LABOR _ =
Affirmative action needed to pry open |
Canadian industry for women workers

‘Rosie the rivetter’’ was the darling of the war
years. However as soon as the war ended she was
forced back into the kitchen and a whole ideology
sprang up in the workplace and in society to hasten her
retreat. . :

But there are now indications that there may be
need for Rosie again. The federal government esti-
mates that Canadian industry will need 10,000 addi-
tional skilled blue collar workers a year throughout the
1980s and studies indicate that this demand for skilled
workers will not be met unless women are in-
corporated into their ranks.

At present 87% of tradesmen are over 40 and will
retire within the next 25 years. With over a thillion
Canadians unemployed it is increasingly difficult to
justify importing skilled workers as has been done in
the past.

For women, éntry into the skilled, male-dominated
occupations will be an essential component in narrow-
ing the wage gap which now sees them earning only
50% of a man’s average wage. The problem for both
men and women however is getting training for these
jobs.

The number of women actually going into ap- : Bass
prenticeship programs, for example, through the ee
Ontario Manpower Training Branch, is discouraging.
Only 3% of the participants are women and two-thirds
of them are apprenticing as hairdressers. _

Many of the non-traditional job openings for women.
however do not require full apprenticeship programs.
Instead they are offered on-the-job training, mainly in
non-union shops. Frequently the skills they acquire
are applicable only to the enterprise where they work.
The danger here is that women are not getting the full
training necessary for their joummeyman’s papers and
pay. a
Automation too has devalued or eliminated formerly

highly skilled trades. For example the printing industry is
accepting women in droves. However they are relegated
to nothing more than upgraded typing jobs. And as.
~ women enter these kinds of occupations in increasing
numbers the job’s value steadily drops, doing little to
close the widening wage gap between men and women.
Government policies are a major obstacle to women
entering training programs for skilled work. There have
been cutbacks in training allowances for married women - ase

. from $45 to $20 a week. There is a lack of student loans

for women returning to college and university on a part
time basis. A new federal policy has reduced. unemploy- aa aa % a |
ment insurance benefits for married women or denies - Ca hs Se d in Peg gas stri Ke |

Special to the Tribune asked to protect gas consumers J

hee,

e

‘Entry to training programs and getting training on the job are the major barriers to women entering non-traditional work

At the educational level All road blocks to girls ©
ceiving non-traditional training must be removed. The"
are still schools which prohibit girls from taking technic# oe
courses, and even where it is allowed instructors wi
sometines discourage girl students from taking the!
classes. mee I

Once in the workplace women will have to contis"
their fight for equality, working through their unio®
establishing women’s committees and overcoming a!
obstacles that divide them from each other or the!
brothers along language barriers, cultural backgrouné
or sexism. Tage |

mothers or women in the one-industry towns that
abound throughout the country, a chance to be hired into
the mills, mines and foundaries is the only alternative to
being a salesgirl at Woolworth’s.

Women have a tremendous battle ahead of them to
become fully integrated into the skilled trades. First,
government must be challenged on its discriminatory
policies which deny women entrance and support for job
training programs.

Affirmative action must become legislation, both in
hiring and promoting women. This policy has met with
some success in the United States where civif rights and
women’s groups successfully pushed government into
establishing quotas in hiring women and minorities into
the public service. Companies doing business with the
U.S. Government must also employ a certain percentage
of minorities and women in order to gain and maintain
contracts. =

Pa

This article, prepared by Tribune reporter Ket
McCuaig, is based on a paper called Women and No!
Traditional Work, prepared by Organized Work i,
Women (Toronto) and presented to their conference”
“Women and Employment’ held Feb. 20-22. 2.

them entirely to women whose husbands earn over a
specified amount. Government wage subsidies programs ,
The company always covered it-

provide only $150 a week for women workers compared
to an overall weekly average of $195.

The nature of apprenticeship training in this country
also presents a barrier for women. They have to find an

employer willing to take them on as apprentices. Af-
firmative action hiring procedures have been left on a -

voluntary basis, and women trying to get into male-

dominated industries are faced with the usual list of

excuses: lack of facilities, they are too young, unquali-
fied, etc. Even the government, which prides itself on
being an affirmative action employer, has an extremely
poor record in advancing women to senior positions or
hiring them in places like Canadian National or Petro-
Canada.

However some unions have been cooperating with

women’s groups in opening up their factories to women —

workers. At Stelco, in Hamilton, a committee called
‘‘Women into Stelco”’ worked with the union using the’
media, and other forms of public pressure and finally the
Human Rights Commission to force Stelco into hiring

As aresult of the Stelco women’s struggle a number of

new committees have been formed: “‘Women into Inco”.

(Sudbury), “‘Women into National Steel Car (Hamilton)
and ‘*Women into Canadian National Railways” (Te-
ronto).

Once accepted into male-dominated programs artd
jobs women still face difficulties. Successful applicants
have reported on instructors who isolate them in the
classrooms and fellow students who consider them a job
threat. On the job there are complaints of sexual harass-
ment, isolation, constant criticism and ridicule, competi-
tion rather than cooperation and sabotage of their ef-
forts. :

For many women this is enough to make them look for
other work despite the better pay and challenge of the
job. Still for many women. particularly sole support

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 6, 1981—Page 10

WINNIPEG — The 1,260 Greater
Winnipeg Gas Co., workers on
strike since Feb. 2 were in high
spirits this week and determined to
win a good contract, despite facing a
company assisted by private con-
tractors acting as scabs. :

**We know we have a fight on our
hands but it’s the only way to get any.
justice’’, said Arie Makinson, pres-
ident of Local 682, Energy and
Chemical Workers Union. ‘‘We
have to stay out until the company
gives us a decent contract,’’ he said.

As well as refusing to consider
union demands for parity with gas
company service workers in Sas-
katchewan, management is using
private contractors as scabs and is
evading its obligation. to give cus-
tomary free service. gee

The situation couldn’t be more to
the liking of the monopoly ‘‘public
utility”’. &

When the company received its
exclusive franchise in the 1950s to
sell gas to home and commercial cus-
tomers, mainly in Winnipeg, it prom-
ised free service as part of the deal.
The promise never made it into the
final franchise agreement with the
Manitoba Government, but the free

service was started and continued —

for 24 years, done mainly by the
workers who are now on strike.

self by always making sure the costs -

were covered in its financial state-
ments which the provincial public
utilities board used in setting natural
gas rate increases over the years.
But with this strike, the company

. began telling consumers to hire pri-

vate contractors at $28 to $33 an
hour. The contractors act as scabs
without ever crossing a picket line

and many consumers end up paying.

again for service already covered
through their gas bills.

The company has rejected union
demands to reimburse customers for
service costs during the strike, say-

ing it has no legal obligation todo so. _

So, the Greater Winnipeg Gas, con-
trolled by Toronto-based profiteer
Conrad Black and family, through
Norcan Energy Resources Ltd.,
pockets thousands more dollars.
The union is demanding a wage

- hike of 35% over two years, but the

gas company has only offered 26%.
The average wage is currently $9.28
an hour.

Makinson and local union vice-
president Jerry Tremblay said there
is a danger consumers are getting

poor service from untrained or inex-:

perienced contractors whose normal
job is installing rather than repairing
furnaces and appliances.

The best Consumer Affairs minis-
ter Gary Filmon could muster, when

. cause of the danger.

the mercy of the monopoly, wa
weak promise that any savings of
service costs would be taken into®
count when new rate increases

granted this spring.

The union reports that public sit ‘

that consumers not cross picke
to pay their gas bills. J
The company and fire departm?
and police officials attempted 4
smear the union by saying damage
a valve which resulted in the P!
pane leak early last week was inte
tional.

port has been positive to reque®,
t lin?
i

‘“‘Our position has never beet i
acts

which violates the law of the land!
endangers the community we 7,
in’’, Makinson said. Another sty’.
‘said none ofthe workers would“?

resort to violence or any

fooling around with propane’”

They suspect questionable al
ations made to the valves byt
company resulted in the leaks.
_ Makinson and Tremblay said it
the provincial government has
fused three union requests fur sf”

-cial enquiry into the incident. ** 7
also pointed out there was a big?
spill last year but the company did
‘see fit then to call in the police ©

fire department.
“The gas company doesn’t
publicity”’, a striker said.

tet