The Association of Greek Workers of Quebec condemns the anti-scientific and anti-popular approach of the Quebec and Canadian governments in the face of the new wave of the Omicron variant which is ravaging the population. We also condemn the same anti-scientific and anti-popular approach of anti-vaccine movements that flirt with the far right, the enemy of all social progress.
In Quebec the CAQ government is establishing a curfew for which the effectiveness in the fight against the virus remains to be demonstrated, while at the same time it forces the return to work of health personnel suffering from the virus. It is also trying to relax the prevention measures for daycare staff, while they take care of children who are de facto unvaccinated since they are not of age. Moreover, according to preliminary studies, it is possible that the Omicron variant affects children more than the first variants. There is no doubt that the employers are preparing a hasty return of any worker with COVID-19, in all sectors. All of this goes against science, and has the sole interest of maintaining profits. It is the people who foot the bill with crowded hospitals, early returns to work, anxiety and stress for caregivers, parents and young people and in the end, a crisis that drags on.
The ATGQ insists on workers’ solidarity to face the crisis: the unity of unions and peoples’ organizations against arbitrary and anti-scientific measures, for a genuine scientific and popular strategy, from the local to the international, to counter the spread of the virus.