The work done by the labour movement in the past to secure workers’ rights and the need to use democratic rights to protect those rights were front and centre at the annual United Steelworkers (USW) Local 6166 Labour Day picnic in Thompson Sept. 3.
“Remember somebody had to fight for this [day off],” said USW Local 6166 president Warren Luky. “The unions movement’s still fighting for everybody in the workplace and fighting for human rights. We’re fighting to get the governments to do what we think is right for all the people.”
In order to get governments to listen he said, people need to vote wisely.
“We’ve got civic elections, we’ve got provincial elections, we’ve got federal elections, so you have to sit yourself and ask who’s helping us out here in the north?” said Luky, mentioning that previous union president Les Ellsworth is believed to be considering running in this October’s municipal elections in Thompson. “We feel we have the ability to get some help from the federal government and from the provincial government. We’re trying to get people to use monies and funds that are already in place and we want these things to be working here in Thompson and for the north. If we don’t fight for ourselves, no one else is going to and no one else in the city or the province really give a crap about what happens north of the Perimeter so it’s something you have to think about when you’re voting. You guys get out there and make your vote count.”
Churchill-Keewatinook Aski NDP MP Niki Ashton also stressed the importance of being politically active.
“The challenges that we face, especially in terms of economic challenges, didn’t just happen,” said Ashton. “The reasons why we face things like the closure of the smelter and refinery or the tough times that Churchill has been facing are because of political decisions that are made that don’t benefit working people. For example, governments that sign off our resources and allow foreign corporations to take us over or, in the case of Churchill, privatization that sells off strategic assets to American billionaires and leaves regions like ours hurting. Even NAFTA, an agreement that was promised to benefit working people, not only has it not, it’s made things worse off for Canadians and we’re seeing that play out in a big way these days. I want to acknowledge that in order for us to fight back against these bad decisions we have to work politically hand in hand as well. I’m proud of the work that the NDP does along with the labour movement, working hand in hand to fight for justice, for working people, to fight for the dignity for working people, to fight to improve the lives of people in our communities across the country.”
Thompson Progressive Conservative MLA Kelly Bindle hearkened back to the battles for workers’ rights of previous centuries as the reason those at the picnic had the day off to enjoy.
“The nine-hour movement was a labour solidarity movement that brought attention to labour, to people of the working class, and it was 126 years ago that [Labour Day] became an actual holiday.,” Bindle said. “Today we look at it as a long weekend and it’s the end of summer but a lot of people suffered so that we could have this, so they could have the rights.”
Sporting an orange shirt that matched Ashton’s NDP orange jacket, Thompson Mayor Dennis Fenske said that the city government was doing what it could to ensure a bright future for Thompson.
“This past year has been difficult for all of us,” he said. “We are moving though it and there is a lot of work being done in the background to ensure that the community of Thompson and surrounding region continues to be sustainable and a place to call home.”
