British shipyard unions defy Thatcher to close operations By WILLIAM ALLAN LONDON — British shipyard unions have set a collision course with the Conservative govern- ment of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher over her government’s plans to fire 10,000 shipyard workers. The 13 national unions, coalesced into the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Union (Con-Fed), met in New- castle, Aug. 23 and defied the government to go through with closing yards in Scotland, with a loss of 5,100 jobs. Another 4,000 jobs in English yards and 3,000 in Belfast, have to go, the Thatcher government says, because the yards are not making profits. If all else fails and the govern- ment refuses to accept the union’s plans to save the 10,000 jobs, then there could be an all-out strike, warned Boilermakers leader John Chalmers. The unions are deter- mined to save three Scottish shipyards and one in Newcastle, earmarked for closure by the -shipbuilders and government. At present the unions are refus- ing to allow launching of any * completed ships, or trials of ships, or overtime. The government has signed contracts with Poland guaranteeing a $300-million order on a certain date. Failure to com- plete on time, means the govern- ment must pay out millions of pounds in penalty claims. Up until the threat to fire 10,000 _ workers, Scottish shipyard work- ers were working four nights a week, weekends, and gave up two _weeks’ holidays. Now the work- ~ers have placed a ban on all over- time and are working to ‘‘rule’’. Mass meetings of shipyard workers were held all over Britain Aug. 24, to vote yes for the union’s position of no overtime, no ships to be launched and no trial runs of ships. They. back the ‘**no redundancies’ position of Con-Fed. This means no layoffs. Buy British Ships The unions are preparing a plan to save the yards, by demanding British owners place orders at home. The Tory government has a policy of encouraging British firms to build ships abroad at less cost. The unions were accused by Walter Goldsmith, leading indus- trialist, of a lack of leadership for refusing to accept the 10,000 layoffs and refusing to work over- time. He said they were support- ing a fight against a dem- ocratically elected government (Mrs. Thatcher's). This Thatcher government has proposed that the British unions abandon closed union shops, allow fewer.restrictions on scabs, allow the government to conduct union strike votes and election of Officers, with the government covering the cost. Union officials would be banned from leading their members as participants in picket lines. Goldsmith charged that the British unions organized nation- ‘ally into the Trade Union Con- gress, TUC, is “misled by politi- cally motivated activists’’. In the British Labor Party, a struggle is going for the National Executive to control the Labor Party members of parliament, who at present operate indepen- dently of the entire Labor Party. Also they elect the prime minister if they are the government, as was the case of James Callaghan, re- cent Labor prime minister, whose government was beaten by the Tories by a vote of 15,000,000 to 13,000,000. The ‘‘left’’ wing of the Labor Party are reputedly in control of the National Executive, so the Tory press are screaming here - that the Labor Party faces a “*takeover’’ by the left wing. Vicious Foe of Unions The right-wing chief of the Amalgamated Union of Engineer- ing Workers (AUEW), Terry Duffy, supporting the Tory press, said the Labor Party faces the gravest crisis in its history. He warned of a ‘‘red takeover of the _Labor Party and left wingers try- ing to transform Britain into a communist style state’’. The Daily Express, vicious foe of unions and backer of the Tory government of Thatcher, con- gratulated Duffy and commented: **The Tory right would have been hard put to better their language’. The Thatcher government game is to hamstring British unions in their fight-back against the attempt to put them into chains, where their right to strike, picket, freely vote for a strike and their own choice of union officials would be seriously curbed. All . this will be put into a bill in the fall by Thatcher and presented ‘to a g parliament where she controls the 3 majority vote. Some two million engineering 2# workers are joining the struggle shes with the shipyard workers, by Qj demanding a 35-hour work week 2 in their industry, which includes w -the British auto industry. They a — also want a minimum of £80 F iw TORONTO — Jubilant members of the Communications Work rs ? pounds a week from the present £60 (the pound is worth $2.61). Cost of living has soared 15% and ue reach 20% by the end of CNTU to work towards Quebec party of labor By HERVE FUYET After a year of discussions at the local level, delegates to the special. convention of the Con- federation of National Trade Unions, (CNTU) in Quebec City in June, practically took a unani- mous position on the national question. The following positions adopted in 1978 were reaffirmed: the recognition of the existence of the French Canadian nation, and its right to self determination; the struggle against national oppres- sion; the unity with workers in English Canada against -monopolies and multi-nationals; and, support for the struggle of ‘Native peoples for their rights. The 1979 convention em- phasized also that, ‘‘neither federalism (in the form of the status quo), nor sovereignty as- sociation, meet the real needs of the people, and can bring a solu- tion to the national oppression under which they live.’’ The de- legates also refused to take a _Stand on separation. For the CNTU, the struggle against national oppression is part of the struggle for democracy and socialism. It is the reason why, without directly taking part in the formation of a working people’s party, which would be against its constitution, the CNTU “believes it necessary that the workers of Quebec form a politi- cal organization of their own to ensure a real transformation of the political economic and cul- tural institutions.”’ In an interview given after the convention to the CNTU’s news- paper ‘‘Travail’’ (Labor) Presi- dent Norbert Rodrigue said: “This idea of a political tool must now be spread throughout the Confederation, and the CNTU must also give its members the necessary. tools of reflection so that the members can resolutely start to gather people to set up an organization and at last work on the program for such a party.”’ On many points the positions of the CNTU meet the positions of the Communist Party of Quebec, as much on the national question as on the formation of mass feder- ated party of labor. The Com- munist Party of Quebec will con- tinue to distribute its booklet enti- tled ‘‘How to get Quebec out of the current impass’’, among Quebec’s three labor centres, as well as among working people in - general. The book proposes elements of a program and possible ways to organize a mass federated party of working people. In addition to continuing the debate, its purpose is to generate mass support in local unions, federations, labor councils and democratic organi- zations in general for such a party with the participation of the Communist Party of Quebec. One of the main ways to dis- cover the worth of a social sys- tem is its treatment of children. When 1979 was declared In- ternational Year .of the Child, U.S. president Carter ap- pointed a National Commis- - sion to determine how well U.S. children are fareing. Half way through the year its pre- liminary report says that there are 66 million citizens under age 18 in the country and of that number: e 17.5 million live in dire poverty; e Seven to 14% receive no regular medical care; Children’s world Use e Some 20 million have never seen a dentist; e Mental health services are not available to 90% who need it; e Twenty. million are not fully protected from prevalent childhood diseases; e One million teenagers run away from home each year; e More than 600,000 chil- dren are born each year to teen- age mothers; e Almost three times as many youngsters committed suicide during 1977 than did in 1950. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 14, 1979— Page 8 Canada were applauded as they entered the CNE’s Dufferin Gat ; Labor Day. The striking Bell Canada workers in 25 Ontario, an) Quebec locals were to learn the cepults of last week’s contract fication vote Sept. 8. BOYCOTT RADIO SHACK TORONTO — The United Steelworkers, Sept. 1 announced they were launching a consumer boycott against Tandy Electronics Ltd. — Radio Shack products dis- tributed by the company’s Barrie operation. Some 200 Steelworkers have been on strike against the company since Aug. 9 for union recognition. The strike follows a two-year or- ganizing drive which saw the com- pany use every dirty trick in the book to avoid a union. Radio Shack operations involve 400 Stores, and 400 retail outlets with -annual sales of $150-million. WE'LL FIGHT SAYS SFL HEAD ‘REGINA — The new Tory federal government has to be told by labor that it will fight back in the face of the massive attacks on labor rights and the standard of living, the president of the Sas- katchewan Federation of Labor said Labor Day. Nadine Hunt, president of the 60,000-member SFL, charged the’ Tories with placing the brunt of inflation and unemployment on the backs of working people, not- ing that the decline in real wages Since the end of 1976 came to about $22.35 weekly or $1,162 a year, in relation to the increase in the cost of living. ‘It means that not only. have individual workers suffered a de- cline in their standard of living, but that loss in aggregate terms means $205-million weekly in buying power that has been re- moved from the economy’’, she said. ‘‘In annual terms that means $10.7-billion worth oflost pipes . tion and jobs.” NEWSPAPER BOYCOTT URGED WINNIPEG — The labor coun- cil here, Sept. 4, passed an emer- gency resolution for the forthcom- ing Manitoba Federation of Labor Convention, calling for a boycott of the Winnipeg Free Press. The Free Press and an estimated eight other newspapers have been using scab newsprint from strike-bound Boise Cascade in Fort Frances and Kenora. when it stopped a staff mem) tario Public Service Emp - necessities. OPSEU HEAD BLASTS ACTION NORTH BAY — & O’Flynn, Aug. 24, said switching off of a ‘‘panic bu' alarm system in a section 0) Psychiatric Hospital here, “ ders on. criminal neglige! from getting help when atta¢ a by a patient. O’Flynn, president of the | Union, (OPSEU), said d necting the alarm system wi notifying the staff, partic rc after staff death last year at hospital, ‘‘shows a callous dis gard for the safety of both 5¥t and patients’’. He called for mediate proclamation of “| tario’s new occupational he and safety legislation. On Aug: Elgie announced the act proclaimed Oct. 1. CLC URGES CHILE SOLIDARITY OTTAWA — In his Labor! message, Canadian Labor gress president Dennis McDe urged Canadians to join world-wide trade boycott of for the week beginning Trade unionists throughout | world will refuse to buy, sell ¢ goods to and from the fascist chet dictatorship. Nicaraguan peopk in their reconstructing the country; with immediate oe with CANADIAN OCAW WINS AUTONOMY HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — 20,000-member Canadian s¢ of the Oil Chemical and A’ Workers International (OCAW) was given compl tonomy from the U.S. org tion at the international co? tion Aug. 17. Neil Reimet re-elected Canadian nae the delegates from new structure which the Canadian section fina and administratively nomous.