Local 1-184 president Dennis Bonville Nikolai Andreev; Mikail Kuleshov president of Russian union; Anatoli Katerushin; Shirley St. Louis, Local 1-184 trustee, and inter- preter Marina Mussineants. UNION HOSTS VISIT BY SOVIET WOODWORKERS IWA-CANADA played host to a four person delegation from the Timber, Paper and Woodworkers Union of the Soviet Union between June 17-26. Heading the Soviet delegation was Mikhail Kuleshov, President of the union's Central Committee. The other Soviet visitors included Anatoli Katerushin, President of the Tiumen Regional Committee in Siberia and Nikolai Andreev, a team leader from Kapevsky logging operations in Ust- Wmosk Siberia. The Soviets spoke to the Canadi- ans through Marina Mussineants, an officer with the International Depart- ment of the union. In the fall of 1989 a three member IWA-CANADA delegation headed by Jack Munro, visited Moscow and the Siberian region of Irkutsk to get a first hand look at the Soviet brand of trade unionism. The Soviets were escorted through- out their Canadian Tour by Terr: Smith, Secretary-Treasurer and Phil- lip Legg, Assistant Research Direc- tor with IWA-CANADA. In Ottawa, Ontario the Soviets met with officials of the Canadian Labour Congress and received an overview on the Canadian Labour movement. Federal New Democrat MP’s Brian Gardner, Dave Barrett, and Joy Langan also greeted the Soviets at a luncheon engagement with John Fra- ser, speaker of the House of Commons. The Soviets also toured the Labour College of Canada to discuss labour education issues before meeting with representatives from the Canadian Labour Market and Productivity Centre. In Saskatchewan, the Soviets were escorted by Dennis Bonville and Ted Becker, President and Financial Sec- retary of IWA-CANADA Local 1-184. In Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan the guests met with officials from the local union, district municipality and industry. Following the meeting, a brief tour of Saskatchewan Forest Products’ plywood plant was ar- ranged. Mr. Kuleshov gave a brief address on trade unions in the USSR and fielded questions on the timber, puln and paper industry in his country. In Vancouver, B.C., the Soviets met with IWA-CANADA’s Jack Munro, First Vice-President Gerry Stoney, and National office staff to learn about the structure of the IWA and the type of forest industries that operate in Canada. Brother Munro explained the IWA’s collective bargaining procedure to the Soviets and the methods and nature of the adversarial bargaining system with Canadian industry. Later on the tour the guests met with John Weir, a staff representative with the B.C. Federation of Labour to © Mr. Kuleshov and interpreter met with IWA-CANADA president Jack Munro and union officials to discuss principles of collective bargaining. get historic background on the pro- vincial labour organization. B.C. Federation President Ken Georgetti also met with the Soviets to give them an idea of the role of the Federation and compare roles with regionally based Soviet organizations. New Westminster Local 1-357 and Haney Local 1-367 played host to the Soviets in an informal get together with local officers and union activists. Later in the tour the Soviets were choppered over to Vancouver Island and toured through Canfor logging operations in Camp Woss and Engle- wood Division. Loggers’ Local Presi- dent Warren Ulley and Courtenay Local 1-363 President Sy Pederson accompanied the tour which also took in MacMillan Bloedel’s Eve River operation and Carmanah Valley in the Port Alberni region. The final B.C. stop in the tour was in Castlegar where the delegation was reeted by Local 1-405 sident fayne Nowlin and Business Agent Klaus Offermann. The Soviets toured the Doukhobour Cultural Centre and met with Christina Somoroff, a Rus- sian speaking Canadian. Later a tour through the Pope and Talbot Sawmill in Grand Forks was arranged by union representatives from Local 1-423. Before returning to the Soviet Union the delegation met with For- estry Canada officials in Ottawa. & = 2 = 2 & © The Soviet visitors were impressed with this giant western hemlock in the Carmanah Valley watershed on Vancouver Island. Soviet leader concerned by ‘free market’ reforms As President of the Union Central Committee of the Timber, Paper and Woodworkers’, Mikhail Kuleshov is a man in an important position. The 3.3 million member union is facing some challenging times as political and economic changes sweep the Soviet Union. With the recent introduction of a multi-party political system some trade unions within the US.S.R. are having their authority challenged as well. But Kuleshov and his fellow union- ists are optimistic that they can hold the woodworkers union together and build on its strength and solidarity. In the face of “free market” reforms the union has put forth demands, before the Ministry of Timber and Wood Industries in each of its regions, to maintain social guarantees and employment protection. The Soviet union leader wants to know what the transfer of a free mar- ket economy would bring. As such he witnessed some of the disastrous effects that the free market economy has had in Canada. During the Soviet’s stop through Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan the Sovi- ets met with workers that have been effected by mill shutdowns and mar- ket slumps. Whereas Canadian industry basi- cally deserts its worker when times are tough, the Soviet trade unions and timber enterprises are charged with creating new jobs and openings for laid off or displaced workers. Mr. Kuleshov says that mobility and displacement of workers causes his union many problems. Whereas a shortage of workers in some regions can cause serious production prob- lems, the movement of workers and their families to other industrial areas can result in the shortage of housing, schooling, medical care, and other social amenities. Kuleshov expressed interest in IWA-CANADA’s democratic approach to collective bargaining. He realized that the bargaining systems in the Soviet Union may be entirely rear- ranged as division between labour, management, and government appear. “We want our collective agreements to be very concrete and represent the interests of union members,” said Mr. Kuleshov through an interpreter. The Timber Paper and Wood- worker Union has been around for 40 years, succeeding various wood- working unions in the Soviet Union which existed even before the revo- lution in 1917. Woodworkers struck near Mos- cow over wages and working condi- tions in 1903 and that scenario may need to appear again to guarantee workers’ rights. 10/LUMBERWORKER/SEPTEMBER, 1990