By JACK PHILLIPS

Second of two articles.

A recent interview in the Northern
Times with Len Guy, secretary of
the B.C. Federation of Labor,
throws more light on the leader-
ship race that will culminate at this
year’s Federation convention.

Guy made no apologies for being
a member of the New Democratic
Party but explained his differences
with the B.C. party leadership.

“Despite certain substantial
differences in views on political
strategies, Guy sees the alliance
between labor and the NDP as one
which is solid,” the Times in-
terview stated. “According to Guy,
party policy cannot be allowed to
become stagnant or irrelevant.
Labor must play a larger role in
the party anda group of NDP-labor
candidates must be elected in the
next election.

““Asked what he expected of an
NDP government in future, Guy is
not anxious to dwell on the subject,
but he feels there are some former
ministers who have ‘learned little’
from experience. Labor should
make certain that there is a better
group of MLAs from which to
choose ‘next time around’ says
Guy.”’

‘This approach to the provincial
leadership of the NDP explains by
the Barrett machine put up former
resources minister Bob Williams to

defeat Len Guy when he ran for an.

executive position at the recent
convention of the NDP in Pen-
ticton. Essentially it is a clash
between the right wing leadership
of the NDP and the mass labor
movement, derived from the fact
that the policies of right wing
social democracy are in conflict
with the vital interests of working
people. And those labor leaders
who oppose Guy in the Federation
are acting for the right wing
leaders of the party.

Canadian Labor Congress
president Joe-Morris, speaking at a
seminar in Burnaby in July
described the contradiction bet-
ween the CLC and the NDP in these
terms:

“They (the NDP) either side
with the labor movement from
which they sprang and the working

B.C. FEDERATION OF

WHAT WE DESIRE FoR ABOUR 20 Annual Convent

people who support them — or they
side with the corporations. and
monied class. This is the choice
they must make. For both our
sakes let us hope they choose
wisely, for the route they choose to
travel is likely to affect the future
political institutions of Canada for
many years to come.”

The mass upsurge which found
expression in the October 14 Day of
Protest compelled the NDP to
come out in favor of organized
labor although in some provinces it
failed to do so. That weakness of
the NDP has led to much criticism
and a questioning of the role of the
NDP as the political arm of labor.

At the same time, big business is
seeking to capitalize on this critical
mood and draw workers away
from independent political action
and toward support for Liberals,
Conservatives and Socreds.

Left wingers and militants in the
trade union movement have been
quite sharp in their criticism of
right wing NDP policies. But they
should not lend themselves to any
moves that would take workers
back into the fold of political
parties representing the
monopolies.

The Communist Party, at its

recent convention,
cooperation with the left in the
NDP and the trade union
movement, based on militant class
policies and the unity of all anti-
monopoly forces. — .

The Federation, with more than
230,000 members, can play a
decisive role in advancing policies
to unite the labor and democratic
forces in B.C. Such unity, based on
the vital needs of the people and in
opposition to the monopolies and
their political parties, could ensure
the defeat of the Social Credit
government in the next provincial
election.

Many affiliates of the CLC have
called for a conference of all af-
filiates to determine the next move
in the continuing fight against
wage controls. If the B.C.
Federation of Labor joins with
other Federations and labor
councils in this demand, it will
expedite the scheduling of such a
conference.

The demand for the abolition of
wage controls. and the 10-point
program of the CLC offer the best
possibilities at this time to unite
thelabor.movement and its natural
allies. The concept of tripartism,
as developed in the CLC Manifesto,

called for

is not finding wide acceptance
among the rank and file. In-
stinctively, trade union members
recognize that tripartism is
another expression of class
collaboration. Many recognize that
it is utopian to dream of sitting
down with big business and big
business government in order to
make the capitalist system work
better for wage earners.

“Organized labor must demand.
a decisive voice in all questions of
concern to it,”’ said the Communist
Party. of Canada in the policy
statement from its 23rd con-
vention. ‘“‘This means _ that
collective bargaining must not only
be restored; it must be enlarged in
scope to include such questions as
economic and social policy,
technological change, investment
policy, safety, health, the moving
of plants, manpower training and
manpower planning.”’

The Communist Party statement
also stressed:

“Collective bargaining itself
cannot solve the basic problems:
facing the working class. ~The
battle to enlarge collective
bargaining must go on side by side
with the fight for democratic

nationalization and democratic -

~ undoubtedly be subjects for policy

planning and for the election of 4
democratic anti-monopoly
government to implement such 4
program and to open the door to 4
fundamental reorganization of
society on a socialist basis.’

The key organizational role
played by labor councils if
guaranteeing the success of the
Day of Protest should be enhanced
by increased political activity al
the municipal level. The demand
for more anti-labor legislatiol
coming from the convention of the
Union of B.C. Municipalities was 4
clear warning. It is not enough t0
fight political reaction at the
federal and provincial level. I
must also be fought at the
municipal level.

Such vital issues as the high cost
of food, inflation, unemployment,
the need for a shorter work week;
housing, energy costs, taxation,
the rising cost of government
services and the need for neW
markets for B.C. products will

statements and resolutions. A
strong anti-monopoly program
give the new leadership a clea!
mandate to act decisively.

This convention, if it follows the
pattern set in recent years, wi
greet all signs of relaxed tension’
in international affairs and wil
again stress the need for disal”
mament. It will voice solidarily
with the people of Chile, South
Africa, Rhodesia, Spain and othe!
countries where people aré
struggling for freedom and i
dependence.

This year’s exchange of official
delegations between the CLC all
the Soviet trade union congress
will no doubt be welcomed as @
first step in promoting bette!
relations between the CLC and thé
trade union federations of thé
socialist countries.

All in all, the 1976 conventio?
should be an exciting event. Ané
delegates will face an important |
choice: either support and exten® -
left-centre unity or go along with
those trying to replace the prese”
leadership with a right-centre bloc
which is clearly connected wi
right wing social democracy
Judging by the response to the
October 14 Day of Protest, it ®
hard to imagine that thé
Federation would move to thé
right. |

cont'd from pg. 1

labor minister Allan Williams fired
former WCB chairman Terence
Ison in January of this year and
she has since been forced to send
out decisions of the board which
are of ‘‘questionable legality.”

B.C. Federation of Labor
secretary Len Guy said that Sun’s
firing was the ‘‘latest in a long
series of firings and forced
resignations of key board em-
ployees.”’ In addition to Sun, afid
former chairman Ison, Kevin
Maher, director of claims and re-
habilitation resigned, director of
finances Joe Spencer resigned in
June, Arnie Abramson left his job
as administrative chairman of the
WCB’s independent boards of
review in July, and legal research
associate Craig Patterson quit last
month.

None of these key positions have
been filled by the Socred govern-
ment.

The major reason for the
dismissals and_ resignations,
particularly those of Ison and Sun
has been the government’s
determination to undermine the
effectiveness of the WCB in-
dependent boards of review. The
review boards were established by
the former NDP government in
1974 and for the first time gave

workers the “right to meaningful
appeal of board actions,’ Guy said.

There were three boards set up,
each one composed of a lawyer as
chairman and two other ap-
pointees, one from labor and the
other from management. Though
they were a part of the WCB ap-
paratus, their decisions were
reached independently of the WCB
and were sent on to the WCB
commissioners for appropriate
action. Under the chairmanship of
Ison, decisions of the boards of
review wererarely overturned, but
since his firing commissioners
have assumed an_ increasingly
punitive role, overturning as many
as 60 per cent of the boards of
review decisions.

Sun said that often the com-
missioners will overturn the
decisions on the basis of their own
consideration of evidence, and
have sometimes changed the
review boards’ decisions without
having seen the transcripts of the
hearing.

Colin Snell, a WCB expert for the

‘Carpenters Union, said that the

board were extremely important
for workers who had been turned
down by WCB adjudicators and
that they were handling more and
more cases each year. In 1974 they
handled 1,018 appeals, a figure

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 12, 1976—Page 12

which rose to 1,617 in 1975 and in
the first 10 months this year they
had had 1,578 appeals. ‘‘But with
the resignations and so on, it now
takes nine to 12 months to get a
final decision from the WCB, and in
the meantime the worker who has
been hurt has to get along as best
he can on welfare or UIC.”

Snell said that he felt the
“Socreds are moving in and put-
ting pressure on the commission-
ers to overrule the boards’
decisions. I wouldn’t be surprised
to find out that they have the
thought of scrapping those boards
all together somewhere in the back
of their minds.”

He pointed out that Ison was
fired as chairman less than one
week after the Employers’ Council
of B.C. presented a brief to the
government which “‘torea strip out
of the WCB for spending too much
money. It was then that the policy
shifted,’’ he said.

“‘T guess the Socreds are starting
to live up to their promises they
made the employers during the
last election campaign.
Everything is tougher all down the
line and it’s definitely influence
from the government.”

Carolyn Gibbon, legislative
director for the B.C. Federation of
Labor and a member of the

Federation’s _committee on
compensation and safety, affirmed
Snell’s comments.

“This is certainly what the
employers want and through WCB
commissioners John Berry and
Terry Watt, they have control of
the Workers’ Compensation Board.
They want to return to the old in-
house appeal system where you
appeal to the person who turned
you down in the first place.”’

Gibbon accused the WCB of
“trying to get rid of everybody who
might rally around a new chair-
man in order to bring some sense
of normalcy to the board. A
number of people who are loyal to
the appeals board concept are
being forced into a position where
they simply cannot remain with
the WCB any longer.”’

Snell said that the Carpenters
Union has written to labor minister
Williams demanding that he name
a replacement for the position left
vacant by Abramson’s resignation
and name an additional board of
review “to deal with the
tremendous backlog of cases.” It is
estimated that by the end of this
year there will be a backlog of as
many as 1,000 appeals waiting to be
adjudicated.

In addition to the letter to
Williams, Snell said that the

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matter was being raised by the) |
B.C. and Yukon Building Trade)
Council and by the Vancouver at°
District Labor Council. The threat
to Workers’ compensa
Coverage i is also expected to be 4
major topic at B.C. Federation of
Labor convention.

The union demanded that
Williams take steps to clear up th®)
backlog of appeals currently)
before the review boards, an
pressed the minister to. clarify)
WCB policy toward the com
missioners’ overturning of board
decisions. “‘Right now, the policy:
as it was established under Ison, ®
that the commissioners stay out of
that area and we think it shows
stay that way. It’s up to th?
minister to instruct the com
missioners accordingly,” snel)
said.

“In the -past, our inembes
recognized that they would receiv?
a reasonable hearing, but noW:
they’re losing faith with the whol@
compensation setup. Now, you cat
go through a long and cos
procedure and win a fair se!
tlement from the board of review
only to have it turned over by
commissioners. They are col
pletely frustrated, and they wil
remain that way until we clear thi
whole mess up,’’ he said.