Vol. XLXI No. 2

Dave Barrett,
B.C. Leader of the N.D.P.

CONVENTION DELEGATES Sii0W CONCERN

The Forty-Sixth Annual Regional Con-
vention was held from October 24-28, 1983
in the Holiday Inn, City Centre in Van-
couver.

During their deliberations the delegates
showed great concern for the state of the
forest economy, the B.C. political climate
and other very important matters as shown
by some of the resolutions which were
discussed and have been reprinted in this
issue of the Lumber Worker.

Following are the highlights from this
year’s Officers’ Report:

There is no doubt that we will never again
reach the high levels of membership we
enjoyed just a few short years ago.

There are a number of causes for this
situation we find ourselves in. In the area of

PUBLISHED IN VANCOUVER, B.C. SINCE 1931

ISSN 0049-7371

FALL ISSUE, 1983

EOL IT

SEARS ae

E. Foxcroft,
Host Local President

permanent plant closures much of the
responsibility lies directly with employers
who during high profit years, ran with the
wealth generated in this province by the
work of IWA members and invested it in
other countries and in other industries
rather than re-investing in the province that
produced the wealth.

Mills were allowed to deteriorate to the
point that they were no longer economically

Umal

J. J. Munro,
Regional President

viable to operate. All of this was done with
no concern whatsoever for IWA members
and the people of British Columbia.

We have been telling, particularly Mac &
Blo, that they had far too many people in
management; in other words, far too many
people with their hands in the pork barrel up
to their elbows. It is the workers that
produce the wealth for the corporations and

SEE “CONVENTION“ PAGE TWO

nombre
classe

Permit No. 5035

Vancouver, B.C.

Bulk
third
class

SOLIDARITY WINS CONCESSIONS

As this issue goes to press, the non-
labour terms of the settlement that
concluded Solidarity’s strike against
the Provincial Government are being
worked out.

Understandably, many of the com-
munity groups that have struggled so
hard, both before and during the strike,
are disappointed that more progresson
those issues (especially on renters’
rights) was not made. But that disap-
pointment should be focussed on the
Premier, not on the Labour Movement,
or upon Jack Munro, who, acting prop-
erly as Labour’s spokesman, brought
an acceptable conclusion to a difficult
strike.

Nor should such concerns obscure
the fact that important gains were
made, for the first time in B.C. history,
from a political strike. A commitment
from the Premier that money saved
during the public school strike will stay
in the Education system is an impor-

NEGOTIATIONS IN PROGRESS

As this issue goes to press, Forest Industry negotiations are continuing with
the assistance of Mediator Allan Hope.

On the major issues at stake — a decent Contractors’ Clause, and the
industry’s demands to gut the hours-of-work section of the agreement — very
little progress has been made.

tant one, and breaks new ground for
B.C. labour.

The commitment to establish consul-
tative commissions re Human Rights
and Labour Code legislation — as far
short as it falls from what we have to
achieve — is also important.

The victory over Bill 2, which pro-
posed to reduce bargainable issues to
an absurd level, and Bill 3, which
proposed to wipe out seniority, and
leave public employers free to dis-
charge in any way they saw fit )for
example, to destroy the Union), are of
course the most important single
achievements.

But history will show that the forma-
tion of Operation Solidarity, an all-
encompassing movement of labour,
teachers, nurses, etc., and the profound
broadening of the traditional bargain-
ing agenda, are features that transcend
any and all of the particulars.