mathe Construction Labor
_ Relations Association shut down
_ the construction industry in B.C. on
June 30 in an attempt to impose a
contract settlement within the
framework of the federal govern-
ment’s Anti-Inflation Board
guidelines on 40,000 building trades
workers.

Seeking to exploit the well-
publicized divisions among the 15
building trades unions involved in
_the negotiations, the CLRA is at-
tempting to put the blame for the
‘lockout on the workers. At the
ame time it is counting on the
pressure of the federal wage freeze
policy and the threat of possible
rovincial government in-

Friday, July 9, 1976

"20°

offtasraap 18
aD

VOL. 38, No.

Construction lockout:

~
alia

tervention under recent anti-labor
legislation, to force the’ unions to
accept an inferior contract set-
tlement.

From the start of negotiations
the CLRA said it would not accept
any settlement more than the eight
percent allowed under AIB
guidelines, and that unless the
unions came into line it would
impose a lockout in the con-
struction industry. The blame for
the shutdown and its serious affect
on B.C.’s economy rests on the
shoulders of the big contractors
who are attempting to take ad-
vantage of the present situation to
impose a low settlement on the
construction workers.

27

As the Tribune went to press
meetings between representatives
of the 15 unions and CLRA were
still in progress. Indications are
that some of the building trades
unions’ are demonstrating
weakness under pressure and may
be prepared to accept a settlement
involving an immediate eight
percent increase and an additional
2.5 percent to be referred to the
AIB along with some fringe
benefits for some of the unions.

The CLRA used the pretext of the
cement masons going on strike to
shut down the whole industry. The
position of the building trades
workers was bolstered when the
10,000-member carpenters’ union

joined the picket lines last Wed-
nesday. Lorne Robson, provincial
secretary of the carpenters’ union,
Said in a statement his union joined
the picket lines because the CLRA
has been trying to enforce the
federal anti-inflation guidelines
with an offer of eight percent.

Robson said the eight percent
increase allowable under the AIB
guidelines is not enough to enable
workers to cope with rising living
costs. He said the carpenters’ want
an equal settlement for all the
building trades, and said his union
agrees that there should be one
across the board over-all set-
tlement for the industry.

The carpenters’ union stand, that

there be no referral to the AIB in
any settlement, is in line with
Canadian Labor Congress policy
which has called on unions in
negotiations to ignore the wage
freeze guidelines and seek direct
contract settlements,

Apparently the tactic of em-
ployers in this year’s negotiations
is to force unions to accept eight
percent allowable under AIB
regulations, and refer anything
above that to the AIB for a ruling.
Unions which have adopted that
policy have suffered serious set-
backs since the AIB board in-
variably comes down on the side of
the employer and low wage set-
tlements.

ll

_ Twenty-seven Chilean refugees
occupying the Canadian embassy
in Buenos Aires, Argentina are
_ there only because they “‘fear for
_ their lives’ in the face of brutal
repression currently _ being
practised against Chilean
| nationals in Argentina, a recent
“| arrival to Canada told a Vancouver
|| press conference this week.
Felix Henriquez, a 27-year-old
former medical student in Chile,
arrived in Vancouver last week
along with construction worker
Carlos Martinez and Nelson Vega.
They were part of a contingent of
18 Chilean families who fled
Argentina for Canada when the
military junta which deposed
rmer Argentinan president
Isabel Peron in March of this year,
began systematic persectuion of
‘Chileans in Argentina.
Henriquez said that the military
‘coup in Argentina marked the
beginning of  ‘‘tremendous
repression against Chileans in
Argentina.”” He explained that
following the fascist coup in Chile
about 15,000 Chileans sought
protection in Argentina. At that
time, even though Argentina does
‘not allow political refugees, the
uth American country agreed to

mould accept Chilean refugees
nder United Nations protection

a “country in transit’? which -

until they could be relocated
elsewhere. _

But now, he said, the new
Argentinan regime is openly
collaborating with the Chilean
fascists in hunting down Chilean
patriots. Martinez corroborated
his remarks and said that it is
known that there are at least 300
agents from. the Chilean in-
telligence organization DINA
openly operating in Argentina and
that they are actively pursuing
Chilean refugees.

He said that in many ways,
conditions in Argentina are much
worse for Chileans than they are in
Chile itself, because at-least in
Chile there is a possibility to hide,
but not in Argentina where the
government has registered every

European
CP meet

Chilean refugee Felix Hendriquez outlines systematic program of terror and repression being practised against
- Chilean patriots in Argentina by Argentinian military junta. With him is interpreter Anna Maria Quiroz.

Chileans flee Argentina

—Sean Griffin photo

Chilean refugee along with a
photograph and address.

Martinez explained that to
Chilean refugees stranded in
Argentina, Canada was the only
country which offered them any
hope, as all other countries which
had accepted Chileans following
the 1973 coup had had any
diplomatic relations _—_ with
Argentina severed by the rightist
junta. “‘That is why these people
are in the Canadian embassy
asking for protection from the
Argentinan forces.”’

Many of the people in, the
Canadian embassy have been
subjected to arrest and torture by
the Argentinian authorities he
said. “Every day the situation
becomes more and more critical.
Every day more people are found
dead in the streets of Buenos Aires,
and a great number of them are
Chileans.”’ ‘

The Chileans living in Argentina
are becoming desperate for time, a
problem which becomes even more
pressing as it takes up to four
months to receive approval from
the Canadian authorities to
emigrate to Canada. Henriquez
said that he hoped that the
Canadian government would move
quickly to expedite proceedings to
allow more Chileans to come to

- Canada from Argentina.

Attempts by discredited regimes

in South Africa and Taiwan to use’
the Montreal Olympics to gain
footholds in the international
Sporting community have surfaced
in the final few days before the
scheduled opening of the games.

A’ major confrontation’ has_
developed between the Canadian
government and the International
Olympic Committee following
Canada’s decision to allow the
team from Taiwan to compete in
the games only if they make no
claim to represent China, do not
play the anthem of China or fly the
flag of China.

The IOC, with American
backing, has insisted that Taiwan
be recognized at the Games as the
Republic of China.

The Canadian decision stems
from the fact that like many other
countries and_ international
organizations — including a
number of sports federations —
Canada severed diplomatic ties
with the Taiwan regime when it
recognized the People’s Republic
of China in 1970.

The situation at present though,
is yet another attempt by the
Taiwanese government to try and
bolster its rapidly dwindling
sphere of influence.

Despite strong pressure from ~
many countries, particularly the
U.S. which has threatened to stay
home if the Taiwanese athletes
were not designated as
representing the Republic of
China, the Canadian government
has stood firm in its decision. Allan
MacEachen, minister of external
affairs, reaffirmed the govern-
ment’s decision in Ottawa and said
that Canada ‘“‘did not relinquish its
sovereignty to the IOC’? when
Montreal was awarded the
Olympic Games.

MacEachen, and China itself,
have not indicated that they wish to
see the athletes from Taiwan
barred from competition, only that
the island has no right to use the
name of China. He has instead
requested for Canada the same
rights given to Italy in 1960 when
the team from Taiwan competed
under the name of Taiwan at the
Rome Olympics.

The IOC position on Taiwan
stands in stark contrast to the

position it has adopted for years
over the team from the German
Democratic Republic. The former
president of the IOC, Chicago
millionaire Avery Brundage, in-
sisted for years that there was only
one Germany and that the GDR
had no right to compete using the’
name of Germany. He carried this
position so far as to require the
athletes from the GDR, when they
see S. AFRICA pg. 8

‘No solution’
in air pact

The Central Executive Com-
mittee of the Communist Party of
Canada said this week that the
agreement which brought an end to
the 10-day strike of airline pilots
‘“whas resolved nothing except that
the crisis of relationships between
English and French Canada,
mirrored in the strike of pilots, has
become worse.”

The CP statement warned that
the situation will continue to
worsen until the root causes of the
crisis are dealt with, and those
roots lie in the government’s
failure to ‘‘come to grips with the
necessity of an equal voluntary
partnership of the two nations in a
new made in Canada constitution.”

Though prime Minister
Trudeau has called the agreement
arrived at between the pilots, the
air traffic controllers and the
federal government.a ‘‘victory for
bilingualism’’ others more in-
timately involved including the
pilots and air traffic controllers
from French Canada, some liberal
MPs, the Quebec provincial
government and the French
language press in Quebec have
branded the agreement as little
more than a ‘‘sellout’’ of
bilingualism.

The statement noted that the
latter are ‘‘not wrong” in their
charges. ‘‘What is evident is that
the government gave way to the
pressures of the racists, and
chauvinists in English Canada as
well as those who honestly believed
the issue was one of safety.”

see AIR PACT pg. 8

i