First Published: The Forge, Vol. 2, No. 20 October 28-November 10, 1977
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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On October 14, the anniversary of the general strike of October 14, 1976, over 100 workers and sympathizers enthusiastically participated in a meeting in Toronto called by the League.
Throughout the meeting, speakers touched on the many aspects of the crisis such as layoffs, wage controls, and repression and brought out the need to fight class against class and to unify and coordinate our struggles.
They also pointed out the key role communists of the League have played in giving correct political direction to their struggles.
The highlight of the evening came when a woman striker from Sandra Coffee spoke of Sandra workers’ battle for union recognition. The determination and militancy of the Sandra women especially, won a standing ovation. The Sandra striker also thanked the League for its constant support and help in organizing to win union security.
A worker from Sudbury told of the murderous working conditions in the mines. His own brother was killed there, a victim of the capitalists’ thirst for profits.
He explained how the whole northern region of Ontario is staggering under the weight of the crisis. “Mines and mills are laying off,” he said. “People are forced to take jobs which pay peanuts.” He showed how the Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers’ Union sold out the workers by refusing to do anything about the layoffs of 4000 workers.
“Mine Mill used to be a great union in my dad’s day when it was led by a real communist party that was strong and not afraid of putting up a class struggle. Since then the CP has gone completely down the drain. Today all there is left of that once great communist party are revisionists and reformists”.
A Hamilton Steelworker explained the effect of wage controls at Stelco where the company withheld 2A of their bonus when workers walked out during the October 14 general strike.
An immigrant women who works at Tip Top Clothing talked about victories won at her plant against repression and intimidation. How did they succeed? “Because we relied on ourselves, not on the union bosses. We moved quickly and got ourselves organized before the bosses could go further.”
She said, “When I was growing up I was told that communists broke up families and killed old people who couldn’t work. Since then I read The Forge and met friends from the League. I learned the truth about communists that they fight for the working class, people like you and me.”
An immigrant worker asked those present to get involved in the committee fighting for the democratic rights of immigrants as a concrete way to fight repression against immigrants.
A Montreal millworker summed up the lessons of the historic struggle at Robin Hood. He stressed the need to build unity between workers of the two nations, the importance of struggling against narrow nationalism in Quebec and against great-nation chauvinism and for the Quebec nation’s right to self-determination in English-Canada.
Finally the League representative insisted on the necessity of building a Marxist-Leninist Party to lead our struggles on to victory, to overthrow capitalism and set up socialism.
“Our organization, the League, was created just two years ago in Montreal,” she said. “Already we are working in the major centres across the country, and the influence of communists is developing. The meeting tonight is witness to that. Those workers here tonight for the first time, we call on you to join the readers’ groups and study groups of the League so that we can take up our common tasks together.”