BELL: FOR AN EFFECTIVE AND DISRUPTIVE PICKET LINE!
Second solidarity action with precarious Bell workers
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Wednesday June 6th at 9h00AM
Mount-Royal Center
2200 Mansfield Street, Montreal
Peel Metro station
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The Workers’ Solidarity Network (WSN) is calling for a second solidarity action with Bell workers for an effective and disruptive picket line during the annual meeting of Bell shareholders. Because the meeting begins at 9h30, let's be punctual and let us be numerous enough to ensure the success of our picket line. Let Bell's bosses know that their workers have had enough of their cuts!
Since 1990, in the name of competitiveness, Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) has consistently reduced its workforce. This past Mayday, 67 young workers from Bell, working at the Jean-Talon Tour, learned that their job was being transfered to India at the end of the month of May. 160 others will see their hours cut from 35 hours to 15 hours per week as of January 2008. In 2012, workers who are members of the Association canadienne des employés en télécommunications (ACET) and of the Syndicat canadien des communications, de l'énergie et du papier (SCEP-FTQ) going on retirement will see their pension benefits reduced and eventually eliminated completely in 2016. These cuts will apply to all workers, unionized or not, working for BCE and its affiliates such as Bell, Aliant and Connexim. As Bell pushes its workers towards precarity, we can see that for any boss, large or small, putting profit before people is standard.
In response, the WSN organized a solidarity picket with Bell workers on May 18. We paid a quick visit to Bell's Eaton Centre kiosk and then picketed Bell's largest store in downtown Montreal. We blocked the doors, emptying out the store, until police arrived. We then continued our picket talking to potential customers and people passing by about the struggle of Bell workers.
These solidarity actions are being organized to support the struggle of Bell workers by encouraging the participation of people from the wider working class community who are not directly affected by the conflict. We must continue to stand in solidarity with Bell workers until their demands are met. To this end, the Workers’ Solidarity Network, a network of workers committed to taking the struggle to the bosses by direct action, is calling for a second solidarity picket on June 6 to join with Bell workers and make it an effective and disruptive picket line. Using our numbers and our solidarity, the only effective response to the bosses is direct action!
For a fighting unionism!
The Workers’ Solidarity Network (WSN)
For infos: 514-830-0066
rst.wsn@gmail. com
