4 A H « 1 Luis Alberto Corvalan, son of the i conference on Feb. 4, in Moscow’s Friendship House. Corvalan an mprisoned Communist leader in Chile, is shown here speaking at a press id Gladis Marin, seated on his left, are members of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth of Chile. ‘Public servants being made the whipping boy’ “There’s no question about it — public servants are being made the whipping boys to push wage set- tlements down.” That statement came from two separate unions at Tuesday’s Vancouver and District Labor Council meeting, each caught in contract bargaining that has been stalemated by the employers’ refusal to recognize that wages have fallen far short on increases in the cost of living. Letter Carriers delegate Bob Hamilton told the meeting that, although bargaining in that section of the post office began some months ago, the federal treasury Woodworkers draw up ‘75 contract demands Two Lower Mainland IWA locals finalized demands last week for submission to a provincial wage and contract conference although in the Vancouver local, ratification only came after members had overturned an executive recom- CUTBACKS Cont'd from pg. 3 vigorously. She can quote all the class size figures she likes but the harsh facts remain that homeowners and teachers _ will suffer from the termination of the special grants. Certainly the hundreds of people who enrolled in teacher training colleges on the strength of the government’s commitment to a_ three-year program will again join the ranks of the unemployed since very few boards will be hiring extra teachers next September. Nor can school boards be blamed if they cut their provisional budgets submitted to Victoria last November. Since final budgets had to be in by February 15, board after board was forced to cut figures and even at that, homeowners will probably face a $50 increase in local school taxes. The government may feel it has a legitimate claim in seeking to curtail expenses but since most of the money is raised through income and sales taxes, it stands to reason that provincial revenue has increased in direct proportion to the average 15% increase in wages and higher in- creases in the cost of living. Thus the money is there. Surely the government should expand, not curtail, its financial assistance to those main areas of its concern — housing, education, health and welfare. These are the prime concern of working people, those who elected the government and who believed the NDP election promise to lift the burden of school taxes from homes and the family farm. mendation for moderation on wage demands. New Westminster woodworkers, members of IWA 1-357, had earlier endorsed an executive proposal to demand $1.50 an hour across the board but members of Local 1-217 in Vancouver had first to amend their executive’s proposal of $1.00 an hour before bringing their demand in line with that of the New Westminster local. Vancouver members voted overwhelmingly to up the wage demand. The Vancouver executive’s lower recommendation was viewed as an attempt to moderate demands in view of the depressed state of the wood industry, as Local 217 president Syd Thompson had told the Association of Professional Foresters only the day before, ‘‘the IWA people will not get the kind of settlement that they got a year ago.” He had added, ‘‘it would be wish- ful thinking on my part to say anything else.” Vancouver members also sought to include a demand for a shorter work week but that bid was suc- cessfully defeated by the local executive. The New Westminster local did, however, submit_a demand for a 37-1/2 hour week for day shift employees. Other demands similar to both locals include a one year agreement; a COLA clause covering the full period of the agreement; a dental plan fully paid for by the employer; the addition of an additional statutory holiday should it be declared by the provincial or federal government as well as a floating statutory holiday; improvements in vacations and health and welfare benefits. The provincial wage and con- tract conference to which all locals will submit demands, is scheduled for March 21 to 23. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1975—Page 12 board has so far only come up with a wage offer that is substantially lower than the government’s own Consumer Price Index. “The best they've come up with is a 9.5% increase for this year and 8.5% next year over a two-year agreement,’ Hamilton stated. “That’s an insult to every postal worker,” he declared, “especially since inflation, by the ‘ govern- ment’s own admission, has risen over 12%. And especially,’’ he added, “‘since federal MP’s asked for a 50% increase for themselves ‘and several like Tory MP John Reynolds claimed they couldn’t live on less. “They’re trying to make public servants the whipping boy,” Hamilton said, ‘‘but we’re going to go ahead full tilt to get the increase that we deserve.” CUPE 1004 delegate Dave Werlin, in commenting that ‘‘this seems to be the year of the public employee,’’ also charged -that public servants were being used — although for other reasons as well. He noted the strikes and lockouts, either in progress or impending, throughout the province and charged, ‘‘the old tired Liberal, Socreds and Tories who got themselves elected in the last municipal and civic elections are using public employees as pawns in their game of trying to blackmail the provincial govern- ment into a different cost-sharing agreement.” He added that those same politicians were using the situation in their attack on the government as well as well as to suppress the wages of public employees. “It’s a dirty political game,” Werlin stated, ‘‘but we don’t intend to be used in that game.” Negotiators for some 5000 greater Vancouver public em- ployees broke off talks Tuesday afternoon after more than 48 hours without any significant change. “After 48 hours, Graham Leslie — negotiator for the municipalities — labored mightily and came up with — three cents,’”’ Werlin said. “We've been nice guys all these years, so nice in fact that the employer invites us to go-out on strike every year, rather than come up with a realistic offer. “But,”’ Werlin warned, “‘if we’re forced to go out on strike this year, it’s going to be a strike that the politicians are not going to invite us to do over again.” Council president Syd Thompson pledged the assistance of the council should a_ strike be necessary and added that a meeting of CUPE, the labor council and the B.C. Federation of Labor should also be called to consider strategy. yncrude deal | | scandal-Barrett Cont'd from pg. 1 panies involved in Syncrude Canada Ltd., will actually only put up $528 million while the govern- ment will provide the remainder of the $2 billion estimated cost through the $600 million direct investment, a $200 million loan from the province of Alberta, and tax concessions valued at $672 million. “On the basis of available in- formation,’’ said the NDP statement, “the agreement would give the foreign-owned multinational corporations 70 percent ownership of Syncrude for only 25 percent of the total in- vestment.”’ “The people of Canada will pay 75 percent of the cost through in- vestment, loans and tax con- cessions, yet retain only 30 percent of ownership,” said the statement illustrating the extent of the sellout of the public’s interest involved in the Syncrude deal. At a press conference following the Winnipeg parley of NDP leaders, Premier Barrett told press conference that Canadal_ faces an impossible situation i that 90 percent of its gas and oil held by foreign interests. “‘As 4 nation, we no longer hold out destiny in our own hands,” he said)” as he charged that the federal government’s failure to formulate} a national energy policy has beell) responsible for the situation. “This giveaway is a scandal, | said Barrett, as he pointed out thal the private oil companies alt) walking away with tax concessions) the province’s can’t get from thé : federal government. Instead 0 developing the tar sands undel public ownership, the federal government is running to foreig! corporations who have shown 4)" “remarkable ability to skin us,” said Barrett. - : Both Barrett and Saskatchewa premier Allan Blakeney told 4 press conference after the Wily) nipeg parley, that their tw) provinces would invest in tht) — project provided it was develope? under public ownership. a4 Fish treaty gathering momentum) The United Fishermen. and Allied Workers Union campaign against the threatened sellout to the U.S. of Canadian salmon gathered momentum this week following a demonstration last Friday outside the Fisheries Service in Vancouver. More than 200 fishermen mar- ched outside the building Friday protesting the federal govern- ment’s intention to push a treaty through at any cost. - Thousands of leaflets, prepared by the UFAWU, explaining the issues involved in the Canada-U.S. reciprocal salmon rights treaty were distributed as well as several thousand postcards’ -which passersby were urged to send to the prime minister calling for the drafting of a new treaty based on the 1971 principles of equalization and reduction of interception of each country’s salmon. Considerable impetus was given to the campaign this Tuesday as five organizations — the UFAWU, the Native Brotherhood, the Prince Rupert Co-op and the Vessel Owners Association — met to discuss the treaty and issued a STOP ® THE i DONT SION He TREATS! SELLOUT . she participates ‘humiliating giveaway of protest joint statement denouncing the present proposals and calling for ¢ oe new draft treaty. The meeting also agreed to an 1) point program embodying certall principles on which a new treat) should be based but details of tht program have not yet bee! released. The joint statement issued by tht five organizations underscored tt real threat of the resour® giveaway at least one of the five the Pacific Trollers Associatiol has traditionally been hostile to @ UFAWU and had _ previous» supported Canada’s position salmon talks even when it was 0 of capitulation to U.S. deman@ “When all these organizatiol)_ demand that the draft treaty ? scrapped, certainly that’s an } dication that there’s somethity seriously wrong.’’ UFAW” business agent George Hewis told delegates to the Vancou and District Labor Coun¢l meeting Tuesday night.- He pointed out that the exter affairs department has accu the UFAWU of trying to provoke’ “fish war’? by urging that Cana@ take such actions as opening | fishery on the Alaska Panhan@ rivers and enforcing all clos lines against U.S, fishermen order to compel the U.S. negotiate a treaty on equita? terms. “We're already ina fish war we’re losing because the OM; ammunition we fire is blank5) Hewison declared, referring to ™ federal government’s refusal |) take any unilateral action of © kind proposed by the UFAW™ even though she threatened 0, and never carried through — ‘| | May, 1973. ; The union has urged that 4) trade unionists, commun!’ organization’s. and ‘anyone }) terested in Canada maintainl) her sovereignty” to protest } treaty and emphasized: on alternatives are clear. Fitho Canada adopts a strong stand } negotiating an ‘equitable tre@) reflecting her sovereign rights in anoth) resources, the consequences which, like the Alaska Bound@ “Treaty and the Columbia Rl Treaty, will be borne by fult generations,”’