Trade union solidarity with Quebec Student strike

The massive student movement against tuition fee increases in Quebec has received widespread solidarity from the trade union movement. The unions in Queebc should now call a 24h general strike.

As we already explained, CUPE 3902 at University of Toronto agreed a Ca$20,000 donation to CLASSE. Here's a report from Mai Taha published on Fightback's Facebook page: 

"On April 10th, 2012, the membership of CUPE 3902, the union that represents teaching assistants and course instructors at the University of Toronto, decided to donate $20,000 to La Coalition large de l'ASSÉ (CLASSE) in the Annual General Meeting. There was an initial suggestion to donate $10,000. However, the rank and file debated the amount in the meeting and decided that given the hundreds of thousands of students on strike in Quebec, Local 3902 should contribute a greater amount. A motion was put forward to donate $20,000 to CLASSE as a representative of more than 50% of the Quebec strikers, and as the leading force of the student movement’s fight against tuition hikes and for free education. The motion passed with an overwhelming majority.

In solidarity with the Quebec student strike, from Toronto! "

The comrades of the International Marxist Tendency (TMI) involved in the movement have argued for some time that what is needed is a 24h general strike in Quebec. There is already a strong feeling amongst the students that their actions alone are not enough, hence the call for "economic disruption". The best and most effective form of economic disruption is precisely a general strike. A resolution, drafted by TMI activists, calling on the trade unions in Quebec to organise a 24 general strike was already passed a few weeks ago at the general assembly of the Association facultaire étudiante de science politique et droit (AFESPED-UQAM), the Association of Law and Political Science Students at UQAM. This is the English translation of the resolution: 

Whereas the student movement and rising tuition fees are part of a broader context of austerity

Whereas the student movement should be broadened in unity with all the struggles of workers,

That our local union brings a proposal to our national unionto guide future action towards collaboration between students and workers through their social struggles committee and the executive,

Thus, that our national union should promote the convergence of struggles and a 24 hour social strike through its media committee.

and here's the French original:

Considérant que le mouvement étudiant et la hausse des frais de scolarité s’inscrivent dans un contexte plus large d’austérité,

Considérant que le mouvement étudiant doit s’élargir à l’ensemble des luttes des travailleurs et travailleuses,

Que notre syndicat local apporte à notre syndical national une proposition pour orienter les actions futures vers la collaboration entre les étudiants-es et travailleurs-euses au travers de leur comité de luttes sociales et de l’exécutif,

Ainsi, que notre syndicat national face la promotion de la convergence des luttes et d’une grève sociale de 24 heures à travers son comité média.

Finally, here's a picture gallery of the Toronto picket in solidarity with the Quebec student movement on April 26:

For a more complete analysis see: Quebec’s youth in revolt: 73 days, 178,390 students on strike