July 3, 1989
SO

Vol. 52, No.25
eas

a

Nurses wave to honking supporters during demonstration outside Industrial Relations Council offices June 23.

Bea Ferneyhough accepts shield
for Effie Jones club from Tribune
business manager Mike Proniuk.

_ public assets has

The announce

three day Intern tional Trade canes
Summit on Privatization sponsored by

Canada’s National Union of Provincial

‘Government Employees.

“The relatively small conference of 30

union representatives concluded after

_ payers millions and

cut essential servi-

cost ordinary tax-

undermined their FRYER
ability to control their own communities.”
The seven point program involves:
@ The establishment of an “interna-
tional hot line” to provide an “early warn-
ing system” alerting unions in the five

countries of privatization 1 moves. —

‘in privatizing efforts.

800 pack
meetings

B.C. nurses were vowing to continue
their strike of the province’s health care
facilities last week while facing a ratification
vote on a contract offer many have called
unacceptable.

Opposition to the contract position of the
Health Labour Relations Association was
strongest in the Vancouver area, where
nurses rejected a proposal they said will
keep them at wages below those other
trades are making today, even when the
contract expires in 1991.

An — overflow
crowd of some 800
nurses jammed the
Plaza 500 hotel in
Vancouver — forc-
ing the scheduling
of two consecutive
meetings — on June
27 and rejected the
HLRA offer of six
pay increments over
a three-year agree- 2
ment, even though SAVAGE
the B.C. Nurses Union negotiating commit-
tee was recommending acceptance.

Heather Keely, a BCNU shop steward
and member of the essential services com-
mittee at Vancouver General Hospital,
reported that most nurses said they would
reject the proposal, while others called on
the committee to head back to the bargain-
ing table. A ratification vote is scheduled for
July 12.

Elsewhere around the province the reac-
tion was considered to be more mixed,

see NURSES page 8

@ The creation of an international elec-
tronic data bank on privatization.

© Posting an international “hit list” to
target rporations assisting Uhre

Staff and speaker exchanges.
‘Study of privatization in the five
countries, focussing on how it affects
communities. _

@ The ie clGament of an international
charter detailing a trade union vision of
social services in the Nineties.

@ Asecond international conference in
Sydney, Australia in 1991 to further this
charter and involve trade unions from
more countries.

In announcing their program the trade
union leaders stressed that they saw the
battle as a question of winning the hearts
and minds of the public.

see PRIVATIZATION page 8