For an Independent, Sovereign
and United Trade Union Movement |

Throughout its history, the Communist

Party of Canada and its members have work- ©

ed untiringly to advance the unity of the
working class, and for a united trade union
movement which would expzess the true in-
terests of Canadian labor. :
The Communist Party, its members and the
left wing generally in the trade union move-
ment have consistently advocated and fought
for full autonomy in all unions, and for com-
plete inner union democracy, as necessary
to the earliest possible achievement of an
independent, sovereign and united Canadian
trade union movement. Communists see the
trade unions as being the most vital force in
the struggle against U.S. domination, and for
a truly independent Canada, based on the real
and lasting interests of the Canadian people.
An independent, sovereign and united
Canadian trade union movement would great-
ly strengthen the possibility of international
trade union unity, so imperative today as im-
perialism seeks to solve its problems at the
expense of the working class. International
labor unity is an urgent requirement to ad-
vance the struggle for peace and security in
the interests of the working class everywhere.

Coordinated efforts

The special conditions facing U.S. and
Canadian labor which arise from the opera-
tions of the U.S.-based multi-national corpora-
tions can and must be handled through agree-
ment between the unions concerned, based on
equality and fraternal relations. There is
every reason for agreement on co-ordinated
efforts in bargaining and other relations with
the corporations, for the excharige of ideas
and information, and for mutual assistance in
struggles involving the multi-national corpor-
ations.

Canadian trade unionists are now express-
ing more than at any other time their desire
and demand for new relations based on equal-
ity and fraternity with the U.S. trade union
movement.

This demand arises at a time when Canada
has come under intense and growing- econo-
mic and political pressure from the U.S. to
bail out U.S. imperialism, which seeks to extri-
cate itself from deepening crisis arising from
its bankrupt foreign policies at the expense of
the American workers and the workers of
other countries.

U.S. ownership and control of the com-
manding heights of the Canadian economy
places Canada in a particularly vulnerable
position as the Nixon economic measures
showed in 1971.

The DISC program, the U.S. Burke-Hartke
Bill or similar type legislation, the U.S. de-
mand to change the auto pact, and the cons-
tant pressure to compel Canada to provide the
U.S. with unlimited access to our energy and
raw material resources, have one aim — to
transfo-m Canada into a source of raw mate-
rial supply for the U.S. while limiting the
development of Canadian secondary industry.
The end result could be the disappearance

-of more than half a million jobs in manufac-

turning alone and a drop in living standards.
Canadian workers in growing numbers see
this grave danger.

Labor solidarity

Canadian workers are also seeing the brutal
and anti-working class attitude of the right
wing trade union leadership headed by
George Meany and Jay Lovestone. That
leadership brought the cold war into the trade
unions and as part of it gave full support to
U.S. imperialist aggression in Vietnam. That
leadership gives full support to the measures
proposed by U.S. imperialism to make the
working people, including the American work-
ers, shoulder the consequences of the eco-
nomic crisis. The Meany-Lovestone leader-
ship is shown as being completely uncoricern-
ed with the probable disastrous effect of U.S.
imperialist policies in Canada.

Working class internationalism and inter-
national labor solidarity in the struggle for
labor’s rights and interests has no place in
the business unionism of Meany & Co. This
is so obvious that Mr. Donald MacDonald,
president of the Canadian Labor. Congress,
when asked on February 20, 1973, why he
did not present the views of Canadian labor
to Meany and the AFL-CIO, said: “We know
they aren’t even interested in giving such
consideration. It would be a waste of time.
They are fully familiar with our position.”

Mr. MacDonald’s observation is a complete
argument for an independent, sovereign and
united Canadian trade union movement, and it
is incumbent on the Canadian Labor Con-

gress to provide the leadership to bring this -

The Edmonton Convention of the Canadiat
Labor Congress in 1970 adopted a statemen
which set out modest guidelines on limite
autonomy for all its affiliates. This Cansei
decision was apparently ignored by the AF 4
CIO leadership, and most of the U.S.-base
International Unions have refused to act on
them. aa
Developments since 1971 establish the n re
for a policy which is far beyond that of t
CLC Edmonton convention. The Canadian
Labor Congress and its affiliated unions sho i
insist that the AFL-CIO and the Internation@
Union headquarters place no obstacle in fe
way of Canadian workers achieving an pee
pendent and sovereign Canadian trade unl fe
movement based on equality and fraternal ee
lations. The U.S. unions should declare the
support for this objective, which in the pee.
of true working class internationalism conte ;
ponds to the real interests of Canadian @
American labor. se this

If the CLC fails to act decisively at U
time, it could open the door to an extenst
of raiding and greater splitting of the a
union movement, a condition which ‘the. ra
ployers and the big business political part!
would welcome and encourage. On the’ ae.
hand, if the CLC acts to lead the struggle
a new relationship between Canadian ES
U.S. labor, then the way would be opeae
uniting all trade unions in Canada and ena
the trade union movement to play an &V
moze effective role in the political arena an
in the struggle against monopoly policies.

Powerful, united force

If the Meany-Lovestone leadership ae
International Union officers refuse to coli
ate, and oppose the legitimate aim of ya
dian labor, the 1974 Canadian Labor Cone? :
Convention should adopt such measures an
are required to ensure that the fight for ian
independent, sovereign and united Cana

ers . a
trade union movement will be advanced

achieved, and that labor in Canada be
powerful and united force in the strugs
the genuine independence of our country)
economic policies directed to achieve jobs of
rising standards and a_ foreign police
peace and trade, for an end to monopoly

++tee
Central Executive Committ

Ns

about at the earliest possible moment.

Communist Party “—

Jailed workers seek help

By W. ADDISON

REGINA — On Sunday, April
8, Carlos Elvira, a representative
of the Spanish Workers’ Com-
missions, spoke and showed two
films to an audience in Regina
under the sponsorship of the Re-
gina Labor Council.

Mr. Elvira is presently tour-
ing Canada to advance proposals
for a campaign in support of the
imprisoned Spanish workers and
for the widest possible partici-
pation of Canadian trade union-
ists.

Elvira said, “The new workers’
movement, its strikes and soli-
darity among all sectors of em-
ployment, in Madrid, in Barce-
lona, in Catalonia, in Pamplonia,
all over, has amazed the world.
Not only for its heroism, but for
its combativeness. The most im-
portant factor in. this new mili-
tancy has been the birth of the
workers’ commissions.”

Elvira told how Franco at-—

tan

strations, by sentencing workers
severely for belonging to the
workers’ commissions, by jailing
and murdering workers’ leaders,
etc. ;

“Workers’ Commissions are
not unions but form a move-
ment standing for the right to
organize workers, for collective
bargaining, and for the estab-
lishment of democratic liberties
in Spain,” said Elvira, who spent
23 years in Spanish jails.

The Workers’ Commissions en-
joy broad popular support in
their struggle against the Franco
regime. Speaking of the work of
the Commissions, Elvira. said,
“In order to fight repression the
struggles must be multiplied.”

World-wide solidarity with the
Carabanchel 10 (Workers jailed
since last June) is imperative.
The government is apparently
split over the issue. The power-
ful ministries of finance and for-
eign affairs urge the release of
the men while the. ultra-conser-
vative elements demand their
conviction. 5
Trade union leaders in Europe

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 1973—PAGE6 ve

have announced a boycott of all
Spanish shipping and mail handl-
ing duting the trial and have
come out strongly against any
move to allow Spain into the
European Common Market. AIl-
ready the trial has been post-
poned from its original date in
January and there-is hope that
if international pressure be-
comes. intense enough the
charges will be dropped. Mr. El-
vira requests that all appeals
and messages of solidarity sent
to the prisoners be given the
widest possible publicity for in
this way only will the Franco
regime be forced to make con-
cessions.

’ ,He pointed out that besides

solidarity from trade unionists
in Europe, the Spanish workers
are supported in their struggles
by many European parliamenta-
rians, by Canadian trade union-
ists, and within their own coun-
try by segments of the churches.

The films Elvira showed de-
picted the tragedy of the
peasants and farm laborers in
Spain. He said 100,000 farm

Carlos Elvira addressing the Ontario Federation of

tion during his visit to Canada in 1971. Hi

workers migrate annually to
Barcelona to work in construc-
tion. “Three hundred thousand
of these laborers live in slums,”
he said.

Elvira said, “Children must
take piece work into the house
to make ends meet.”

WAAC vate te - VAS * Ve

Spain, is a fine repress of Shi
the “ordinary workel 5
His belief that the 10"
forces of Spain can oa by |
beaten is one ‘SMA sage
people. ; “