tei dicate

be

b UNITED -
STEEUWDRKERS

“ON
STRIKE

FOR

“WAGES ©
CONDITONS —

Some 430 workers at Hayes Trucks in Vancouver, members of Local
3523 USWA, returned to work Monday after winning some key
demands in their two-month strike, including a cost of living escalator
clause and wage increases over 23 months of $1.25 and $1.41 for

helper and journeymen.

- - Richard Morgan photo

WOODWORKERS

Cont'd from pg. 1

© a clause in the contract to com-
pel the employer to pay one week's

_ severance pay for each year of ser- .
vice when a plant closes down”

permanently.

¢ elimination of the 30 day
probationary period.

e a 50 cent additional increase
for tradesmen, as well as a 50 cent
revision for graders and inspectors,
tallymen, offbearers and chipper
crews.

Elsewhere in contract talks, the
failure to include a cost-of-living
escalator clause and insufficient
wage increases were cited as the
main reason for 4300 members of
the Teamsters Union
overwhelmingly rejecting a con-
tract offer presented to them by
Transport Labor Relations

representing more than 100
employers.

As well as the dominant issue of
wage increases and the escalator
clause the truckers want increased
vacations, improvements in the
dental plan and reduced hours of
work.

In Sparwood, members of the
United Mine Workers went on
strike Monday night against Kaiser
Resources Ltd. and. were followed
later by the afternoon shift to back
up their demands for an increase of
$1.25 an hour ina one year contract
with an additional 50 cents for un-
derground miners.

The 1300 men, members of Local
7292 UAW, have been working
since the beginning of the year
without a contract.

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Entertainment incl. Scottish Dancers
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By JOHN WILLIAMSON
Britain’s economy is in deep

crisis — massive increases in

balance of payments deficit; wild
inflation and an 18% increase in
prices during the last year; decline
of the pound; a 13% ‘usurers state’
bank rate; oil crisis, etc. In their ef-
fort to unload all its consequences
on the working people through its
Phase 3 so-called ‘counter infla-
tion’ legislation, the Tory Govern-
ment arrogantly refuses to make
any concessions to the coal miners,
train drivers and’ electric power
supply engineers, the first two of
which are operating an overtime

TAX LOAD

Con’t from pg. 1

there are no direct sales of giant
pulp mills and other industries.
“Further,”’ he said, “‘the practise
of determining assessed value for
homes and businesses, now based
on market values, tends to rapidly
shift the tax burden from big in-

dustries to the rest of the com- -

munity because of inflation.
“There should be one method for
determining value for assessment

and it should be equally applied to

all types of property.”

McKnight said that the cost of
education, welfare and similar
items should be lifted from homes.
These are not proper taxes to be
imposed on homeowners. ‘‘they
must become provincial respon-
sibilities and be a charge against
provincial revenues. Money to pay
for such services should come from
increased revenues from natural
resource industries who are not yet
paying their fair share.”

The- Port Alberni alderman
pointed out that the provincial
government has been boasting of
its huge surpluses. These surpluses
along with more revenue from
resource industries should make it
possible for Premier Barrett to
begin at the coming session to
remove the~-provincial sales tax,

gasoline and other consumer taxes.-

“Such legislation would be real
positive steps in the fight to
mitigate the effects of inflation on
the public, and would be a major
step to give consumers relief from
rising prices.

“This is one way the NDP

government could help lessen the
effects of inflation on the working
people,” he said.

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 1974—PAGE 12

OIL CRISIS

Con’t from pg. 2
public it would face no oil dif-
ficulties.” ”

The Oregonian concludes with
the following:

“There is an energy crisis in this
country. It has been aggravated by
the Arab oil boycott, but before the
Arabs turned off their spigot, it
was fomented by the oil cor-
porations and compounded by the
bungling of the Administration.
That is a large share of the truth,
and it’s about time the U.S. public
was let in on it, instead of being
made to feel guilty for the nation’s
gasoline shortage.”

The truth seems to be dawning
on the American people that the
Nixon government and the oil
monopolies are the culprits in the
energy crisis. The latest develop-
ment this week in the U.S. was the
charge, still to be aired, that oil
companies in the U.S. are hoarding
and stock-piling petroleum
products.

Tory crisis offensive

ban and a work to rule respective-
ly.
In the case of the miners —
where 600 leave the industry week-
ly because of poor wages — the
overtime ban has resulted in a
decrease in production af 30%;
while on the railways no suburban
trains are running in London and
growing dislocations in other urban
centres and in long-distance runs.

In a desperate anti-union panic
move, Tory Prime Minister Heath
has ordered a three-day week for
most industries and shops which
will mean a 40% loss in most wages
and much unemployment. He also

ordered across-the-board power .
- cuts, reduced heating, cut off of all

TV at 10:30 p.m., and a reduction
in the growth of industry.

On December 17, Chancellor of
the Exchequer Barber introduced
his’ so-called ‘mini-budget. He
declared Britain faced the gravest
crisis since the war and said, “In-
dustrial action, not oil, is responsi-
ble for the three-day week.” This
direct attack on miners and
railmen was followed by
reiterating that there would be no
wage settlements outside Phase 3

. limits. He. then outlined proposals

to take £1,200-million out of cir-
culation saying there would be a
“significant drop in the standard of
living” and that “unemployment
was bound to rise.”

“Three days shalt thou labor. . . ’’

The Sunday Times admitted that ~

Heath's three-day week was an in-
citement against the miners and
train drivers, and not an economic
policy. Editorially it said, “Its
desired effect, if not its primary
purpose, is to get the miners and
railmen to submit to an accumula-
tion of pressure from fellow
workers, faced with the dole.”
Showing its class teeth, it con-
cludes, ‘‘the country must support
the government it elected, however
questionable some of its methods
and unlikeable some of. its
philosophies.”

The attack on the miners is
fierce because of ‘‘the five-million
strong queue behind the miners”
to quote Business News, who ‘‘are
poised to surge through any hole
the miners blast in Phrase 3
policy.”

The Left, and the Communists in
the first place, have answered the
government firmly. They point out
it is Tory policy that is responsible
for inflation and economic crisis.
They helped their monopoly
masters by cutting taxes to the
tune of £4,000-million since they
came into office. They increased
expenditures by hundreds of
millions by joining the Common
Market. They continue to pour
huge sums of money down the
arms drain and continually in-

crease’ overseas capital in
vestments.

Michael McGahey, miner’s union —
national vice-president and Com |
munist Party leader, put the im
mediate issue concisely: “the na~
tion has to make up its mind. YO
can have Phase 3 and no coal. YO
can have coal_and no Phase 3.

He also dealt with the wider im=
plications of the miners’ action
when he said, “If the mine
stopped in their tracks now, there}
would be little possibility of amyy
other workers penetrating Phas¢)
3... While dismissing alleged)
revolutionary implicationS:) —
McGahey put sharply the impohy
tant political developments. Ci
the increased influence of the Le
among the miners, he said, “the
are many miners now whose thin
ing transcends short-term)
economic gains, who hav@)
recognized the futility of trying
control the capitalist treadmill
staying on it’ and that. “‘neith
Heath nor anyone else wil halt t
movement which is going forwa
for radical change in Britain.

A solidarity pact as, be
cemented between miners a
train drivers. Engineers, who ha
just rejected a derisory offer from
the employers, are also preparill
for struggle. While the Communi)
demand for a recall of the Trade
Union Congress to organize funy
mobilization of the 10 million UB
ionists to compel the governmeh —
to drop Phase 3 grant increase)”
wages, establish price controls ai
increase old age pensions, is $4
ing support, the right wing T
majority is still resisting this.

In fact, the more strident righ)
wingers in the Labor Party and UB)
TUC are making their voice;
heard. Mr. Reg. Prentice,”
Shadow Cabinet member, called®
his supporters ‘‘to fight’ agallhy
the ‘‘Marxists, who are hell-bent @
nationalizing everything” and
he is ‘‘fed up with the sillier fo
of trade union militancy.”

Basically, Harold Wilson foill
the same line as this group.
does it in a more clever way-
has tried and failed to get the t
drivers to call off their “wor
rule’ and made a_nation-
appeal for “‘concilliation, not
frontation.”’

Miners leader McGa
answered him, saying, “You
make all the pleas’’ for uniting
nation, but “I do not want unl
with Heath, Longhro, Jellicoe 4
these types. I will remain loya!™
my class.” “7

Fortunately, in the miners un!
the overwhelming majority of Hi
Executive — Communists, ™
Laborites, Right Laborites ~~
stand united against Phas
because of the splendid unity 0

- rank and file. In many other

the same situation exists.

The Executive Committee ©
Communist Party Great B
has issued a widely distrib
statement stating clearly wi”
responsible for the crisis, ou
an immediate program of act
settle the crisis. It reiterates ©
appeal of its recent Congres
“all on the Left, to the TUC:

_Labor Party, to unite and figh
‘for a Left program to bea

crisis and open the way
socialism.” cs