pur dmeni nae tareenocesemonal * PAGE 2, THE HERALD, Wednesday, September 14, 1977 FOOD, WATER CONTAMINATED Cholera epidemic sweeps mid-east DEIRUT (AP) number of confirmed cholera victims in Syria rose to 2,300 Tuesday and scores of cases were reported in neighboring Jordan and Lebanon. Other Middle East countries moved to check the — The Spreading epidemic. The disease is spread by contaminated food and water. Tuesday was the eve of a three-day Moslem feast and police in two countries were seen arresting food vendors. Syria reported almost 240 new cases in 24 hours. At least 7 Syrian victims have died of the gastrointestinal disease. Jordan reported 214 cases the Lebanese health ministry reported 18, with no fatalities in either country, However, medical sources in Lebanon put the toll at 25 and said three persons had died in recent days of '‘food poisoning,” a designation the Lebanese government has used for cholera. Health ministries in Syria and Lebanon ordered all medical persorinel tostay on duty during the Moslem holiday of Bairam, which starts today and ends a month-long dawn-to-dusk period of fasting. Mi The Lebanese sanitation department ordered public health supervision over city bakeries, which are full of Moslems buying sweets, bread and Bairam cookies for the feast. All bread must ‘be sold in nylon bags to prevent infection from Syrian and Lebanese ‘= police were seen arresting : food venders and con- «= fiseating their wares. Soft = drink and ice cream : s = were cleared off the streets. Saudi Arabia confirmed that the epidemic had crossed form Jordan to the noerthern Al-Kheiber district. The Saudi state radio said there have been only a few cases and authorities are effectively countering the disease. The Saudi health ministry was reported organizing extensive preventive measures as the desert kingdom prepared for the annual pilgrimage season that attracts an estimated three million Moslems from around the world to Mecca and other holy sites in Saudi Arabia. VANCOUVER (CP) — Unionized bank workers have decided to call on banks to nearly double basic wage rates when contract negotiations begin. Elizabeth Godley, national secretary of the Service, Office and Retail Workers’ Union of Canada, (ORWUC), said Monday that delegates to the union’s United Bank Workers section voted to push for the increase during a weekend convention. Delegates to the con- vention proposed that the base rate, now about $600 a month, should be increased to$1,140a month, or $7.50 an hour, Godley said. She said the convention proposal will be submitted tomembers ina referendum along with other contract provisions, Members must approve contract demands The United Arab Emirates and other Persian Gulf countries clampe embargoes on food imports from Syria and Jordan. Libya, Egypt and Tunisia urged people to take precautionary measures such as receiving inoculations and boiling drinking water. In the Netherlands, health officials in the eastern city of Jijmegen reported that a Turkish woman in hospital - has cholera. A small out- break. of cholera was reported in Turkey last month. OSLO RUETER-Centre- right opposition parties have won a single-seat majority in the Norwegian parliament despite big gains by the ‘Labor government. But Prime Minister Odvar Nordli brushed aside Tuesday an opposition call to resign immediately and d_ said Labor will-hold on to power until he has assessed the new lineup. Voting in the general election Sunday and Mon- day gave the Conservative- led opposition 79 seats in the 155-member parliament. Before the postal votes were counted, Labor was creditied withh 77 seats, which could have .been enough to stay in power with socialist backing. But. when late returns were tallied, a Labor seat was turned over to the Christian Prople’s party, ._ NEWUNION Bankers want double pay before negotiations begin. Godley said she expects the hanks will be “horrified” by the proposal, “but it isn’t as if they can't afford it.” - The proposed rate. was reached “given that it would cost a single parent with one child about $1,050 a month to live without a car or savings," she said. Godley sacd the size of the proposed increase “reflects the fact that women workers have been discriminated against by banks for years. “The base rate should reflect the level of skills and training required for a teller. Even now, the average wage for women workers in 57 per cent of that for men.” Asked whether the anti- inflation board would allow such a large increase, Godley said she understands that first contracts are looked at differently and that there is provision in the wage control guidelines for larger increased to em- ployees who have been victims of discrimination. Delegates to the con- ference also proposed four- week vacations in the first calendar year of em- ployment, now two weeks plus a day after one year's service and called for an end to deductions on employees’ paycheques because of fraudulant transactions or tellers’ shortages. _ They also called for a standard work week of seven hours a day, five days a week, or 734 hours a day for a nine-day fortnight. Godley said the present work week is 37% hours, but - in some branches there is a preat deal of overtime. We are the B.C. Government Employees’ Union. There are 37,000 of us and we work for you. Our strike is not directed against the people of B.C., but against a management that is attempting to deprive provincial government workers of employment conditions which most unionized workefss. take for granted. OUR CONTRACT PROPOSALS WERE REASONABLE e A wage increase within the AIB The government said NO. ® Protection against a cost of living increase in the second year of the contract. The government said NO. ¢ Health and welfare benefits for long time casual employees. The government said NO. e A dental and extended medical plan for retired government employees. the government sad NO. e A job safety training program. The government said NO. * Improved family illness leave. The government said NO, ren guidetines. N i) | RIGHTIST COALITION - ~ Minority labor will not resign which is part of the op- position front. After a count of postal yotes, Labor was awarded 76 seats compared with 62in the outgoing parliament. The Socialist Left party which supported Nordli previosly dropped to one. seat from 16. Its poor showing was seen as a reaction to leaks and revelations about military and security matters in the last few months which were traced to the party leadership. Most of the leaks ap- peared to be aimed at discrediting Norway’s links with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which opinion polls show is sup- ported by an overwhelming majority of voters. The voters also rebuffed the conservation and en- vironmental platforms of The delegates proposed voluntary overtime paid at double time. At present, Godley said, overtime is nat voluntary and can he averaged out over a 13-week period, soit is often not paid. Another proposal! was that promotions be on the basis of seniority and ability. Godley said that under the present system, jobs are not posted and under the management trainee program, women end up training their future bosses. She said 90 per cent of the people in the trainee program are men, and that if people were promoted on © the basis of seniority, there would be many more promotions for women. A second contract con- ference will be held in Nanaimo, B.C, Sept. 24 the Centre party in favor of more economic growth and material welfare. Labor's gains were at- tributed partly to its success in turning employment policy, traditionally one of its strong areas, into a major election issue. The opposition at once demanded Nordli’s resignation... The prime minister replied: “Before I draw any final conclusion, I should like to study the situation more closely.” : Labor will stay in power until it is ousted by a con- fidence vote in parliament, Colonel Sanders’ $7 Birthday Celebration _ SNAK PAK PEC ‘THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 15 ONLY 2 pieces of deticiaus Kentucky Fried Chicken and golden brown French Fries. — ' Limit 6 per customer. Kentucky Fried Chicken. Colonel Sanders’ boys and gitls make it “finger lickin’.qood.”" for the inconvenience, but were going on These were among the main points in our proposals, Instead the government proposed measures that would deprive us of an effective bargaining procedure for the multitude of trades, crafts and skills that are needed in the " public service. They proposed eliminating sections of the contract which ensure a fair and reasonable third party adjudication of grievance arbitrations, Instead the government wants to appoint its own people to sit in judgement of management decisions affecting the careers and working conditions of its employees. They even want to deprive employees the right to temporarily shut down unsafe jobs. _ There were 77 management proposals—all designed to turn the clock back to the days when public workers were forced to engage in collective begging rather than collective bargaining. So we're going on strike. Our strike is against management —not the people of B.C. For that reason, our union has adopted the strategy of calling out its members who work for the Liquor Distribution Branch. All- other government services will continue as ‘usual. _ So it’s time to stock up. We could be closing down the liquor stores as early as Saturday. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we have no choice.