Liberals Discriminate Against Farm Workers
Ever ready to jump on a populist bandwagon, our electioneering Liberals have re-adopted the 80’s “Good things grow in Ontario” advertising slogan in order to align themselves with the “Eat local” movement. Just in time for the self-promotional summer BBQ circuit.
But maybe, if there was truth in advertising, what the Liberals ought to be chanting is “No good for those who grow the good things that grow in Ontario.”
One of the things that Bob Rae’s NDP government actually did right was to allow farm workers the right to unionize and to bargain collectively.
The Mike Harris conservative government which followed, repealed that legislation. Workers ought to just accept their lowly lot in life and serve their masters and shut up, don’t you know?
Subsequent legal action by UFCW (the United Food and Commercial Workers) did succeed in getting a Supreme Court ruling that banning unions is unconstitutional. But that didn’t end the right-wing repression.
The Harrisites responded with the Agricultural Employees Protection Act (Ed: what’s in a name?) which acknowledged the right of farm workers to form a union but not to bargain collectively.
Ontario’s provincial Liberals supported that legislation. And even as late as yesterday, Dalton McGuinty is apparently reported to have indicated that collective bargaining rights of farm workers should not be restored.
read more:
“Liberals feel labour pains as farm workers dig in“; Toronto Star; 2007/06/27
“‘Eat local’ message never goes out of style“; Toronto Star; 2007/06/27
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