Quebec labour leader calls for union-led counterattack against Tory policies

OTTAWA – A Quebec labour leader says unions and their allies must organize a counterattack against the Harper government’s anti-union policies.

Jean Lortie, general secretary of the Confederation des syndicats nationaux, says the federal government has declared war on unions and the middle class and it’s time to fight back.

He says a coalition of unions, environmentalists and other social activists is being formed to bring 20,000 people to Ottawa next summer to oppose the government.

Lortie says strong anti-union resolutions approved at the Conservative convention in Calgary last week pose a challenge.

He says that while they may have been little more than a way to please the Conservative grassroots base, there will be trouble if they are translated into law.

He says the government will have a war on its hands if it tries to bring in right-to-work laws or do away with mandatory union dues.