Solidarity action blockades South Central in Toronto

Trade union members from CUPE, OPSEU, Steelworkers, teachers’ unions and community members blockaded South Central letter sorting plant in Toronto last night. The plant is the largest letter sorting facility in Canada.

Chanting ‘Say it loud, Say it proud, Toronto is a union town’ picketers delayed trucks bring in mail for overnight sorting. Postal workers coming off shift thanked picketers for standing up for them following back to work legislation that denied them the right to continue striking for better working conditions.

Solidarity actions at Canada Post facilities have been continuing by trade union and community members across Canada since Trudeau’s Liberals brought down the legislation on November 26. There have also been rallies and occupation of Liberal MPS office across Canada calling for this legislation to be rescinded.

CUPW said that going back to work under the same conditions as before the strike means that postal workers will face hundreds of injuries and thousands of hours of forced overtime during the holiday rush.

The fact that solidarity actions have continued for over two weeks since the legislation shows the anger at the Liberals and new mood of militancy among workers who have seen this same tactic of governments undermining the right to strike too many times.  

The mood to fight is not just happening in support of postal workers. GM workers walked off the job the day that GM announced that it was closing the Oshawa plant. GM workers, members of Unifor Local 222, held demonstration in five areas of Durham region yesterday against the shut down of the GM Oshawa plant. There were rallies in Sydney, Nova Scotia at the announcement of a call centre shut down that will throw 600 workers out of work.

Workers in Canada, like the yellow jacket protest on the streets of France, Belgium and the Netherlands, are showing that they have had enough of employers and governments cutting jobs and undermining rights. There is a new mood to fight.