SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC

JUSTICE

= B.C. families have seen a rise
§ in rates of poverty.

Times are getting tougher
for British Columbia families

Arecently-released report by the
B.C Federation of Labour and the
Social Policy and Research Council
of B.C. (SPARC) indicates that pover-
tyis on the rise for many families in
the province. The report, entitled A
Path to Poverty: A Review of Child
and Family Poverty Conditions in
British Columbia, lays a great deal
of the blame on Liberal government
policy changes over the past two
years. Massive tax cuts, which most-
ly benefit upper income brackets,
have exacerbated the economic
decline, resulting in cuts to welfare
rates and the elimination of child-
care support programs which help
the most needy.

Furthermore the study says real
wages, partially impacted by the
drop in minimum wages and
changes to the Employment
Standards Act (establishing a call
time of 2 hours) have resulted in
lower real wages. Added to those
impacts are labour law changes
which have made joining a trade

union tougher for workers.
The official
| unemployment
rate in the
q province has
climbed from
6.7 per cent in
May ‘01 to 8.5
i per cent two
Jim Sinclair _years later.
Youth unemployement (15-24 years)
stood at an alarming 17.6% this
summer. B.C. food banks report a
17.6 per cent increase in their usage.

“It's never a good time to be
poor, but these statistics show just
how devastating the last two years
have been for thousands of B.C.

families," said B.C. Fed president
Jim Sinclair.

Among the recommendations
that the Fed and the SPARC make to
counteract the increase in poverty
are a move to progressive taxation
(tax those who can pay), the repeal-
ing of minimum wage rollbacks, the
reinstitution of four hours call time,
and the elimination of child labour
laws that permit twelve-year olds on
up to work. They also call for the
_| reversal of contracting out of public

services which result in lower pay,
the development of an affordable
y universally acceptable child
system and reinstatement to
ounts of income assistance
t families were receiving before
pbell government took

FILE PHOTO BY NORMAN GARCIA

= In northern Manitoba the IWA has forged a partnership with Moose Lake Logging company and its
contractors (above) to benefit workers, aboriginal businesses and communities.

IWA SEEKS FEDERAL ASSISTANCE TO BUILD BRIDGES WITH ABORIGINAL WORKERS

Working with First Nations

JOBS ARE CRUCIAL TO THE ECONOMIC and social
development of all communities. This is especially true
for our aboriginal communities in Canada. In many
rural parts of the country, access to forestry opportuni-
ties form a critical part of that development.

But these opportunities don’t always materialize sim-
ply by handing over some timber. Both logging and
sawmilling require capital; they require industry knowl-
edge; and they require a customer base. In most cases,
this means First Nations need to hook-up with business
partners, usually major forest license holders, if they are
to succeed in forestry.

All contractors, aboriginal or not, face a clear imbal-
ance in power when they are dealing with the majors. It
is far too easy for the big forest companies to squeeze
small, upstart companies until they are simply no longer
viable. This is where the IWA is able to step in and play
an important role.

For the past number of years, the IWA has been form-
ing partnerships and alliances with First Nations in var-
ious parts of the country. These initiatives have proved
extremely successful, benefiting workers, aboriginal

businesses and communities alike.

One example is the work the union has done with
Moose Lake Logging, a 100% First Nation owned con-
tractor logging for Tolko in northern Manitoba. Working
closely with the Moose Lake Logging company and crew,
the IWA has been able to ensure that they receive fair
compensation and benefits for their work after years of
getting squeezed by the company. This alliance has paid
dividends for both the union and company. So much so
that other nations in the area that are part of the Swampy
Cree Tribal Council are discussing how they too can
proser in the logging sector in northern Manitoba.

This project and others were discussed last year at a
conference to encourage partnerships between the IWA
and First Nations in northern Ontario. The conference
served not only to highlight best practices from around
the country, but also to break down barriers. Often, mis-
conceptions about the goals and intentions of unions by
First Nations and vice versa form the greatest obstacles
to fully achieving the benefits of forestry for workers and

First Nations communities. This education and mutual
understanding was a crucial achievement of the Ontario
conference.

Hoping to build on that success, IWA president Dave
Haggard and second vice-president Wilf McIntyre met
with federal Minister of Indian Affairs, Robert Nault and
presented a proposal to create a national body to oversee
partnerships between the union and First Nations in the
forestry sector. Minister Nault immediately recognized
the benefit of the proposal and the union is now working
with the British Columbia First Nations Summit on a
more detailed proposal to fund and launch the initiative,
first in BC and then in other forestry regions across
Canada.

Working in partnerships with First Nations provides
many benefits to the IWA and our membership. In many
regions, with timber supply shortages, joint ventures and
aboriginal logging and sawmilling enterprises are the
only real opportunity for growth. Similarly, it is often
only First Nations that are prepared to step-up with the
workers to save struggling forestry operations.

Together we understand the value of sawmills and log-
ging operations extends far beyond the bottom-line into
our communities. But by far the most important reason
for the IWA to continue to back partnerships with First
Nations is because it is the right thing to do.

Jobs are central to the success of any community. As
an organization that cares about collective achievement,
about families and about communities, our union knows
the value of forestry extends beyond the price of a few
hundred thousand metres of timber.

Working with First Nations, we can be sure that forest
workers are fairly compensated and come home healthy
and safe. We can work together to prevent companies
playing contractors and workers against each other in a
race to the bottom. Through partnerships with First
Nations in forestry, we can guarantee union jobs and
ensure that the economic spin-off from viable forestry
operations provides the economic foundation for vibrant
aboriginal communities to succeed.

= Article by Scott Lunny, Director of Policy and Information Services

NOVEMBER 2003 THE ALLIED WORKER | 23