Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Air Canada workers demonstrate against federal government

MONTREAL—Air Canada workers are staging a noisy rally to denounce the federal government.

Gathered outside Montreal’s Trudeau airport, a few dozen workers are chanting, in reference to the federal labour minister, “Lisa Raitt, you’re not right.”

They are blowing whistles and plastic horns to protest the government’s decision to prevent them from going on strike.

To ensure things continue working smoothly at the airport, there is increased security; the employees are being confined to a small area just outside the departures area, and they’re surrounded by orange traffic cones.

The workers are upset that the Harper Tories have intervened several times in labour disputes, therefore weakening the position of employees as they negotiate new contracts. The Harper government says it’s just protecting the economy.

Marcel St-Jean, a union spokesman, says workers are frustrated, but they have no plan to disrupt operations and upset air travelers.

He says the protesters want to tell the government that it is anti-democratic.

St-Jean says the workers have a right to negotiate a fair collective agreement but he won’t say what other actions are planned. The Montreal rally is expected to last until noon. A similar demonstration is planned this afternoon at Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

Original Article
Source: Star
Author: The Canadian Press

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