ON EVE OF OTTAWA TALKS Delegates to the Vancouver and District Labor Council reiterated their opposition to any form of wage controls — on the eve of a meeting between the executive council of the Canadian Labor Congress and the federal cabinet, reportedly scheduled to discuss just that subject. Laborers delegate Charles Shane received unanimous approval for his motion calling on the council to SFU students meet on strike The student Strike Support Committee at Simon Fraser University has asked the Association of University and College Employees — on strike at SFU — to reconsider its position ' that students continue to honor the picket lines. Students were to meet Wed- nesday to ratify the committees request and ask AUCE to allow students through the lines before the late registration deadline is up in order that the best supporters of the strike ‘“‘would not be frozen off the campus.” Although picket lines were originally to come off at midnight at Monday, May 5, a general meeting of AUCE members voted Monday afternoon to continue the strike indefinitely. Another meeting was to be held Wednesday evening to discuss the further course of the strike. voice its “‘strong opposition to any form of wage restraints’ and to inform finance minister John Turner of its position. A press release outlining the council’s position was also to have been sent out. The motion Tuesday night follows an earlier council position, adopted some months ago, demanding that the CLC hold no meetings with the federal cabinet to discuss wage restraints. “We have to let everyone know right across the country the position of this council,’’ Shane declared, ‘‘especially at a time when the Congress is meeting with the Trudeau cabinet to discuss wage control.” John Turner’s call for ‘‘volun- tary wage restraint’ has ap- parently elicited positive response from some members of the executive council of the CLC. The call for voluntary restraint also got a response from Canadian Union of Postal Workers delegate Peter Whittaker, commenting on the current impasse in negotiations with the federal treasury board. He pointed out that the first offer from the board amounted to only $1.15 over 32 months and added, ‘“‘we’ve already lost $1.08 over the period of the last contract so the increase would only give us seven cents to try and catch up with the cost of living.” He told delegates that postal workers would be quite happy to accent the same 33% increase that Striking workers at Vancouver radio station CKLG, members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 686, won their three-month battle for a first contract last Wednesday as station management finally returned to the bargaining table along with federal mediator Doug Cameron to work out a tentative agreement. Although only half of the original strike force was still out at the time of signing, employees returned to the station Monday morning with the first union contract in a private Vancouver radio station. Acting president of Local 686, Mike Morgan, stated that the settlement provided for a “‘fairly good contract’’ but added that, by agreement between the two par- - ties, details of the contract would be subject to a 30-day news blackout. Negotiations had resume the previous Thursday after agreement had been reached to request adjournment of the Canada Labor Board hearing inquiring into.a welter of unfair labor practice charges laid by the union against CKLG management. Although it was hoped that striking workers could return to their former posts without recrimination or _ bitterness, Morgan pointed out ‘grievances are already piling up — we practically have to go around and collect them in a barrel.” Although management, notably station manager Don Hamilton, had attempted to break the union’s bid for a first contract throughout the long strike, pressure on CKLG advertisers as well as wide labor - and public support coupled with several benefit concerts staged for the strikers ultimately brought a settlement. “The main thing is, we’ve got a base;’’ Morgan said, ‘‘and we hope to go right across the country and revolutionize the broadcast in- dustry. “The important thing is to make people conscious of the need for - union organization — to emphasize that we have to work together with our brothers and sisters.”’ the MPs voted themselves. “If that’s what they call voluntary restraint,” he commented. Whittaker also noted the in- timidatory suspension imposed on postal workers in Montreal — which MacKasey has since stated are not negotiable as part of a national agreement — and em- phasized that postal workers “have a fight on their hands.” “These are all part of Bryce MacKasey’s union-busting tac- tics,’ he declared, ‘‘and our patience is wearing pretty thin. We can expect there is going to be some action soon.” Another postal worker, Phyllis Webb, told delegates that CUPW has stepped up its boycott of the postal code in the wake of federal government attempts to counter its effect. Some 250,000 envelopes bearing the words ‘Boycott the postal code” have been printed by the union and are available at 25 cents for a bundle of 25 from Box 7411, Vancouver 3, B.C. Elsewhere in the meeting, IWA Local 1-217 president Syd Thompson reported that the first break in the 2-1/2-year-old dispute at Huntting-Merritt shingle mill came last month with an offer from Canadian Forest Products to discuss a reduction in the hours of work, a central issue in the long strike. “Unfortunately, the reduction was not enough,’’ Thompson ad- ded, ‘‘and the negotiations are stalemated again.” He pointed out, however, that the shingle market has ‘“‘skyrocketed”’ in recent months and . might ultimately force further con- cessions from the company. Delegates also voted to endorse the position adopted last week by the Burnaby Teachers Association, supporting the right of the Ismailia community to purchase property and construct its mosque complex in Burnaby. council +_ SOVIET LOSSES IN WORLD WAR 2 World War 2 claimed more than 20 million Soviet lives. The Hitlerite occupationists destroyed 1,700 Soviet towns and more than 70,000 villages, burning and demolishing six million buildings and left 25 million people homeless. NDP parley to meet The eyes of the people of B.C. will be on the New Democratic Party convention when it meets next weekend at the Student Union Building at the University of B.C. Over 1,000 delegates are expected at the parley which could be the last one before a provincial elec- tion expected some time in 1976. This convention could be crucial to the future of the province. According to statements from the provincial office of the NDP, policy is expected to be featured at the convention. The gathering is widely regarded in the NDP as a springboard for the provincial election. The NDP convention is meeting at a time when old-line capitalist politicians are actively trying to weld together a right wing coalition with the support of big business, in the hope that they will be able to return a government of the monopolies to Victoria. As against this threat from the right, B.C. working people are faced with the need to unite their forces to ensure that the way is blocked to a return of big business government in B.C. Unity of progressive forces is the most essential ingredient of victory in the next provincial election and in the day-to-day struggle for progress. The B.C. executive of the Communist Party has addressed a . special appeal to the upcoming NDP convention, outlining its views of the political situation and proposing concrete measures to bring about unity of labor, NDP, Communist, teachers, tenants, civic reform groups and other progressive forces to ensure that the path to progress is kept open in B.C. Because of the importance of this NDP convention and the Communist Party’s appeal for unity, the Pacific Tribune will run the text of the Communist Party’s letter to the NDP convention in next week’s edition. Seagram’s bottling plant workers back on the job. (See story.) Seagram’s B.C. Distillery has still not complied with a Labor Relations Board ordering it to give work to its 80 bottling plant em- ployees, but has instead launched court proceedings to challenge the constitutionality of the labor code to determine its own jurisdiction. The company has served notice to both federal and provincial attorneys-general of its intention to challenge section 33 of the provincial labor code which states that the code ‘‘shall exercise ex- elusive jurisdiction to determine the extent of its jurisdiction. .. . or to determine any fact or question of law that is necessary to establish its jurisdiction.”’ Seagram’s action — marking the first time that the labor code has been challenged since its in- troduction two years ago — stems from a LRB ruling April 28 or- dering the company to resume its bottling plant operations and restore its employees to ‘‘full and active employment.” The bottling plant was initially closed down February 26 when Seagram’s gave workers only one- nalf hour’s notice to gather their belongings and vacate the premises. Bottling was to be carried out only in eastern Canadian branches. Workers at the Seagram’s plant .set up lockout pickets arguing that ithe abrupt closure was an illegal ‘lockout. The LRB later upheld the union’s case and ordered the company to cease its illegal action. However, the bottling plant remained closed as Seagram’s merely called employees in once a day to qualify for weekly pay cheques. Despite the April 28 LRB ruling ordering “‘full and active em- ployment” for the bottling plant employees, Seagram’s has con- tinued with its practice of paying workers for not working.~ The challenge to the labor code launched by Seagram’s is based on the argument that the labor legislation cannot take authority away from the courts as that PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MAY 9, 1975—Page ... back on the payroll but still n@ —Sean Griffin phole authority is defined in the Britis! North America Act. : thf Section 33 was inserted in % / code in response to a longstandll! demand from the trade unl” movement — as well as an elec?) pledge of the NDP — to reme | labor relations from the © tanglement of the courts wh A they had remained under So Credit and turn jurisdiction ov | the Labor Relations Board. } The challenge is of mall) significance because if Seagral” is successful, the system whl existed under the Socreds © again prevail. Seagram’s is also clearly oy cerned with maintaining the % | proclaimed right of corporation y close down plants whenever ™) so choose without interfere? from. the Labor Relations Bo?! The latest action by the distill company is but one of several a! union moves in what ‘Federation of Labor secretary Guy termed “‘a shameful record labor relations.” The company provoked a 10 bitter strike two years ago 12 attempt to break the bargaining agent, Local 69 of Distillery Workers. Although the local won y strike, it was without any ng from the Distillery Workers ‘| ternational office which }% refused strike assistance, all members later affiliated with th Retail, Wholesale and Departme Store Union which now holds th certification. : {i The union could also initi@ d contempt proceedings agail Seagram’s for its current refusal comply with the LRB ruling PD! has declined to do so in the hof that the issue can be resolved ! negotiations which are now progress. Local representative Keil Sheedy pointed out that resoluti® of the bottling plant issue wow! have to be part of any contra‘ settlement. The present contra! expires May 31. ;