will hurt all of us.
Labour has the opportunity to show leadership and stand strong against racism and xenophobia. We must ensure union members are not divided by racism and lured into voting for a right wing government that will hurt all of us. We must stand united as workers – an injury to one is an injury to all. Our members must see us showing as clearly as possible that we will not be divided.
This year, let’s hold high the banner of #UniteAgainstRacism. Through our visual materials, our media statements, and speeches and in member-to-member education from now on and especially on Labour Day, let us insist that:
All workers are suffering, and feel precarious. But we feel strong when we stand together for decent work; for quality public services; permanent immigration status for all; and for gender, racial, climate and Indigenous justice. Let’s build a vision of global solidarity that inspires workers to fight together, not fight each other for scraps. Let’s not allow any political party to use racism to divide us for votes.
Immigrants are not responsible for low wages, or poor services, but rather it’s the bosses and their political representatives who exploit us all;
Far from benefiting unfairly from their work in Canada, migrant workers and refugees are being exploited in substandard working conditions, because regressive immigration and labour laws restrict their agency and leave them open to abuse;
Migrants and refugees aren’t vulnerable, they are organizing and winning rights and justice for all workers;
Labour is unified in our call for decent work, universal quality services, and permanent resident status for all workers, including migrants. Now is the time to ensure racial and gender justice including Indigenous self-determination; and an end to practices that force people to migrate including war, corporate impunity and climate change.