It is through a shared struggle for better working conditions that solidarity has grown within the labour movement. Workers realized that it is only by being united that they could move forward. That is how they first achieved equal pay for equal work, and then equal pay for work of equal value.
Solidarity, while key at the local level, is of equal importance internationally given that many issues, namely poverty, inequality or the fight for quality public services, transcend borders.
Sharing and learning from one another
Active on the international stage, the CSQ expresses its solidarity through its affiliation with organizations such as Education International (EI), Public Services International (PSI) as well as the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (TUAC-OECD).
Through its involvement in these organizations, the CSQ takes part in discussion and information-sharing forums on various topics such as digital technology development, tackling tax evasion, academic freedom as well as the privatization of public services which especially impacts health and education networks.
Thanks to these affiliations, the CSQ is apprised of any success achieved by its colleagues in other countries. It is also informed of any proposals put forward in international forums attended by our governments. With this information, the CSQ can keep a vigilant eye on setbacks experienced elsewhere which may threaten workers here in Québec.
Through the Comité syndical francophone de l’éducation et de la formation (CSFEF), an organization accredited by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the CSQ demonstrates its solidarity with French-speaking colleagues in other countries.
Cooperation projects
And that’s not all. The CSQ is also involved in cooperation projects with African, Haitian and Latin American unions, providing support through capacity building activities.
The CSQ has helped unions in Chad, Niger, Columbia and the Democratic Republic of Congo set up study circles in educational institutions, supporting teachers in addressing issues they deal with on a daily basis. This grassroots unionism allowed Columbian colleagues to develop schools as territories of peace, and Congolese colleagues to fight for free education in order for girls to have access to basic education.
