The Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (Quebec Workers Federation), or FTQ, is the most important House of Labour in Quebec according to its membership. It has over 500,000 members, that is 44% unionised workers of Quebec -- this ratio is 60% in the private sector, in which most members work. It has many members also in government agencies and in the municipal sector. As such, members are mostly men.
It was created in 1957 out of two very old unions, the Fédération provinciale du travail du Québec (Quebec Labour Provincial Federation) and the Fédération des unions industrielles du Québec (Quebec Industrial Unions Federation), and was mostly developed under presidency of Louis Laberge from 1964 to 1991 with help from American unions that were afraid of seeing industry relocated in Canada.
The Federation is not known to be specially politically active, and tend to favour collaboration with employers. Henri Massé is its current president, with René Roy as secretary.
See also
External link
FTQ homepage (mostly in French)
Last updated: 08-25-2005 23:13:02
