Supporters from across Canada and the United States converged on Trois Rivières, Que., Saturday for a massive rally in solidarity with locked-out workers from the nearby ABI aluminum smelter.
The 1,030 workers, members of the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9700, have been locked out of their jobs for more than 16 months – since Jan. 11, 2018.
The lockout has been prolonged by the smelter’s owners, multinational giants Alcoa and Rio Tinto, which have continued to move the goal posts with increasing demands for concessions from the workers.
Alcoa and Rio Tinto also have been assisted in their lockout by their contract with the Quebec government’s public utility, Hydro-Québec, that absolves the multinationals of their electricity-purchasing commitments with the utility. The widely condemned contract has deprived Quebecers of huge hydro revenues – $165 million in 2018 alone.
Saturday’s demonstration began with a rally at the Cogeco Amphitheatre, followed by the solidarity march and a return to the amphitheatre site for a closing rally.
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