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Unions backing Quebec

TORONTO — The fightback
spirit embodied in the militant de-
cisions of the most recent Cana-
dian Labor Congress convention
surfaced last week as trade unions
in English-speaking Canada pro-
claimed their support for the gen-
eral strike being staged by Que-
bec’s public sector union Com-
mon Front.

In offering their support, most
of the unions noted the impact a
victory for the Quebec workers
would have on reviving the
fightback in the rest of the country
against public sector wage con-
trols, and concessions in the pri-
vate sector negotiations.

Dick Barry, president of the
United Electrical workers,
communicated the union’s sup-
port to the three centrals in the
Common Front and wired CLC
president Dennis McDermott urg-
ing him to publicly declare the
congress’ support for the Com-
mon Front.

Barry’s telegram, with copies"

to Cliff Pilkey, president of the
Ontario Federation of Labor urg-
ing the fed to send a similar mes-

Sage of support, urged the labor

leaders to back the Common
Front and its affiliates ‘in the
spirit of the unanimous votes at
the Winnipeg CLC convention to
conduct an_ all-out campaign
against concessions ...”’

Pilkey told the Tribune, Jan.
26, that he had personally con-
tacted QFL president Louis
Laberge, Jan. 20, ‘‘and told him

_ the OFL is behind their organiza-
~ tion and what they’re doing, and I

said our federation would be glad
to do anything we could to help.”’

Buzz Hargrove, administrative
assistant to United Auto Workers
Canadian director Bob White,
said the union sent the Common

Front leaders a message of sup-
port, Jan. 26. ‘‘Our union consid-
ers the development of the gen-
eral strike by the Common Front
very, very important to the over-
all fightback in the rest of
Canada”’, he said.

“They’ll Have Our Help”

Describing the strike as ‘“‘ex-
tremely important for working
Canadians”’ and a “‘step in labor’s
fightback program against the as-
saults on labor by public and pri-
vate sector employers’’ Hargrove

Said the UAW message to the :

Common Front leaders was ‘‘to
let them know they'll have our
help in whatever way we can.”’

Grace Hartman, president of
the Canadian Union of Public
Employees, (CUPE), urged Pre-
mier Rene Levesque, in a tele-
gram to withdraw Bill 105, re-
turn to the bargaining table, and
turn away from his government’s
present confrontation course.

“The general strike is a direct
result of your government’s
provocation’’, Hartman told
Levesque. ‘‘You’ve left the
workers no choice but to protest
the confiscation of their wages in
the only way they can, that is by
withdrawing their services.”’

CUPE represents about 20,000
of the Common Front members
affected by Bill 105, and is af-
filiated to the QFL.

Ontario Public Service Em-
ployees president Sean OQ’ Flynn
issued a message of support to
QFL leader Louis Laberge to be
read in French to his and the
Common Front’s affiliates at pub-
lic meetings.

Expressing the 65,000-member
OPSEU’s ‘‘admiration and sup-
port’’ for what O’ Flynn called the
Common Front’s “‘historic’”’ ac-
tion, he declared that, ‘this brutal

EAS Gi

elimination of your members’
collective bargaining rights justi-
fies the answer. your members
have served on the government

“By your courageous action
you are setting an example to
workers in other provinces who
are struggling equally hard to de-
fend their salaries, jobs and fami-
lies. Together we will win.”

As the Tribune went to press
the Canadian Union of Postal
Workers was preparing a message
of support and a public statement.

Unions, organizations and
individuals wishing to for-
ward messages of solidarity
to the Common Front can
write or telex to the following
locations.

Quebec Federation of Labor
Louis Laberge, president
1290 Rue St. Denis
Montreal, Que.

N2X 3J7

Confederation of National
Trade Unions,

Donatien Corriveau,
president,

1601 Rue Delormier,
Montreal, Quebec,

H2K 3W4

Centrale de I’Enseignement
du Quebec,

Yvon Charbonneau,
president,

2336 Chemin Ste-Foy,
Quebec, Quebec,

GI1V 185

public sector

ee bs > he :

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) have expressed
their “admiration and Support” for the Quebec public sector in their fig

with the Levesque governmeni. Pictured here is one of OPSEU’s action
against the Ontario Government’s wage restraint program. 7

——

Telegram to Premier Rene Levesque: ;
Anti-democratic action of your government in passing Bill
105, cutting workers’ wages and cancelling collective baf- —
gaining responsible for legitimate strike action of Quebec —
public service workers. We appeal to your government to ©
repeal Bill 105 and restore collective bargaining and con-
tracted wages to workers involved. Your action affects not _
only Quebec workers but workers across Canada. Entire
. Canada-wide !abor movement will rally behind the action of
the Quebec Common Front. :
Central Executive Committee

Communist Party of Canada.

4

Full support for Quebec strike

In the battle of Copenhagen, 1804, then vice-admiral

will be judged for years to come by the trade unions by its

Horatio Nelson was being signalled by his commanding
officer to retreat from battle because the enemy forces
were superior. You will recall that Nelson placed his
telescope to his blind eye and declared he did not see the
signal. He went on to win the battle.

We are reminded of this history in the actions of the
Quebec public service workers who this week declared a
general strike against Bill 105 which cuts their salaries by
as much as 20% and cancels collective bargaining for
three years. More than 350,000 workers are involved,
crossing all three major labor centres in Quebec.

In taking these actions the Quebec workers have
“turned a blind eye” to the procrastinations of the
leadership of the Canadian Labor Congress (CLC) which
has concentrated its attentions on counting the strength
of the enemy and failing to properly estimate and use its
Own powers of mobilization and struggle.

The admiration and support of all Canadian working
people must be extended to the workers of Quebec for
failing to do what was needed in the face of the un-
precedented actions of federal, provincial and Quebec
governments against public service workers.

The centre of the entire fightback against monopoly in
Canada is now in Quebec. A victory for them will be a
victory for all Canadian workers, indeed for all demo-
cratic Canadians. It is just because of this that massive
support must be rolled up immediately for the Quebec
Common Front. It must be made clear to all govern-
ments, all corporations, all Canadians that the moral,
financial and all other forms of support necessary to help
win their epic battle will be forthcoming.

Nor should this support be restricted to the trade-
union movement. The strike of the public sector workers
in Quebec is more than economic, it is also highly politi-
cal. Itis against a government law cancelling their demo-
cratic rights of collective bargaining for three years and

a Labor in action
Sf. | William Stewart

arbitrarily reducing their wages by up to 20%.

What is needed in addition to the solid backing of the
labor movement, is the full support of all democratic
organizations: Teachers, academics, students organiza-
tions, community-groups, unemployed organizations,
tenant groups, ratepayers organizations, immigrant and
ethnic organizations (I wonder where the Canadian
Polish Congress will stand on this one?); should all swing
their full support behind the Common Front. It can be
expected that a flood of telegrams will be pouring into the
three centres of the Common Front pledging such
support.

A mass demonstrations of Quebec workers will be
meeting on Saturday, before this column is published, to
place their demands and vent their anger at the Levesque
government. It is certainly not too much to expect that a
series of support demonstrations could quickly be or-
ganized across Canada involving both public and private
industry workers promoted by provincial labor federa-
tions, labor councils and local union leaders.

Any “‘business as usual’’ attitude would be criminal.
This strike is the most serious act ever undertaken by
any section of the Canadian trade union movement
against any employer, — government or private.

It overshadows the Winnipeg General Strike in scope,
and because of its unlimited character, far exceeds the
one-day strike of October 14, 1976 called by the CLC.

The entire labor and trade union movement must now
show its strength. The New Democratic Party (NDP)

reaction to this struggle. The Communist Party is called
on to show its full colors. The left has a major role to play
in mobilizing and uniting the labor movement as well aS
all possible forces behind the strike.

At the same time, massive pressure needs to be
exerted on the CLC to move into action behind this
strike. If the past is any indication the congress leader-
shipcan be expected to drag its feet and at best issue some
sort of half-hearted statement in support of the Quebec
workers. :

This is not good enough.

Having failed rather dismally to live up to the de-
cisions of the last CLC convention, the least the CLC
leadership can do is to throw their entire energies behind
one of its bodies that took the CLC convention decisions
seriously. The sole guarantee for this will be an over-
whelming demand from all affiliates for the Congress to
act and act decisively.

Great pressures will be exerted on the Quebec work-
ers. The law in all its class savagery will be invoked to
break their strike. ut

The press and media will pull out all the stops toisolate |
the strikers from public support and intimidate the work-
ers. Police, company agents, provacateurs, government
supporters in their midst will all face off against the
strikers. :

Ultra leftists will attempt to turn their legitimate strike
into blind alleys; ‘liberal’ soothsayers will knif> their
actions under the pretext of supporting their cat se.

In all this welter of criticism and opposition, it 's the
unity and solidarity of the organized working clas. that
will determine the outcome of the strike and the win ting
of the support that is crucial to such a victory.

Quebec can be the turning point in the fightba:k
against monopoly. Let’s make sure it is a turn towaid
advance, not towards retreat.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE— FEBRUARY 4, 1983— Page 6