Several tens of racialized employees, who are members of CUPE 301, and their allies gathered in front of city hall to demand concrete and quick action by the city to eliminate systemic racism in their workplace.
Coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and a series of articles that recently ran in Montreal’s daily Le Devoir on the racism faced by racialized employees with the City of Montreal, CUPE denounces the lack of strong measures to eliminate flagrant injustices that still linger in municipal public services in the city.
The situation in Montréal-Nord brought to light the racism plaguing that area and numerous other boroughs and services.
Today, these employees are demanding to be heard and part of the discussions and strategies the city will be implementing.
“We are asking the City of Montreal to work in collaboration with us, the victims, and CUPE to effectively fight racism and the intolerable injustices that exist in our workplaces,” says Gino Clyford Lubérisse, a municipal worker and union representative in Montréal-Nord, who has experienced racism himself.
His colleague delivered an emotional account of the injustices he experienced in his workplace.
“We are exposed to racism and injustices every day. Enough is enough. We are asking Mayor Plante to act quickly and to involve us in the search for solutions,” says Joseph Gothard, a municipal worker in Montréal-Nord.