IWA : A number of proposals to beef up’ the Union’s Safety Programme were advanced by officers and delegates attend- ing the IWA Safety Confer- ence February 18, in Nanai- mo. The conference, attended by over sixty representatives from every IWA local union in British Columbia, was con- sidered the best held for a number of years. The entire conference evi- denced a genuine concern for the safety programme’s fu- ture which was reflected in the high level of debate. Every phase of the programme was discussed and no attempt was made to sweep the difficult problems under the rug. The tone was set by guest speaker regional president Jack Moore, who in answer to the criticism that the pro- gramme was being hindered because of a lack of commun- ication between officers and the safety council, suggested that the regional safety direc- tor report directly each month to the regional executive board. He stated this would solve the problem and provide for better cooperation between the two groups. Moore also made it plain that the regional and local union officers con- sidered the job that the safety council was performing as one. of the most important in SAFETY CONFERENCE “ONE OF THE BEST" the union, and any help need- ed to further promote the pro- gramme would be immediate- ly forthcoming. The conference, following the opening address of wel- come by the host local 1-80’s 1st vice-president Fernie Vi- ala, devoted the morning to the reading of local union safety reports. These reports indicated that the majority of the fatalities were occurring in the logging section of the industry and peculiarly, they were happen- ing in the jurisdiction of local unions who were putting the greatest concentration on safe- ty. A great deal of discussion was given by the delegates to the long-standing problem of ‘walking wounded.’ John Ha- chey, 1st vice-president of Lo- cal 1-357, New Westminster, charged that the “companies were completely negating the principles of the safety pro- gramme by allowing this prac- tice to continue.” President Art Damstrom of Local 1-405, Cranbrook, stat- ed the companies were at- tempting to take over the safety programme and it was time the regional council got tough with them. Other speakers suggested that some of the blame must be shared by those employees, who in their anxiety to draw full pay, follow the advice of THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER management and fail to report their injuries to the compen- sation board. One of the highlights of the conference was the safety talk by Carl Stevens, plant chair- man at MacMillan - Bloedel’s Chemainus sawmill. Carl, along with Cliff Brown, an- other plant committee mem- ber, told the delegates how in 1965, the employees at Che- mainus instilled new life into the plant’s safety programme by boldly taking it over. They elected a ten-man ac- cident prevention committee and followed this up by check- ing out all hazards in the plant. These were reported to the company, which recogniz- ing that the employees meant business, hastened to correct. A number of other measures were instituted by the com- mittee to promote better safe- ty on the job. One of these measures was the use of slides depicting accidents on the job. Carl and Cliff showed the slides to the conference delegates and ex- plained by this method it was possible not only to show how accidents occur but also to il- lustrate actual injuries sus- tained by .fellow employees from these types of accidents. The next safety conference, subject to the approval of the regional executive board, will be held June 17, in Kelowna. HOST LOCAL 1-80’s Ist vice-president Fernie Viala is shown welcoming the IWA safety conference delegates to Nanaimo. Group left, Andy Smith, regional safety director; Eric Ewert, Ist vice-chairman of the safety council; Pat Ewels, safety council secretary; Norm Kelly, safety council chairman. NORM KELLY, Local 1-357 financial secretary and safety council chairman, demonstrates to the conference, the dan- ger of inexperienced people tinkering with electrical boxes and switches. The panel is the property of 1-357 and is used extensively by the Local at its safety meetings. HACHEY REVIEWS BASIC PRINCIPLES OF WCB ACT By JOHN HACHEY Ist Vice-President, Local 1-357 Much has been said over the years by all of us as to the shortcomings of the Workmen’s Compensation Act in the province of British Columbia. It would be ap- propriate at this time to look at the basic principles of Workmen’s Compensation. In order to do this, the _ writer has used part of the late Chief Justice Sloan’s re- port as a result of his inquiry of the Workmen’s Compensa- tion Act in 1952. Prior. to the Workmen’s Compensation Act which was enacted into law in 1917, workmen, if injured, had to take the companies to court in order to receive any type of payment for their acci- dents. The first worker to derive benefits from the Workmen’s Compensation Act was a Van- couver longshoreman by the name of Thomas Pickering. He crushed the third finger of his left hand while moving a case of machinery parts. He was off work for two weeks and received for time loss wages $32.73, and the Com- pensation Board paid $8.50 in medical benefits. Since that time, of course, we have come a long way. Chief Justice Sloan, in his report, pointed out that the Workmen’s Compensation Act was adopted with the de- liberate purpose of abandon- ing the practice of a worker having to sue the employer and the employer paid for these through assessments to the Board. We must remember that if a worker is injured on the job, in most cases whether he is negligent or not, he will re- ceive compensation. On the - other hand, prior to 1917 when workmen sued the company for damages only 20-30% were successful and only after a protracted and anxious bout with the law. We also find that in many cases people who are injured and receive a disability pen- sion are able to go back to their own jobs and earn as much as they were earning prior to the injury, thus in- creasing their earning capa- city. However, the administra- tion of the Act is not in itself without imiquities. As the report of the Commissioner, the Hon. Mr. Justice Chas. W. Tysoe, indicates, some of the administrative changes that he recommends are ot vital interest to us as workers and all possible pressure should be brought to bear on the MLA’s to see that his recom- mendations are enacted as law. At this time the principal benefits which accrue to workers under the Act may be summed up as follows: 1. The prevention, as far as possible, of accidents and injury to themselves in the course of, and as a result of their work. 2. All necessary medical and hospital care and atten- tion in the event of such in- jury. 3. Such treatment as may be required to restore and re- habilitate them as _ useful workers so far as is possible. 4. Fmancial compensation by way of 75 per cent of their loss of average earnings dur- ing the period of their tem- porary disablement. 5. Pensions for total or par- tial permanent disability. 6. Pensions and other pay- ments to their dependents in the event of death occurring from injury sustained in the course and as a result of their work, These benefits are not granted as a matter of grace but of right. There is no measure of charity about them. They have been ac- quired by the workmen as a body in return for giving up such rights as the right to sue their employer. The undeniable fact is that roughly 70-80% of those who are recipients of the benefits provided by the Act would not have received anything at all prior to 1917. Of course . the employers also benefit. They dre released of the ex- penditures of the time and money in contesting work- men’s claims against them in the courts, and of the ill-feel- ing that is generated by hard- fought legal battles. There is no doubt that the Act has benefited workmen and em- ployers alike. CLASSIFIED FOR SALE: ONE 10% CF. freezer. Thermometer, 3 baskets and divider. $100. Real bargain. One portable electric air conditioner on castors. Cost $150. Will take $50. A. Turner. TR. 9-2821. LIGHTER SIDE The wife who drives an automobile from the back seat isn’t any worse than the man who cooks from the dining room table.