The strike targets Hydro-Quebec power plants that produce electricity for export, and the billing activities of the company. Union members who are providing essential services are paying additional union dues to the strike fund.

Workers are demanding raises of 7 percent and 6 percent per year in a two-year contract. The company has offered 3 percent over two years, to cut contributions to the pension fund and a bonus tied to profits. Strikers at the Beauharnois power station near Montreal explain that what this really means is that Hydro-Quebec wants to pay the wage increase out of contributions already made by workers into the pension fund, instead of increasing benefits to retirees.

They also point out that they have not had a raise in 10 years and that in their last contract in 1995 they accepted a 4.5 percent cut in wages with the promise that the company would create 1,000 new jobs. Since then up to 2,000 jobs have been cut.

During the first week of the strike, unionists used mass picketing at Beauharnois to face down cops and turn back five buses, supposedly containing management personnel, from entering the complex.

Three buses returned later the same day and cops were able to force an opening for them to cross the picket line. The union was then hit with an injunction limiting the number of picketers to 10 per entrance.

In the weeks that followed, strikers demonstrated in front of Hydro-Quebec's head office in downtown Montreal and joined with municipal blue collar workers on strike against the city of Verdun, a Montreal suburb. During the recent nurses' walkout in Quebec, strikers from Beauharnois joined the nurses' picket line at the hospital in nearby Valleyfield. In August they briefly blocked a freeway before the arrival of riot cops.

On the night of August 27 a pylon was damaged on a transmission line used to export power to the United States. Despite a total lack of proof, Hydro-Quebec immediately blamed strikers. Riot cops intervened to remove strikers from the area to permit subcontractors to repair the pylon. But shortly after their arrival on the site the subcontractor workers walked off the job in solidarity with the Hydro strikers.

The repairs were finally done using management personal brought in from around Quebec.

On September 9 up to 100 strikers demonstrated again in front of Hydro-Quebec's head office to mark the resumption of negotiations.

Grant Hargrave is a member of International Association of Machinists Local 1758, and Joe Young is a member of United Food and Commercial Workers Union.  
 
 
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