Maximize profits at the expense of CP May Day call The federal government which has deliberately created high unemployment must be compelled adopt policies of full em- Ployment, says the May Day message issued this week by the central executive of the Com- munist Party of Canada. Pointing out that May Day 1977 is taking place in conditions of Continuing economic crisis and Massive unemployment, the Statement says that instead of Coping with the problems of full employment, rising living stan- dards and stable prices, the Trudeau government ‘‘has deliberately created high unem- ployment, cut allocations for social heeds and helped monopoly to 20° Friday, April 29, 1977 VOL. 39, No. 17 ie, the living standards of working le.” P Bearing as. “hogwash” the claim of the government that the crisis is due to Canadians “living too high on the hog,’’ the Com- munist Party charges that “never in recent history has a government exposed itself so openly as the agent of monopoly capitalism.” “The real source of the crisis is the so-called ‘free enterprise’ economic system, a system which rather than being ‘free’ is con- trolled by monopoly and the multi- national corporations. The crisis engulfs all capitalist countries. Only the socialist countries are free from the plague of unem- ployment, inflation, economic stagnation and recession.” The statement says that monopoly and its government are trying to convince the workers and the trade unions that they should bear the brunt of the crisis, which they themselves created, by foregoing their wage demands, agree to restrictions on collective bargaining and the right to strike, to accept high unemployment and restrictions on social services. Posing the question: “‘What is there in common _ between monopoly, the multinational corporations and the working people on that basis?” the May Day message says that the trade union movement is on sound ground in demanding an end to wage controls and the restoration of collective barga.ing rights, and in fighting for new economic and social policies of full employment, a genuine redistribution of national income in favor of working people, a 30 hour work week for 40 hours pay, a vast housing program, and reduced taxes for low and medium incomes. “The way to cope with the economic crisis is not by restric- ting purchasing power and maximizing monopoly profits but by expanding the home market through increased purchasing power, by curbing the power of monopoly and the multinational corporations, by extending trade with the socialist and newly- liberated countries on the basis of mutual interest,’’ says the statement. Pointing out that the economic crisis has aggravated the crisis of Confederation, the Communist. RiBbUNE Party says this has ‘‘opened up the danger of separation and with it the break up of Canada and its possible absorption by U.S. im- perialism..” “The working class and the trade union movement have a direct interest in the debate presently underway concerning the future of Canada. The policies being ad- vocated by the parties of monopoly make it crystal clear they have no solution to the crisis they created in the first place. “The working class of French and English speaking Canada have nothing to gain from status quo policies or policies of separation. Their enemy is not each other but monopoly and the multinational corporations which exploit them See JOB pg. 18 Board opposes Bill 33 following COPE brief Vancouver is the third such board The Vancouver School Board Voted this week to voice its op- Position to the provincial govern- Ment’s proposed bill to fund Separate schools following a brief Tom the Committee of joeressive Electors which sought € board’s support in the cam- Paign to compel the government to Withdraw the bill. : Trustees voted Tuesday to send a M €r to education minister Pat ag opposing the Independent ls Support Act (Bill 33). oppose the controversial eee ineanh following Burnaby and itlam. OPE’s brief, presented by Dr. Pauline Weinstein — of the organization’s education com- mittee, warned of ere sai ates roposed legislation. ee vill give B.C. a separate school system, 2 system in which public funds will support pee and religious schools, now nam See VSB pg- 16 ‘Reject Cominco’s insult!’’ That’s the message from the Joint Bargaining Council representing 6,000. workers. of ,.. Cominco operations in Trail, Kimberley and Salmo. A flyer distributed to the membership in eight locals of the Steelworkers and the Association of Commercial and Technical Employees (ACTE) described the company offer as follows: e No wage or salary increases over a two-year agreement. e No. improvement in cost of living protection. e No help for pensioners. e Virtually no change in existing welfare benefits. The company offer was to be put to a vote this week at membership meetings in Trail, Kimberley and Salmo, with a recommendation for rejection, and results are expected to be released shortly. The timing of the offer is in- teresting, to say the least. At 11:30 am. April 21, Cominco vice- president Mare Marcolini ad- dressed a group of leading civic and area dignitaries in Trail. Marcolini gave his audience the substance of a speech to company shareholders delivered earlier that morning in Vancouver by company president F. E. Burnet. At 1:30 p.m., the union was given the no-offer proposition. That same afternoon, — and it was not accidental — three ‘quarters of the front page of the Trail Daily Times was devoted to the joint announcement by Burnet and Marcolini, under the headline, “Cominco to spend $425 million.” The article went into great Jength to describe the company’s plans for modernizing its operations in the Kootenays. The Times article showed the company’s political bias and its long-term objectives: “We take great care at all times to ensure the protection of our employees’ health and the record amply attests to this fact,” it said. We. recognize that. with moder- nization we could improve the working conditions to standards we would like to see in effect. “Unfortunately the political uncertainties of a few years ago See COMINCO pg. 20 Federation will assist steel union The B.C. Federation of Labor this week charged that Metal In- dustries Association, the em- ployers association representing some 40 steel fabricating plants on the Lower Mainland, ‘‘appears to be attempting to build up its own organization at the expense of the workers employed in the in- dustry.”’ Federation secretary Len Guy made the comment following a meeting to discuss assistance with officers of the United Steelworkers of America which represents the workers on strike or locked out at the steel companies. The Steelworkers struck nine plants in early April and the Association countered with lockouts at 30 more companies. A 40th company, Letson and Burpee, although involved in the contract, refused to take part in the lockout and is currently in court in a May Day rally Sunday Celebrate labor’s international holiday — May Day — by attending the Vancouver rally this Sunday, May 1 at 2 p.m. at Templeton High School, 727 Templeton Drive. Called by the Vancouver Trade Union May Day Committee, the rally will hear George Johnston, president of the B.C. Federation of Labor; James Lorimer of the New Democratic Party; and Nigel Morgan, B.C. leader of the Communist Party. A concert program of songs will feature Tom Hawken, George Hewison and Bargain at Half the Price. All proceeds above expenses will bedonated to the building of a Canadian hospital in Vietnam. Central theme of the rally will be jobs for the unemployed, end wage controls, restore free collective bargaining, a united Canada, for peace and social progress. in dispute dispute involving the conduct of Metal Industries Association. Wages are the central issue in the dispute with the employers “maintaining that a COLA clause in the present contract. would give workers all that is allowable under AIB guidelines. Steelworkers’ representative Ron Douglas said that there was no way that the COLA clause would cover real increases in the cost of See FEDERATION pg. 20 We’re at new office May 1 As of May 1, the Tribune will be located in new offices. Our new address is Suite 101 - 1416 Commercial Drive, Van- couver V5L 3X9. Our new telephone number is 251-1186. You will be able to find our new offices on the east side of Com- mercial Drive between Grant and Kitchener Streets. The No. 20 Granville bus going north on Commercial Drive stops directly in front of our office and the No. 25 Victoria Drive bus going south on Commercial Drive stops directly across the street. For those who drive, ample parking can be found on Kitchener or Grant Street near Commercial Drive. Note these changes — we look forward to seeing you at our new location.