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In the fall of last year, the I.W.A.’s Clay Perry (second from right) met with Chilean union activists at a small mill in
Concepcion. He was accompanied by Dr. Julio Diaz Letelier (left), advisor to the C.U.T. and translator.

Canadian and Chilean trade unionists forge
cooperative relationship before trade pact

by Clay Perry

The Canadian Labour Congress
(C.L.C.) and its Chilean counterpart,
the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores
(C.U.T.), are working together to en-
sure that a comprehensive “social
clause” is included in the bi-lateral
trade deal the two countries are now
discussing. The objective, says C.L.C.
President Bob White, is “to improve
social and economic conditions for
the populations of both Canada and

Chile. We want progress for all citi-
zens, not just the elite.”

A basis for the necessary social
clause, urged in a joint statement of
the two national labour bodies, is pro-
vided by International Labour Organi-
zation Conventions (I.L.O.). The LL.O.
is a United Nations agency directed by
representatives of Government,
Labour and Employers, which adopts
Conventions as minimum labour and
social standards. Countries are en-
couraged to ratify such Conventions,
and to ensure that they are honoured
within their jurisdictions.

Of particular interest to the C.L.C.
and the C.U.T. are L.L.O. Conventions
87 and 96, on freedom of association
(right to form independent unions,
and for individual workers to join
them) and the right to engage in col-
lective bargaining; 29, 105 and 138 on
forced and child labour and minimum
age of employment; and 100 and 111
on equal pay and discrimination.

The trade deal under negotiations is
of particular interest to British

Columbians, and the efforts of the
two labour movements to incorporate
a decent social clause is crucial to
B.C. working people, especially to nat-
ural resource industry workers. The
Chilean export economy, based on
shipping minerals, forest products
and fish, is very similar to B.C.’s, and
the terrible wage and working condi-
tions that were imposed by the mili-
tary dictatorship in Chile in the 1970’s
and 80's, and still generally prevailing
there, are a direct threat to wage and
working conditions in Canadian natur-
al resource industries.

So the C.L.C., looking for opportu-
nities to include much stronger work-
er protection measures in trade deals,
sent me to Chile last fall, to begin to
establish close working relationship
with the C.U.T’s forestry affiliate, the
Confederacion National de Traba-
jadores Forestales.

I spent ten days in Chile, visiting
C.U.T. officials, forest industry and
government officials, and forest in-
dustry workers and unions. Arrange-
ments are now being made to have
two Chilean forest industry represen-
tatives visit Canada probably to coin-
cide with the C.L.C.’s Annual Conven-
tion, to be held in Vancouver May 13
to 17th.

Following are excerpts from my re-
port on the trip:

“Forest Labour Conditions: “Terri-
ble. Average wages, for 50 hour week,
about $176 U.S. per month. Can’t or-
ganize under present legal regime,

“Fy

p|

iba
4

¢ Logging clearcut near Concepcion, about 300 miles south of Santiago de
Chile. Hardwood leave strips are left near creeks.

Photo by Clay Per

and even if they could organize, pre-
vented by law from effective collec-
tive bargaining. Union tough and
militant, but does not have resources
essential to immense task before
them. Only about 10,000 of the
120,000 forest industry workers or-
ganized. Loggers in Southern natur-
al forest operations live in brush
I work in tennis shoes. Public of-
Jicials admit they can’t enforce even
the grossly inadequate safety, camp
and sanitary standards that apply.
Worker’s Compensation and other es-
sential public programs Canadians
take for granted have been ‘priva-
tized’ so workers, especially ‘season-
al’ forestry workers, are often denied
even the meagre benefits they have
paid for.”

Chilean Labour has not recovered
from the terrible repression of (Mili-
tary Dictator Augusto) Pinochet's
regime. Many leaders were exiled, tor-
tured, and murdered.

The present Chilean government is
a oaitapay composed chiefly of So-
cial Democrats and Christian re

its. There are progressive forces
the government that would like to im-
prove minimum standards and make
real collective bargaining possible,
but they are frustrated by right-wing
elements in the parliamentary coali-
tion, and especially by the Senate,
where conservatives, enforced by
Pinochet-appointments, are in con-
trol.

One of the most reactionary ele-
ments in the country is the remnants
of the old land-owning oligarchy. One
such remnant, a Pinochet-appointed
member of the Senate, owns about
200,000 hectares of forests and a mod-
ern sawmill. He enjoys explaining to
his workers how he managed that: “I
started with just a few hens, but I fed
them really well, so they laid more
and better eggs. With the proceeds, I
bought, first, more hens, then a goat,
then a cow, then a few acres ... and
just look at me today!”

When skeptics observe that he is
from one of the twenty or so families
of the oligarchy that has effectively
run the country for centuries, he
replies “Ah, but I am from a poor
branch of the family!”

So, forest workers, let that be a les-
son to you. Save your nickels.

What threat to Canadian labour
standards? Chilean forest products
exports have multiplied from $43 mil-
lion in 1962 to $1.126 billion in 1992.
Planting of Radiata Pine and Eucalyp-
tus Globalus only began in earnest in
1973, so the big crops have yet to hit
the market. Annual allowable cut is
expected to double (from about 17
million meters to about 35 million, by
2020.

But they can grow up to 30 cubic
meters per hectare year (compared to
one or two for northern B.C. or On-
tario), and they have up to three mil-
lion more hectares that are suitable
for plantation forestry. Even if that
land is less fertile than existing planta-
tions, that is a lot of wood - a possible
addition of about B.C.’s present cut.

With wages at about $1 U.S. per
hour, and benefit costs even lower,
the Chilean industry poses a real
threat to Canadian forestry labour
standards.

I believe that we have to do every-
thing we can to support the C.L.C.’s
efforts to improve conditions in Chile.

Clay Perry is a long-time I.W.A.
staff member, now semi-retired.

|.W.A. voices its
concerns to feds

The I.W.A. has expressed its con-
cern over the ongoing bilateral negoti-
ations for a “free trade” agreement be-
tween Canada and Chile. National
Financial Secretary Terry Smith has
written to Mr. Keith Chrisitie, Cana-
da’s Chief Negotiator in the Depart-
ment of Foreign Affairs and Interna-
tional Trade.

Following is some of the text of the
ee sent to Mr. Christie on March
19:

We understand that discussions
with Chilean government representa-
tives, intended to achieve a bilateral
trade agreement between Canada
and Chile, are proceeding.

As representatives of Canadian
forest industry workers, we are very
much concerned about the unaccept-
able wages and working conditions
of workers in Chile’s rapidly expand-
ing forest industry; concerned both
about the lives of the Chilean work-
ers’ families and communities con-
cerned, and about the real possibili-

e ties that under “liberalized” trading

arrangements, the wages, standards
and benefits for which we have long
struggled will be undermined.

An I.W.A. Canada representative,
Mr. Clay Perry, visited Chile in Octo-
ber of 1995, and learned of Chilean

forest worker conditions from direct

observation, and from interviews of
prominent Chilean public figures,
government and industry officials,
workers and their representatives.

There is common agreement, even
among public enforcement officials,
that (especially in the more distant
camps) the very low sanitary, safety
and worker benefits (i.e., W.C.B.)
standards that exist are not now en-
forced, and are, under present cir-
cumstances, unenforceable.

Moreover, Chilean labour legisla-
tion prevents workers from joining
unions, and from effective collective
bargaining, to relieve the primitive
circumstances in which forest indus-
try employees work.

The Chilean forest industry is by
common consent in a very favour-
able competitive situation. Canadian
(Federal) Forestry officials estimate
that overall production costs are
about one-half those experienced by
North American producers.

We believe that the same is sub-
stantially true of Chile’s as other ma-
Jor exporting industries, mining and
commercial fishing. There is no eco-
nomic or moral rational for the
abysmal circumstances of workers in
these industries.

Accordingly, we urge you to incor-
porate into Canada’s proposals a
comprehensive “social clause” fo-
cussed on relevant International
Labour Organization Conventions,
as proposed by the Canadian Labour
Congress and its Chilean equivalent,
the Central Unitaria de Traba-
jadores.

6/LUMBERWORKER/MARCH, 1996