Defending Public Services: Canadian and Colombian Workers on the Frontlines

摘要

At the beginning of the new century, the international union movement became aware that Colombia was neoliberalism’s killing field, making it the most dangerous country in the world to be a unionist. Despite the killings, the courageous resistance of the labour and social movements galvanized the interest of the 4 largest public sector unions in Canada, Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). The mutual solidarity initiative that emerged helped Canadian workers understand the global nature of the attacks they are facing, the power of an organized workforce, and the role and potential of unions in society beyond collective bargaining. This initiative has become the most extensive and longest lasting initiative of its kind involving Canadian unions to date.