Group included CLC president

Unionists slam Chilean junta

By FRED HIRSCH

MEXICO CITY — In an item
not extensively covered in the
capitalist press in Canada, Joe
Morris, president of the Cana-
dian Labor Congress (CLC) who
recently attended the 11th trian-
nual conference of the Interna-
tional Confederation of Free
Trade Unions (ICFTU) last Oc-
tober here, was part of a high
level solidarity mission to Chile.

The delegation which was sent
On its mission with the support

of Mexico’s president Luis Eche- ~

verria visited Chile Oct. 19-21 to
“reaffirm the full support of the
international free trade union
movement for the re-establish-
ment of human and trade union
rights in Chile.”

Satellite transmission of the
president’s send-off of the dele-
gation was blocked in Europe
when the Spanish government
sabotaged the broadcast of the
event by pre-empting all Euro-
pean satellite reception.

Leaving on Sunday, Oct. 19,
led by ICFTU General Secretary
Otto Kersten, the delegation re-

_ turned two days later. Though
the delegates felt the trip was
relatively without danger, their
papers and documents were con-
fiscated by Junta police during
intense interrogation. Major har-
rassment was. avoided due to the

attention of the press and the
solidarity of the world. labor
movements.

The plan for the trip to Chile
was developed by the British
Trade Union Congress (TUC),
and brought to Mexico City by
Jack Jones, Secretary General of
the British Transport Workers
Union and President of the Inter-
national Committee of the TUC.
Jones said there would have
been no trip to Chile’ without
the approval and cooperation of
Chile’s outlawed and clandestine
union confederation, CUT. It was
on the initiative of the British
unionists that Luis Meneces,
Secretary General of the Chilean
CUT, was invited to participate
in the Congress and in the plans
for the mission to Santiago.

When credited with develop-
ing the plan for the trip, Jones
replied: “The idea came out of
our membership. I’m~ just the
messenger boy they decided to
send. Our people decide what we
‘leaders’ do, not the other way
around. The members batted the
idea around. Then in talking
with the Chileans it was decided
we should make a worldwide de-
legation instead of just TUC. It
sparks activity around this Con-
gress some, I think.”

The make up of the delegation
was not fully decided until the

matter was put before the Con-
gress on the day of departure.
As late as Oct. 18 Jack Jones
was still concerned about “keep-
ing any do nothing phonies from
jumping on the band wagon for
the headlines of it.” He later said
the final composition ‘‘was not
only satisfactory, but imposing.”
The members on the trip were
Jones himself, Otto Kerston, Joe
Morris, Adolf Wirkes, German
Workers Federation (DGB), Jose
Morcado, Pres. Colombian Con-
federation of Labor (CTC) and
M. A. Martinez, ICFTU Repre-
sentative for Latin America.

While the mission was still in
the planning process, Luis Me-
neces of the CUT set one firm
condition. He demanded that the
delegation avoid all contact
with representatives of the
Junta. The stipulation was wil-
lingly agreed.

The purpose of the trip as
described by Jack Jones was
“not to investigate a damned
thing. We know the situation in
Chile. The whole world knows
— concentration camps, torture,
hunger and the suspension of all
human and trade union rights.
We went to demand the release
of the 5,500 political prisoners
that are accounted for on lists
just for Santiago, and to help get

the rest out, the ones Pinochet,

Wide-ranging discussions in USSR

By JOHN WEIR -
_ Tribune Moscow Correspondent

MOSCOW: — What do the
literally millions of people tak-
ing part in the public discussion
of the proposals for decision by
the nearing 25th Congress of the.
Communist Party of the Soviet
Union write and talk about? In
a socialist country where every
field of human activity is the
people’s business, the discussion
embraces the widest range of
questicns. Pollution - conscious
_ Tribune readers will be interest-
ed to learn that among the pro-
posals is one for accelerated
manufacture of electrically-pow-
ered automobiles which are al-.
ready used for cargo transporta-
tion.

There isn’t a person who
would disagree with the Soviet
Union’s foreign policy for peace
or the direction of economic de-
velopment. The contributions to
the discussion are all aimed only
at strengthening and improving
those efforts.

Comparisons can be revealing

and here are some powerful

facts. Industrial production in
the Soviet Union today is great-
er than that of all the countries
of the earth was before World
War Two:

In 1938 world production of
electric power totalled 428-mil-'
liard (9 zeros) kilowatt hours, in
1975 Soviet production ‘passed
the astronomical figure of one
trillion (12.zeros) kilowatt hours.

In 1938 total steel smelted
was 104-million tons, but last
year Soviet output was 142-mil-
lion tons.

In 1938 world extraction of oil
was 266-million tons while last
year the Soviet Union extracted
490-million tons.

Stability and steady growth
are the characteristics of Soviet
economy, of socialism.

To all in the capitalist half of
the earth who, in the late Joe
Wallace’s winged words, are
“weary of too much mandering,
wary of leaders who mislead”
the Soviet reality and_ still
brighter horizons envisaged by
the 25th CPSU Congress propo-
sals are brilliant guidelines.

Why the push to the political right?

A reader asks:

in Canada?”

This is a timely question. For, it has
become quite apparent over the past
few months that a studied drive is un-
derway to compel Canadians to accept

_ reactionary policies as the way out of

economic crisis.

The door was opened for this con-
certed drive to the right by the Tru-
deau Government’s Anti-Inflation Act,
the intent of which is to place the cost
of the economic crisis onto the backs
of the working people, the small and
middle farmers and business people.

This was the signal for the Conser-
vative Party to mount a refurbished
drive to push politics further to the
right in the service of monopoly’s eco-
nomic and political interests. While at
the same time hoping to cash-in on
the political difficulties’ the Liberals
in pressing ahead with

must face
their anti-inflation policy.
oo 3 *

With the turn of the century mono-
poly capitalism began its transforma-
_tion into state-monopoly capitalism,

‘

“What lies behind
the efforts by right wing spokesmen of
the capitalist parties, particularly the
aspirants for the leadership of the Con-
servatives, to push politics to the right

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JANUARY 23, 1976—Page 8

production and

anymore. ~

‘life.

Monopoly strives for unfettered rule
in order to facilitate its ruthless exploi-
tation of the working people and its
extraction of the highest possible pro-
fits by all means and methods. It con-
stantly strives to suppress democracy
in all spheres of economic and political

Monopoly poses a constant threat to
the hard-won democratic rights of

poly capitalism.
This

;

_ President Salvador Allende

Marxism-Leninism in Today’s World

which is a union of the economic and
political power of the capitalist mono-
polies with the power of the state. As
a result of this union the state inevit-
ably comes under the control of the
largest corporations. In this manner
the state is subordinated to monopoly,
despite the pretense to independence
by the state. Canada is such a state.
The consolidation of the rule of
monopoly means the replacement of
free competition with monopoly domin-
ation of the capitalist market-place,
reproduction.
stark reality is apparently appreciated
by the Prime Minister, causing him to
draw public attention to the fact that
the “free market system” doesn’t work

labor and the people. This is particul-
arly the case in respect to collective
bargaining and the right to strike
which is what the Anti-Inflation Act
and its oN ee are all about.

The real power behind the ative! to
push politics to the right is monopoly.
The rivalry between the Liberal and
Conservative parties is not so much over
philosophy or doctrine but which party
can best serve the needs of state-mono-

The Conservative detractors of the
government’s anti-inflation policy know
full well that the “free market” doesn’t
work anymore. They know perfectly
well that it is monopoly which- today
dominates the capitalist market-place.

The Conservatives,
government, want controls to protect
the positions of monopoly and to place
the burden of the crisis onto the backs
of the workers, the small and middle
farmers and businessmen. What they
can’t stcmach is the implied threat in
the Prime Minister’s remarks of De-
cember 28 about some sort of perma-
nent controls over the big corporations

“The ‘whole world knows the situation in Chile — concentratiol,

camps, torture, hunger and suspension of all trade union ant,

human rights,” charges Jack Jones, secretary- ~general of the Britis
Transport Workers, and a member of the trade union group to vis

3

Chile: Photo: young father bids goodbye to his baby before bein )

shipped off to a detention camp.

claims have disappeared, and the
people stuck in prison camps the
whole length of the country.”

Otto Kersten explained that
“because we took them by sur-
prise, we were able to hold press
conferences at the airport with
both the international and local
press. We can’t tell how they
will cover the trip in Chile. How-
ever if they do it, the Chilean
workers will know that we re-
present the solidarity of 52, oe ©
000 union members.”

Jack Jones reported that the
group, which was followed at all
times in Santiago, met with Car-
dinal Raul Silva Enriquez and the
committee expressed ICFTU’s
“uncompromising condemnation
of «the military Junta which
drewned the _ Constitutionally
elected, democratic regime of
in
blood.” He promised “unrestrict-
ed support for the workers of
Chile, coordinated through the
CUT for assistance to the trade
union movement.” The ICFTU
General Secretary spoke force-
fully in favor of a worldwide
boycott of goods to and from
Chile, a program that was una-
nimously approved by the Con-
gress on its last day.

Luis Meneces of the CUT was
of the opinion that both the
ICFTU trip and the food ship

By ALFRED DEWHURST

and the big unions. The Tories are al
for controls over the unions—but hands§
off the big corporations.

What the Tories don’t want to Due
licly acknowledge is that monopoly ;
cannot continue to exist wrapped up in
“free enterprise” camouflage. What the
giant monopolies want is a new set of
og economic guidelines for the common |,
gcod of monopoly as a whole, particul- 5
arly for the continued well- -being of
the multi-national corporations. They
would like to see organized labor and
democracy placed
strait-jacket.

like the Liberal

cial

‘the premises, a’ spokesmen fol

However, permanency is an impos
sible goal, particularly for a declini
system to achieve. The monopoly-in- jy
spired drive to push politics to the
right cannot but-evoke an active res- y
ponse from the working class and ©
demccratic movement. This powerful |,
force, once united in common struggle ©
for its own interests, can turn back the
drive to the right.

- This powerful democratic force will
have the strength to curb-the power of
monopoly; nationalize the multi-natio
nal corporations, the banks and finan- |
institutions,
means of production.

will “stimulate a powerful afllp
more decisive solidarity with th
Chilean people. The total boycok,
of Chile is what we have be@s,
asking for months. Now we ha¥
some tools with which to real
organize it. The boycott is dt
manded by our unionists insié
Chile. The clandestine CU
knows hardship and hunger, bl
they also know the demands 9)
the people for a total boycott B
workers and governments. f
cutting off the economic Ililé
blood of Pinochet you will gi¥§
the CUT and the whole resist
ance movement of Chile tk
means to destroy the Pinoch®
dictatorship.. Then, with th
power of the working people W
will ampase freedom, justice ay )
peace.’ ;

WORKERS SEIZE
WATCH FACTORY

NEUCHATEL, Switzerland ~'
About 180 workers took over ti®
Bulova watch factory here Ja?
16, in protest against the ma
agement’s plans to: move assef
bly lines to the firm’s hea
quarters at nearby Bienne. Pid!
ets guarded the factory gat
shortly after the takeover at
a.m. and two hours later ti
firm’s director was ordered fro

the workers said.

in a permanent

oe % xt

{

and the principa