Tommy Douglas
and the _
right to strike-

By LESLIE MORRIS :

ot the New Democratic Party expects to get a big labor
a. the present election, Tommy Douglas should explain
= meant by saying in Calgary on May 1 that “strikes are
ae solete weapon, The role of labor has changed over the
ee Strikes no longer serve the purpose for which they
com lel In fact, he should apologize to the labor move-
. .40r saying anything of the sort and publicly withdraw
Is remarks.

Nothing could be more calculated to weakening the

i appeal to the labor movement than a statement like

* * oS
Tn public meetings through western Canada in the last

Wi x :
©'Weeks this writer has heard sharp criticism of Douglas -

or hi :
oe remarks. In the main they came from supporters of
poi DP who came to the meetings to hear the Communist
Sint of view.
* * *

The most important difference between a chattel slave
and a wage-worker is, that while the
former was chained to his work the
latter is free to withdraw his labor. The
change from slavery to free wage-labor
was an immense leap ahead in human
society.

~ True, the individual. worker enjoys
this right only theoretically because hun-
ger is the real master. But in combination
the workers can jointly withdraw their
Were { labor, and strike. That is why unions
Ounded in the first place. They can help each other. As
naan York strike showed, at times they are ready to

if 4 the picket lines for almost a year.
this € slightest concession is given to the employees on
Core they will push their advantage to bitter extremes.
* * cd

Late bargaining committees can expect to hear the
ational them now that even leaders of their unions and the

rae leader of the New Democratic Party think that

are “obsolete”, so why not be reasonable?

Tommy Douglas sticks to his words, then what is to
Some €w Democratic Party supporter from anticipating
, Sort of legislation introduced by a future NDP govern-

Men;
lear, et Would enact in law the idea that “strikes are obso-

Stop a

* * *
How has the “role of labor changed over the years,” as’
; aes avows? The only change that a reasonable citizen
Biotic that labor is now up against the very powerful
a a the NDP national leader himself denounces, and
Use eal with these monopolies the trade unions have to
Tight ‘ Strike weapon on occasion, and must always have the
to strike.
Curb Ses Mr. Douglas really believe that sweet words will
COst of e Monopolies’ efforts to increase productivity at the
© workers’ lives and jobs?
Wh * * *
Indust, €n steam power was the main source of energy in
i the 10-hour day was universal, and even that was
day Any a bitter struggle against a 12 and 14-hour work

Mon

ang When electricity replaced steam, the 8-hour day was won,
duction went up. .
ais We are entering the electronics age, the age of
It wil] lon, and the 6-hour day, 5-day week is on the agenda.
Rot be won without bitter struggles.
by “eae time a new source of mechanical energy is found
erg an the capitalist employers strive to make the work-
he cost of this technical advance.
fount are in for big labor battles. Many of these will be
Sut on the picket line.
s Th Ff * * *
De ee Tight to strike is labor’s great charter. The New
dep natic P arty’s national leader, whose father was a moul-
who himself was trained as a printer, should know
c 8n to attack this right.
Shoy) € doesn’t, then his own supporters in the trade unions
“ teach him the facts of life.

better th

x
ne? Hun F ee meee ec
Nor of $arian government has issued the above sfamp
Ti is g three first spacemen, Gagarin, Titov ard Glenn. The
3*°wing with Carpenter’s successful flight last week.

’

‘OUST FRANCO’ CALL

BROAD UNITED FRONT FORMING
AGAINST FRANCO DICTATORSHIP

Spain’s heroic Commun-
ist Party, which for over
20 years has been conduct-
ing the struggle against
Franco’s fascist dictator-
ship, issued a call for mass
action to the people on
May 22.

As the weeks-old strikes
continued to spread and as
fresh arrests were being re-
ported, the Party said in a
Manifesto issued in Madrid:

“Conditions exist for the
immediate development of
the anti-Franco movement
with the use of all forms of
the struggle of the masses.

“This could include _ sit-

Health pla

Cont’d from page 2
ment ownership of the pro-
duction ‘of drugs and medi-
cines “would constitute a na-
tional service of considerable
magnitude.”

Coupled with government-
operated pharmacies connect-
ed with hospitals, clinics and
sanatoria for prescribed
drugs, government-owned
make possible considerable
savings to the public purse.

Winnipeg, for example, has
established a pharmacy in
connection with its municipal
hospitals, saving the munici-
pality almost two-thirds of
the ordinary costs of medica-
tions.

Government production of
drugs and medicines and gov-
ernment-operated pharmacies
would facilitate free dispen-
sation of prescribed drugs
or at least enable drugs and
medicines to be dispensed at
cost. Largely because of mon-
opoly control of the drug
market, $65 million was

spent on prescribed drugs ink

1953.

Since governments are in
the liquor business, the party
brief asks, why are they not
in the prescribed drug busi-
ness?

Sick pay benefifts should _

also be included in a na-
tional health plan. This prac-
tise is in effect in 49 coun-
ttries, but not in Canada.

The principle of keeping
incomes at an adequate level
through public funds is al-
ready establbished in unem-
ployment insurance and
workmen’s compensation
plans. A steady income is just
as important to a worker un-
able to work because of sick-
ness.

Such a steady income, pro-
viding continued purchasing
power, would also bolster the

‘economy.

ALL-INCLUSIVE
Administration of a_na-
tional healtth plan, the Com-

munist Party’s brief declares,

should be through a ‘central
authority established by the
federal government through
agreement with the provinces.
Such a central administra-
tion should incorporate all
existing provincial and muni-
cipal health departments,
through mutual agreement.
A central authority is
necessary to ensure through-
out the country the highest
possible medical standards
and the provision of modern
techniques of prevention and
cure to all Canadians, regard-
less of where they live.

down strikes and street dem-
onstrations, to culminate in a
general strike headed and
directed by all the anti-
Franco opposition forces.

“The Communist Party
considers,” it continued,
“that it is urgently necessary
for all anti-Franco political
forces to prepare a genuinely
democratic alternative to the
Franco regime, and it offers
its loyal collaboration in this
aim.”

Franco, through the head
of his phoney unions, has
offered some significant con-
cessions to the strikers, which
have been refused because
there is no guarantee that
those arrested will be freed.

Santiago Carillo, general
secretary of the Spanish
Communist Party, revealed
that more than 300,000 work-
ers have now participated in
the strikes in one way or
another. Some were returning
to work while others were
coming out, and vice versa,
thus adding to the authorities’
confusion.

He pointed out that a gen-
uine united front was,form-
ing and that the strike move-

ment “may turn into a gen-
eral strike bringing about the
downfall of the dictatorship.”

“The working class has be-
come aware of its strength
and will not return to the past

. If the government per-
sists in its senseless attitude
anything is possible,” he said,
and added that his party had
proposed to all the opposi-
tion parties a plan of action
by peaceful means.

Support was added to the
Communists’ call by the
Accion Republicana Demo-
cratica Espanola, one of
Spain’s political parties,
which called on May 25 to all
other parties to join in “the
struggle against tyranny by
civil resistance’. Political
parties of every hue, includ-
ing even the Monarchists, are
reportedly considering a un-
ited effort to topple the
Franco fascist dictatorship.

Meanwhile, Spanish embas-
sies around the world ~have
been besieged by a barrage

of protests from organized

labor, and financial aid for
the militant strikers is pour-
ing into Spain from all over
Europe and the British Isles.

Salazar anniversary
cause for concern

Portugal’s police and army
were placed on a state of

PREMIER SALAZAR

alert for the 36th anniversary
of dictator Salazar’s regime,
which fell on Monday, May
28th.

Leaflets calling for strikes
and demonstrations had earl-
ier been distributed in Lisbon.
In calling for the state of
alert, the government reveal-
ed that it had arrested several
prominent members of the
banned Communist Party in

.an attempt to head off anti- -

government demonstrations.

As these tensions began to
develop in Portugal, Spanish
dictator Franco was claiming
that the powerful strike
movement in his country
had been “encouraged from
abroad and by lay organiza-
tions of the Church.”

June 1, 1962—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 7