Jun 02

Quebec Declares War on Workers: IWC Denounces Anti-Labour Bill 89

89 as an outright attack on working-class power and a gift to corporate bosses. Passed in defiance of mass opposition, this legislation criminalizes collective resistance, muzzles strike action, and threatens every worker’s basic human right to organize and fight back.

“This is class warfare. Bill 89 isn’t reform — it’s repression,” said Mustafa Hanawi, community organizer with the IWC. “Immigrant and precarious workers are being pushed further into silence, exploitation, and fear.”

By restricting the right to strike, the government seeks to discipline the labor force and crush decades of gains won through struggle — including fair wages, safe working conditions, public services, and basic dignity. The legislation violates constitutional rights, defies international labor standards, and opens the door to unchecked employer abuse.

A Government for the Bosses

Let’s be clear: this bill wasn’t written for the people — it was written for the corporations. Premier Legault and Labour Minister Jean Boulet have declared which side they are on, and it’s not the side of working people. Their goal is to strip us of the only power we have: our power to withhold our labor, to organize, to strike.

The Time for Negotiation Is Over

This betrayal didn’t happen in a vacuum. Workers across Quebec have sounded the alarm since 2024. They demanded consultation, respect, and justice. The government answered with contempt. Now, the mask is off.

The IWC stands with all workers — unionized and non-unionized, documented and undocumented, migrant and local — in rejecting this law of repression. We call on communities to mobilize, resist, and refuse to comply.

“We don’t beg for rights — we take them,” said Hanawi. “And no legislation can stop the power of an organized working class.”

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