©

~ Forest monopolies issue
lockout threat to IWA

The bosses of the forest industry on the coast followed the “‘hard line’’ pattern of
the Employers Council Wednesday when it served a 72-hour notice to the 27,000-
member IWA threatening to lockout the entire industry.

Seizing on the excuse-that
two plants in Vancouver are on
strike, Forest Industrial
Relations (FIR), which acts
for the major forest monopo-
lies, delivered an ultimatum
that the two strikes be called
off or the entire industry would
shut down.

Syd Thompson, president of
the IWA’s Vancouver local
pointed out that the Weldwood
strike has been going on for 10
weeks and that no attempt so
far has been made by the
company to end it. He said the
small Pan-Abode Buildings
Ltd., employing only a handful
of men, was not included in
the round of negotiations with
FIR.

It’s quite obvious that the big
forest monopolies have been
seeking an opportunity to
follow the example of the con-
struction industry to impose a

shutdown. The PT in a story
some weeks ago reported
widespread talk in the industry
that the employers wanted to
force a lockout.

The key to the provocative
and arrogant attitude of the
forest bosses this year was
shown by the proposal made
recently by FIR president John
Billings that woodworkers
forego any wage increase in
1970. :

It’s clear now that FIR would
like to impose a crisis in the
forest industry, such as the con-
struction bosses did with their
lockout, and then have the
government step in with Bill 33
and impose compulsory arbi-
tration. This appears to have
been the overall strategy of the
Employers Council in ‘this
year’s round of major nego
tiations.

Meanwhile, Resources
Minister Williston came under
sharp fire this week for a
speech in Tahsis which was a
direct attempt to influence
commissioner Mr. Justice
Nemetz’ probe which is to start
Monday, July 20.

wee

As the Tribune went to-press
Wednesday the industrial labor
situation across B.C. was
coming to a boil.

At Kitimat, United Steel-
workers at the big Aluminum
Company of Canada plant
walked off the job.

Two international unions in the
pulp and paper field have served
strike notice on operations
owned by MacMillan-Bloedel,
B.C. Forest Products, Canadian
Forest Products, Crown
Zellerbach, Kamloops Pulp and
Paper and Northwood Pulp.

Signing OUTNOW |

petition

ON TORONTO STREET. Young peace worker Graysanne Bedell, '
shown getting another signature to the OUTNOW petition. A grouP °
seven petitioners in Toronto, including three members of the Yous,
Communist League, collected 1,200 names — 700 of them at a rece”
rock festival. :

Forced labor hit OUTNOW petition drive launched

Cont'd from pg. 1

tive bargaining. It is similar to
the ‘‘Labor Front’’ set up in
fascist countries under which
labor had no right to bargain for
the price of its labor — but was
forced to accept the decree of
governments setting wage and
other standards of work.

The fundamental issue
involved was touched on in an
editorial in the Vancouver
Province (July 11, 1970.)
Obviously concerned with the
powers the provincial govern-
ment has under Bill 33 (which
the Province supported when it
was enacted), an. editorial
entitled, “‘Flirting with big
changes,”’ says:

eee If compulsory
arbitration became a precedent
in basic wage disputes it would
mark another retreat from the
freedom a democratic society
has come to consider a natural
right. And it could trigger a

whole new set of reactions that -
might fundamentally and perma- ~

nently change the basis of our
society os 3a

The Province obviously
realizes that the destruction of
workers’ historic rights to
bargain for a collective
agreement to determine the
price for labor is seriously
threatened. And it is threatened
by the growing power ‘of the
monopolies and governments
who do their bidding.

When Bill 33 was adopted the
news media and political
spokesmen said, “‘give the Bill a
chance.”’ They misled many of
the public into believing that the
vague term “‘public interest’’
under which the government

RIOT ACT

Cont'd. from Pg. 2

raw materials instead of giving
them away to foreign corpora-
tions to be processed elsewhere.
In the meantime, Council
should certainly permit the
sanitary sewer hook-up that is
requested so that more accom-
modation can be immediately
provided for travelling youth.

would act, would apply only to
services vital to the people.

It is now clear that the Socred

_ government had in mind (as the

PT pointed out at that time)
using it against any group of
workers whose strike might
jeopardize the profits of the big
monopolies in our natural
resources industries. This
government, backed by the
Employers Council which it offi-
cially recognizes and to which it
affiliates government agencies

such as B.C. Hydro, considers.

every strike as ‘‘against the
public interest.”’

The use of Bill 33 against the
construction workers is an
attack on all unions. No union or
person who cherishes freedom
can stand aside from the issues
involved.

ALBERNI CP
BACKS UNION
WAGE FIGHT

Mark Mosher, speaking on

behalf of the Port Alberni branch
of the Communist Party, in a
broadcast heard throughout the
Alberni valley last week, dealt
with the real and the mythical
causes of inflation.

He pointed out that increased
interest rates, and land'costs had
not been brought by increased
wages, but were the major cause
of high costs in housing.

Monopoly control such as
Westons in the food industry are
responsible for increased food
prices. :

How about the cost of staying
healthy, he asked, and the cost of
medicine, pills and dentistry?
And did workers’ wages cause
the increase in income and
property taxes?

Mosher said the Communist
Party stood four-square behind
the workers who are demanding
wage increases this year, and he
urged his listeners to think
seriously of voting for a political
party that would put the welfare

of the people ahead of profits for’

industry.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1970—Page 8

A Canada-wide petition campaign — which is
part of a world campaign to stop the Indochina
war — has been launched ‘in all major Canadian
centres and is being taken up in B.C. by peace
organizations.

Many Canadian cities where the petition has
already started, report wide public support. In
Toronto it is reported that hundreds of names
rolled in in the first few days.

The nation-wide campaign has been launched
by the Canada Outnow Committee in Toronto and
is being taken up by peace groups and workers all
across the country in both French and English
Canada. The Honorary Chairman of the Outnow
Committee, Rev. I.G. Perkins, has issued an
appeal for support of the petition.

' In B.C. the Vancouver Peace Action League,
which has worked on an earlier Stockholm

President Nixon
OUTNOW,
Washington, D.C.

STOP

petition which was launched before the war Was
spread to Cambodia, collected over 14,000 names

_oN that petition. Tne League has now decided 10

join in the Canada-wide OUTNOW campaign.
Below is the petition being circulated in B.C. 45
part of the national and world-wide campalg™
Appearing in the form of a telegram to Nixon
with the word STOP, the petition asks the public
to support the message: ‘‘STOP military
aggression against the people of Indochina.

Withdraw all U.S. armed forces and weapons — :

immediately.” is
In New Westminster where a start was made
last week, over 300 names were collected on the
new petition. 6
Readers of the PT are urged to clip the petition
below and start collecting names among friends:
workmates, neighbors and the public.

Telecommunications

Canadians concerned to see an end to the war in
Indochina, and an end to Canada’s complicity in that war,
join the world-wide OUTNOW campaign, by calling on

President Nixon to:

STOP MILITARY AGGRESSION AGAINST THE
PEOPLE OF INDOCHINA. WITHDRAW ALL
U.S. ARMED FORCES AND WEAPONS

NAME ADDRESS
Ld
** Project OUTNOW is a world-wide campaign to get ges from the people of the world to -
President Nixon — saying one world only: STOP. Sponsored by: Vancouver Peace Action

League, ¢/o Mrs. S.M: Young, 1768 West 11th Ave. Vancouver 9, B.C. Phone: 733-9018

— re