LABOR

L Opposition to Tories marks SFL meet

Backs B.C. struggle, targets Devine’s Tories

SASKATOON — In the wake of the
~ Devine government’s legislative attacks
against unions, the 28th Saskatchewan
Federation of Labor convention was

marked both by unanimous opposition to .

the Tories and by continued differences
over labor’s course.

More than 450 delegates attended the
convention Nov. 2-5, which re-elected
Nadine Hunt to her sixth term as federa-
tion president.

Around the theme ‘United For Our
Rights’’, delegates were solid in hammer-
ing the Tory amendments to the Trade
Union Act passed last June. Bill 104
“seriously eroded existing rights and
minimum guarantees’’, noted one resolu-
- tion calling for a campaign to repeal the
bill.

The resolution stated that labor ‘‘will
not tolerate any government which will
permit the Legislature, Labor Relations
Board or other agency to interfere with
strike votes, picketing or legal strikes.”

Related resolutions called for
improvement rather than the expected
erosion of the Labor Standards Act. June
17, 1984, the first anniversary of Bill 104,
was designated ‘‘Solidarity Day’’ for
protests against the Tory government.

Delegates united on a range of other
resolutions directed toward the Tory

- government, on the issues of the frozen
minimum wage, mismanagement of the
- potash industry, and the phony ‘“‘pro-
_ ductivity opportunities’ survey. The
_ leadership of the co-op movement,
which has increasingly emerged as an
_anti-union force, also came under heavy
- fire, particularly during discussion of the
Moose Jaw Co-op strike now in its fifth

_ month.

Support for B.C.

_A major focus of the convention was
the current struggle in B.C. Delegates
gave a standing ovation to B.C. Federa-
tion of Labor vice-president Monty Al-
ton, and urged strong support for striking
B.C. workers during related debates. A
Tresolution appealing for financial and
other support from SFL affiliates was

_ passed, and over $1,000 was collected on
the convention floor for a gece
Solidarity.

After a relatively quiet start, opposing
positions emerged over the future direc-

tion of the SFL. During debate over

: proposed i increases in per capita, to fund
continuation of the ‘‘Economic Re-

_ covery Program’’ adopted at the 1982
Secs. and to cover substantially

higher overall spending, the outgoing
executive came under considerable criti-
cism. Defending the executive, United

Food & Commercial Workers leader

_ George Semenuik said the program has

been fulfilled as much as possible, but
had been hampered by failure of some
affiliates to turn in funds.

In reply, Hugh Wagner of the Grain

_ Services Union and others pointed out

that only the ‘‘On the Job Canvass’’ sec-
tion of the program had been taken

= — by the executive; and because

the canvass is seen as mainly an NDP-
Oriented action, many locals were reluc-
tant to contribute fully.

Wagner also pointed out that SFL
_ affiliates and other unions spent thou-
_ sands of dollars on full page newspaper
ads and other actions against Bill 104,
when the SFL executive was slow to
initiate activity.

The increases were passed despite ob-
jections, especially from some public
service delegates who felt that their
members would object to increased
payments, even to the point of possible
disaffiliations.

A resolution endorsing the NDP was
passed with a substantial minority op-
posed or abstaining.

Levels of discussion on other major
issues varied. While important re-
solutions on unemployment were passed
with little debate, others on techno-
logical change sparked a deep-going dis-
cussion.

Former SFL president Bill Gilbey
pointed out that tech change can’t be
understood in isolation from the world
crisis of capitalism. Labor must begin to
win Canadians for the concept of the
priority of labor over profits, he said, and
especially for every worker’s right to a
job.
Saskatchewan Government Em-
ployees Union delegate Judy McKenzie
stressed the need for unions to establish
tech change committees to educate their
members and develop stronger bargain-
ing and political strategies.

Health and safety and workers com-
pensation issues were raised, as Sask-
atchewan workers’ gains of the mid-70’s
continue to be eroded under the Tories.
Unwilling to settle for motions simply
condemning the government on this is-
sue, delegates considerably
strengthened the action content of sev-
eral resolutions.

Strong positions were taken in defence
of medicare and Native employment and
land claims. Well over 80% of delegates
voted in favor of a woman’s right to
choose whether or not to have an
abortion.

To the dismay of many, important re-
solutions on peace, Grenada, and other
international issues never reached the
floor. Discussion. time was limited be-
cause an entire day was given over to
panels on medicare, labor legislation,
and the On the Job Canvass, leading
many delegates to question the priorities
of the executive.

Action Caucus

Through the convention, the leader-
ship oriented on reform issues currently
being raised by the NDP opposition.
Deeper content in the debates was in-
jected by members of the Action Caucus,
a grouping of leaders and members of a
number of unions pressing over recent
years for more militant policy by the
fed. A statement issued by the Caucus
noted that, ‘‘the conditions of the crisis
will continue and even get much worse

From

Kimball
Cariou | .

unless there is a genuine mass fightback
led by a coalition of labor and the many
community organizations which exist in
our province. SFL conventions have re-
peatedly called for the development of
such a coalition behind a militant action
campaign, but follow through has been
weak; in some respects, almost absent.”’

Several factors combined to prevent
the clearly stronger political position of
the Caucus from being reflected in
changes on the federation executive.
While leading figures in CUPE and
SGEU the two largest federation
affiliates, are among those active in the
Caucus, other unions such as the Steel-

workers, Energy-Chemical, and UFCW: |

under “‘establishment’’ leadership are re-
latively over-represented at conventions
due to their local structure. As well,
while the Caucus positions would pro-

vide a better base for unity of the Federa- :

tion, the group is hampered by a lack of
internal agreement over how to deal with
the NDP and over the need for a patient,

long-term effort to change the SFL’s di- |

rection.

Hunt defeated Doug McCorquadale of |

Energy-Chemical for president by a
268-142 margin. Other Caucus-backed
candidates included Larry Brown, exe-

cutive officer of SGEU, Hugh Wagner of — ;

Grain Services, Ray. Sentes of ACTRA,
Judy McKenzie and Rick Argust of
SGEU.

Brown and Wagner came closest to : |

election, receiving 167 and 165 votes re-
spectively, just over one-third of the total.
The vote for reform candidates was equal
to that in 1982, indicating a strong desire
for more militant leadership among
Saskatchewan trade unionists.

TORONTO —The introduction
by the Ontario Conservative
government of a new Act which
limits .provincial transfer pay-
ments to 5 per cent, was de-
scribed by Gordon Massie, On-
tario leader of the Communist
Party as ‘‘a cynical attempt to
turn taxpayers against public sec-
tor workers’’.

‘*Any idea that the Public Sec-
tor Prices and Compensation Re-
view Act means any real return to
free collective bargaining is pure-
ly illusory. What is actually being
advanced by the provincial trea-
surer Larry Grossman is 5 per
cent bargaining, not free col-
lective bargaining,’ Massie said.

“*As well, the right to strike is
contained within these limits and
is in fact denied to 420,000 public
sector workers. The proposed act
is also backed up by punitive
measures and threats of ‘‘more
stringent’’ controls of the labor
movement if the labor movement
refuses to be confined within the 5
per cent limitation of the prop-
osed act.

“In an effort to deflect opposi-
tion against this act from them-
selves, the provincial government
seeks to pass the buck on to the

5% bargaining limits
Ont. public sector

municipalities, hospitals and uni-
versities by holding grants toward
wages and salaries and benefits to
5 per cent.

“This is a cynical attempt to
turn taxpayers against public sec-
tor workers who themselves are
taxpayers,’ Massie charged.

‘While it is useful that some
labor leaders have said they will
not be bound by the 5 per cent
guidelines the crux of the matter is
that this act is totally anti-labor
and must be withdrawn.

“This will require unity of all
public sector workers backed up
by the full weight of the entire
labor movement to demand an
immediate withdrawal of this
proposed act to return to com-
plete free collective bargaining
and restoration of the right to
strike for all public sector work-
ers.

“Vigorous opposition to this
proposed act by the NDP in the
Legislature can help unite the
labor and democratic movement
to oppose this anti-labor anti-
democratic legislation. The
Communist Party will do all in its
power to contribute to the defeat
of this legislation,’’ Massie
concluded.

PROGRAM
TECH - CHANGE

FOR PEoPLE
NoT

PROFIT.

+33.0C

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 16, 1983—Page 4

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