Strikes are a powerful tool that workers rely on to make their voices heard. This is especially true during tough economic times. When economic pressures like inflation push workers to their breaking point, labour action often follows. We saw this clearly in the 1970s, when rising inflation led to a spike in strikes and lockouts.
As inflation surged again in 2022, many wondered if we would see a similar rise in strikes and lockouts. Recently released data confirms that we did, particularly in Quebec.
The Labour Program at Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) tracks work stoppages due to strikes or lockouts that result in 10 or more lost person-days of work. A person-day of work represents one person’s work for one day. For example, 10 workers on strike for one day counts as 10 person-days of work lost.
Looking at a rolling 5-year average starting in the early 2000s, the number of work stoppages in Canada has been slowly falling over time. But in 2023, this trend reversed, with a dramatic increase in work stoppages in Quebec and a slight rise in the rest of Canada. Quebec recorded 690 work stoppages in 2023, a 9.5-fold increase over the previous 5-year average. The rest of Canada saw a 1.4-fold increase, with 88 work stoppages.
More than 600 of the work stoppages in Quebec occurred in the public sector. The majority of these work stoppages were part of the historic Common Front movement. The Common Front coalition involved 420,000 workers from multiple public sector unions participating in a series of rotating strikes beginning in November 2023. Although the Quebec government initially offered the coalition a 9% wage increase over 5 years, the strikers managed to secure a 17.4% increase by the time their labour action ended in late December 2023.
But while the increase in the number of work stoppages in 2023 was significant, it doesn’t tell the whole story. To fully grasp the scale of these labour actions, we also need to consider the person-days lost.
Person-days lost reflect not only how many work stoppages occurred but also how long they lasted and how many people were involved. This metric therefore gives us a clearer picture of how disruptive labour actions really are. For instance, a single, long-lasting strike involving many workers (more person-days lost) can have a much greater impact on productivity and the economy than several shorter strikes with fewer participants (fewer person-days lost).
The 5-year average for person-days lost remained fairly stable throughout the 2000s in Quebec and declined across the rest of Canada between 2005 and 2019. However, in 2023, Quebec reported 4.6 million person-days lost to work stoppages—11 times higher than the previous 5-year average. In the rest of Canada, 1.96 million person-days were lost, double the previous 5-year average.
When you see an increase in work stoppages and an even larger spike in person-days lost like we did across Canada in 2023, it means that strikes and lockouts were not only more numerous than in previous years but also lasted longer or involved more workers. The data from Quebec and the rest of Canada specifically shows that the 2023 labour actions involved more workers. We know this because the average duration of work stoppages actually declined in 2023.
We only have data for the first five months of 2024, but so far, the number of person-days lost has returned to pre-2023 levels. Nevertheless, the dramatic rise in work stoppages and person-days lost in 2023, especially in Quebec, highlights the significant role that collective action plays in protecting workers’ rights during challenging economic periods. For public sector workers, this serves as a clear reminder of the power we hold when we stand together. As economic pressures continue, we must remain vigilant and prepared to use every method at our disposal to secure fair wages and working conditions.