By JACK PHILLIPS
Provincial organizer
Communist Party

When the B.C. Federation of
aah Convention opens in Van-
7 ,,, " next Monday, the delegates
ini Pe with many urgent
;;,©mMs, many of which have
ted in previous years and
i ck on the agenda. Rising

€s, the massive layoffs in the

: _ the continuing
|, atisfaction with certain
th ts of the B.C. labor code and
bor Relations Board: these
pune of the issues before the
Union movement.
: Najorit is no doublt that the
| conc Y of the delegates will be
Tned about the results of the
€deral election and the drive
ND If business to discredit the
alive erment in Victoria. No
: Bon member is unaware of
es ely orchestrated cam-
q turn politics to the right.
| Wsitiy Convention can play a
th a role by clearly identifying
ople i problems before working
ee ts responsibility will be to
labop vlicies that will unite the
‘tong Movement in struggle
otkin the immediate needs of the
fects Class and against the
thoy of inflation and unem-
Ent. It should also call for
Palen policies that will
Ontrip anada’s independence and
tens; ute to the lessening of world
Ons,

—~
ee

are
- trag

Rover question of the provincial
that qeent, there is little doubt
argy €re will be voices heard
sh ula that nothing controversial
Ohly Ie € debated because it would
| Ying nd fuel to those who are
Ever discredit the NDP
Aer ee and bring back the
to secceet this line of reasoning is
Bsitig ner the independent
ty , 1 Of the labor movement and
ines the role of the trade
| Boy M the fight to convince the
Ment to honor-all of its pre-

N promises. Moreover, it

OPERA

om
SHYTRO HNATIUK ..

phe ar

acttini
Nat
~Olsky, Lysenko, Giordano, etc.

Mesa ‘ VICTORIA
Mopys vember 5 — 8:00 p.m.
TERSON PLAYHOUSE
Ickets ph. 385-0427

Unity, mi

Yevhenia
Miroshnichenko

Coloratura
Soprano

ACCLAIMED ON 5 CONTINENTS

Dymtro
Hnatiuk
Baritone

—soloists—

Ye
ace HENIA MIROSHNICHENKO, with vocal range ©
ed ...“A Ukrainian Lily Pons".

mi . “undoubtedly on
Ut of Iton Spectator. “Hnatiuk has a voice that can be
4 thousand” — Winnipeg Free Press

would only strengthen the position
of the right wing of the NDP by
diminishing the role of the trade
union movement as a counter-
weight to the heavy pressure
exerted on the government by the
corporate interests in this
province.

What is needed is responsible
criticism that will unite the labor
movement and other democratic,
anti-monopoly forces. The
Federation convention. should
submit proposals to the provincial
government which could rally the
support of all working people and
those who areopposed to the return
of big business rule.

Ina situation where big business,
its political parties and the
capitalist news media are going all
out to turn politics to the right,
retreat or indecision by organized
labor would only hasten this
process and demoralize working
people. We can’t be rid of the
hungry tiger by pretending he isn’t
there. The reaction of the business
interests to the land protection
legislation, government auto in-
surance and the Mineral Royalties
Act is living proof of this con-
tention.

If further proof is needed, we
have the example of the limitation
on rent increases. The big lan-
dlords are refusing to rent apart-
ments and to withhold payments
for utilities unless the government
permits a substantial hike in rents.

This is the class struggle out in the.

open, waged by the monopoly real
estate companies and their agents.
If they have fooled some working
people and some whom we nor-
mally refer to as the middle class,
it is no miracle considering that
virtually all communication is
controlled by a handful of private
corporations.

The trade union movement must
unite its ranks and emerge as a
base around which other people’s
movements can unite for social
progress. That would be the best
guarantee of the defeat of political
reaction and the best antidote for
defeatist policies which, in

STARS

KIEV OPERA & BALLET THEATRE
Ukraine, USSR

VANCOUVER

. CONCERT — Sunday, November 10 — 8 p-m.
QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE

Admission: $7.50 — $6.50 — $5.50
NOW — STUDENTS AND PENSIONER

S ONLY HALF PRICE!

f 4 full octaves,

world’s best ba ritones”
Paes as found in one singer

s: Verdi, Rossini,

tists will sin i d composer
g arias from world renowned c
» Delibes, Mozart, Strauss, Rachmaninoff, Glinka, Meyerbeer, Kos,

TICKETS: THE BAY BOX OFFICES
DOWNTOWN—RICHMOND~—SURRE

AND CHAMPLAIN MALL

PHONE RESERVATIONS — 681-3351

CHARGE TO YOUR BAY C

Open Daily 10-5:30 |

Y —LOUGHEED

HARGE ACCOUNT —

VERNON a
Sunday, November 3 —2:00 p.m.
RECREATIONAL COMPLEX
Tickets ph. 545-1 361

| litant policies
lhasis for labor advance

essence, constitute surrender to
the pressures of big business.

0

The position taken by the recent
convention of the B.C. and Yukon
Building Trades Council con-
vention, in favor of peace and

detente and Canada’s withdrawal -

from NATO and Norad, should be
reflected positively by the
Federation convention.

In line with the growing public
support for the restoration of
democracy and free trade union
rights in Chile, the convention can
be expected to take a forthright
position. The resistance forces in
Chile are daily building up strength
and are becoming more unified.
International solidarity and
support, particularly from the
international labor movement, can
be a decisive factor in isolating and
defeating the military junta.

In helping the people of Chile, the
labor movement in this country is
consistent with the best traditions
of working class internationalism.
It is also helping to keep the door
open ‘in Canada for deep-going
social change.

With the rate of inflation ex-
pected to exceed 12 per cent next
year and unemployment now
running at close to eight per cent,
the poor are becoming poorer and
the rich becoming richer. At the
same time, since the first quarter
of 1970, corporate profits have
increased by 143 per cent.

In the first six months of this
year, the number of man days lost
through strikes and lockouts was
more than 100% higher than during
the same period in 1973, signifying
a sharpening of the class struggle
and the refusal of the workers to
create super profits for the
monopolies at the expense of their
own living standards. A_ high
percentage of these strikes were
technically illegal, involving
workers who wanted to reopen
their contracts before the expiry
date in order to win interim wage
increases and_ cost-of-living
allowances.

Despite the hesitancy shown by
the Federation leadership on this
question, some of the most
protracted strikes have centred
around the demand for COLA
clauses (cost-of-living adjustments
during the life of the agreement
based on increases in the Con-
sumer Price Index). The con-
vention will no doubt reiterate the
Federation position of full support
to all affiliates in their efforts to
increase the purchasing power of
their members and to improve
working conditions and job
security. .

The massive layoffs in the
lumber industry — with the
number of unemployed mounting
every week — cannot be taken
lying down. The recent convention
of the IWA adopted a good position
— as far as it went. It called for a
massive housing campaign,
removal of all sales taxes from
building materials, lower interest
rates for home mortgages and an
aggressive search for markets in
the socialist and newly emerging
countries of the world.

What is necessary now is to
advance this program through rep-

SOVIET OPERA STARS
Y. Miroshnichenko D. Hnatiuk

CONCERT

Sunday, November 10
=~ 3pm.
QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE

Tickets: CO-OP BOOKSTORE
341 W. Pender St.
Phone: 685-5836

cee

THE SYGTEM REALLY STINKS! HE'S GOING TO WORK AND WE?RE UNEMPLOYED I? >

resentation to both the federal and
provincial cabinets and meetings
with MPs and MLAs, delegations
to municipal councils. Above all, it
will entail a mobilization of the
IWA membership, both employed
and unemployed.

The Federation convention can
help this process by calling for bold
action. There should be a demand
that if the industry cannot provide
jobs under private ownership, then
it should be nationalized.

Delegates can also be expected
to take a strong stand in support of
the tenants movement, par-
ticularly in their campaign for rent
controls. This campaign is now
entering a critical period and the
support of organized labor is vital.

Of considerable importance at
this year’s convention will be the
question of autonomy. Since the

May convention of the Canadian
Labor Congress which adopted the
code of minimum standards on
autonomy, some top leaders of
several international unions have
shown an unwillingness to accept
those standards. In certain cases
there has been outright resistance.
The Federation can give new
impetus to the movement for an
independent and united trade union
movement by restating and adding
to the excellent position outlined by
the convention in 1973.

The monopolies and_ their
political parties have demon-
strated their inability to provide
the policies that the times demand.
Canada, like every other capitalist
country, is showing all the symp-
toms of a deepening economic and
social crisis. The labor movement
has the responsibility to point the
way toward new, alternative
policies.

Labor backing BCA
in Burnaby election

The Burnaby Citizens
Association will field a full slate of
candidates in the municipal
elections slated for November 16.
The organization, with a long
record of progressive policies in
the municipality of 135,000, has
been endorsed by the Vancouver
and District Labor Council.

The BCA presently has the
mayor, two aldermen and two
trustees in office but only one
alderman and one trustee are up
for election this year.

Heading the slate for council is
incumbent Brian Gunn, well known
to many Burnaby residents for his
sustained campaign to prevent oil
refinery expansion on Burrard
Inlet and for relocation of the
refineries elsewhere in the
province. He has been on council
since June, 1973.

Trade unionist Mona Allison,
delegate to the Vancouver and
District Labor Council and past
financial secretary of Local 3253,
Steelworkers, Win D/’Altroy,
member of the GVRD citizen
policy committee, and Fred
Randall, business representative
for the Operating Engineers and a
past BCA candidate, fill out the
aldermanic slate. ?

Incumbent Ann Blakey, a trustee
since November, 1973 heads the
slate for school board: Blanche
Couch and Bob Kissner are the
other two candidates.

Burnaby does not elect a parks
board anda call for such an elected

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—

board is part of the BCA program.

The oil refinery issue continues
to figure considerably in Burnaby
politics and the BCA candidates
have pledged to press the
provincial government for

BRIAN GUNN

removal of the refineries from
Burrard Inlet. The program also
advocates a new housing policy to
meet people’s needs, an upgraded
public transit system including
park and ride facilities on the
eastern boundary of Burnaby
expanded facilities for Burnaby
General Hospital and rational
development of the Burrard Inlet
foreshore to integrate the area
with park facilities.

BCA candidates have also called
for pressure on the provincial
government to provide a new
education and welfare finance

See BURNABY pg. 12
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1974—Page 3