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Attlee backs cown

The Labor government, risking a left wing revolt in its own
party, has decided to abandon plans for further nationalization
of industry at this time. Prime Ministc. Clement R. Attlee (seen
here leaving 10 Downing Street with Herbert Morrison, lord
president of the council} told his reformed cabinet that the
nationalization program must be stopped in view of the Labor
party’s scant seven-seat majority in the new House. Despite
known opposition of the Labor party left wing to abandonment
of nationalization schemes, and the danger of a big revolt in
the weeks to come, the cabinet gave Attlee its full suppott.

Electrical
workers out
on strike

First local Electrical Workers
strike in 21 years started at 7
a.m. Wednesday moming when
55 employees of Neon Products
of Western Canada Ltd. threw
a picket line around the company’s
plant at 260 Terminal. The
workers, members of local 213,
International Brotherhood of Elec-

“trical Workers (AFL-TLC), are
asking increased wages and ad-
justment of classifications, two
weeks holiday with pay instead of
one week, and all Serotary holi-
days with pay.

. The
three-way split on a conciliation

board. The union’s latest offer.

was to settle for recommendations
of the labor representative on the
board. Employers have made no
positive offer since the opening of
negotiations last August.

Workers voted 88 percent in
favor of strike action. They have
the backing of 1,500 union mem-
bers and the sanction of the Build-
ing Trades Council, representing
all AFL workers in the building

trades in Vancouver.

Neon Products is one of the
largest neon firms in western Can-
ada. Men on strike include elec-
tricians, glass benders and sign

hangers.

strike resulted from a °

- Makers

LPP convention will
be held March 24-26

The seventh annual convention
of the British Columbia-Yukon
section of the Labor-Progressive
party will be held in Pender Aud-
itorium here from March 24 to

26, it was announced this week
by Maurice Rush, LPP provincial
organizer,

Rush informed the Pacific Tri-
bune that approximately 125 dele-
gates from all major cities and
areas of the province were ex-
pected to attend the convention.

Major issues to be discussed,
he said, included the work of the
LPP in the struggle for peace,
jobs and markets, and particular-
ly the question of Canadian re-
cognition of the Chinese People’s
Republic, and the fight to main-
tain and extend civil liberties.

Paper workers
win 6c boost

British Columbia’s 5,000 pulp
and paper workers have won a
straight 6cent wage increase
across the board, bringing the
basic pay to $1.12 an hour. The
two unions involved in the suc-
cessful negotiations with pulp
and paper operators were Inter-
national Brotherhood of Paper
(AFL-TLC) and Inter-
national Brotherhood of Pulp,
Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers
(AFL-TLC).

Union officials claim the new
agreement establishes the -high-
est pay rate in the industry in
Canada.

The Sicclugree ene raid on, Mene-Mill here, organized by Millard’s top leadership
The initiative is now in the hands of the new executive of Trail local
480 which, with a newly organized body of more than 100 stewards, is taking up grievances and
winning back workers confused by the claims and misleading propaganda spread by the Steelworkers in

clique, is being rolled back.

the first days of the attempted “blitz.”

Workers are now signing back in Mine-Mill at the rate of 30 a day, and spokesmen for om
raiding Steelworkers, realizing they have no hopes of winning a majority, are now reduced to calling
upon smelter workers to cancel their dues checkoff to Mine-Mill and *

Bert Gargrave, former CCF whip and member of the legislature for Mackenzie who is now
leading the Steelworktrs’ raid as a CCL organizer, admitted in court that dues checkoff cards for

should be organizing the 40,000

Trail and Kimberley were print-
ed by December 7, two weeks

‘before the CCL sold Mine-Mill’s

jurisdiction to the Steelworkers for

$50,000.

This is a clear indication that
the decision to print the cards
was made in consultation with
renegade officers of Mine-Mill’s
Trail local. :

As a result of the Steelworkers’
raid, a battle is shaping up in
the CCL top leadership. Silby
Barrett, Canadian director of the
United Mine Workers and a CCL

executive officer, claims that the

Unions throughout B.C.
give aid to Mine-Mill

Support for Mine-Mill local 480 at Trail in its fight against raiding Steelworkers is growing

Nanaimo coal miaers have voted an assessment of one dollar per
West Coast Seamen’s Union have given $100; Britannia local of Mine-
Mill has donated $1000, half to go to the district office and half to the international.

throughout British Columbia.
member to assist Mine-Mill;

Marine Workers and Boilermak-
ers Industrial Union, local 1, Van-
couver, this week passed a reso-
lution pledging support to Mine-
Mill and blasting United Steel

Workers’ leaders for their union-
busting activities.

Pointing out that CCL leaders
are following a suicidal policy in
Suspending unions from the con-
gress and raiding their jurisdic-
tion, the resolution castigated

USW’s disruptive role in Trail,

and said:

“It is well known that the or-
ganizing of Trail -by Mine-Mill
Some years ago broke the back
of company unionism in British
Columbia and was a tremendous
asset in organizing the unorgan-
ized workers in this province.

“Suspension and raids on the
members of another union’ is
playing the employers’ ‘game
and is doing on the inside what
the employer failed to do from
the outside, that is, smash the
union.

“Our union condemns in the
strongest possible terms this raid-
ing and splitting of the workers’
organizations and calls upon the
CCL to return to the field of
true trade unionism by develop-
ing and building unity of the
workers. We call upon all local
unions and rank-and-file Steel-
workers to disassociate themsel-
ves from this dastardly action of

i

CCL had no right to award the
jurisdiction over chemical workers
at the Trail Warfield plant to
the Steelworkers. This, he de-
clares, means that in effect the
CCL is going back on a promise
made by CCL President A. R.
Mosher three years ago to give
the UMWA jurisdiction over

chemical workers.

Barrett states that if the Steel-
workers attempt to secure bargain-
ing rights for the Warfield plant,
the UMWA will join with Mine-
Mill in opposing the application.

In a recent press release, Bar-
rett declares that “‘the Steel union

their officials as being deterimen-

tal to the name of the United
Steel Workers of America. We
pledge support to Mine-Mill in
their fight to protect theiy union.”

In Trail this week the raiders
had to renege on Charlie Millard’s
boast of last week that “we'll
demand certification immediate-
ly.” Despite efforts of a score
of USW organizers, the majority
of smelter workers have refused
to switch their allegience from
Mine-Mill to Steel.

Catholic workers who remained
true to their union discovered
this week that the St. Anthony’s
Parish Bulletin, issued by the
Franciscan Fathers, is actively
campaigning on behalf of the Steel
raiders. Calling the present situ-
ation “an opportunity for Chris-
topher-minded men” the bulletin
exhorted:

“The aim of the Christopher
movement is to put men with
high Christian ideals into the key
positions of labor management.
Besides men with high ChriSstian
ideals are urged to take such po
sitions so as to bar the way for
subversives or communists. Be
a Christopher; lend your support.
If you do not want to join the
union supported by the CIO-CCL
at least sign the card supporting
them as bargaining agent. If
you dont sign you are supporting
the communist-dominated union.”

Smelter workers, many of them

going to assemble the hydroge?

Mine-Mill rolls back
Steel raid at Trail

—TRAIL, : B.C.

‘save themselves two dollars.”’

unorganized steelworkers in Can-
ada, rather than trying to organ-
ize chemical workers.”’

Mine-Mill locals 480 and 651
(Kimberley) are meeting at Kim-
berley on March 25 to prepare for
coming negotiations with Consoli-
dated Mining and Smelting and to
complete contract proposals.

In the meantime, the campaign
to restore local 480
strength before negotiations open is
meeting with rapid success, an in-

fiuential factor being the energetic
canvassing work being done by
the union’s ladies auxiliary.

Catholics, are viewing this inter-
ference in their union affairs with
the scepticism it deserves. They
know that several Mine-Mill offi-
cials are practising Catholics, in-
cluding secretary Dave McGhee.
They also know that the issue
is not communism,

Mine-Mill, is under attack by 4
raiding crew from Steel, and they
are determined to prevent local
480 from falling into the hands
of the splinter group.

.

Score ‘secret’
U.S. consulate

—TORONTO

Toronto Labor Council (TLC)
last week demanded that plans
for the U.S. consulate building
here be submitted for appro
to the city building department
(Board of Control had agreed t?
waive the law on request of th?®
U.S. ambassador on pretext
“secret” rooms in the building.’

Stewart Smith, Toronto at
Yorks LPP leader, also: led #
protest delegation to the Board:

At the Council meeting, Sa”
Lapedes, Garment Workers’ U?
ion, termed Ambassador Steil”
hardt’s request “an affront” se)
Canada’s sovereignty. “Why all
the secrecy?” he asked. “Are they

bomb in the basement.”

to full

‘

but trad@ |
unionism. The union they built,