December 5, 1988
50

Vol. 51, No. 45

B.C. Fed to fight trade deal

More than 400 woodworkers from Fletcher-Challenge Canada operations on Vancouver Island marched on the com-
Pany’s head offices on West Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver Nov. 25 to protest the forest companies’ destructive
logging practices and log exports which have resulted in timber shortages and layoffs of IWA-Canada mill workers.
Demonstrators later marched to a rally at Fletcher-owned B.C. Forest Products’ head office where IWA-Canada leaders

demanded changes to legislation to curb logging waste and to ban log exports. Story, page 3.

By SEAN GRIFFIN

More than 1,000 delegates to the B.C.
Federation of Labour’s annual convention
made it clear this week that thé fight against
free trade is far from over, despite the elec-
tion of the Tories.

The convention burst into standing ova-
tion Wednesday as unionists unanimously
backed a special resolution outlining a 10-
point program of action to fight the trade
deal and its effects.

Two days earlier, delegates had sent back
for re-drafting a vaguely-worded resolution
submitted by the resolutions committee,
demanding that it include plans to continue
the opposition to the Canada-U.S. trade
deal and to resist job losses resulting from
the deal. The referral followed a lengthy
floor debate in which delegates warned that
the labour movement “ has to say what
we're going to do when plants start clos-

ing.
see DELEGATES page 12

Protect jobs,
OFL demands

By KERRY McCUAIG

TORONTO — Ontario labour vowed
this week there would be no co-operation
with the Mulroney government as it moves
to implement free trade.

In his opening remarks to the 1,380 dele-
gates attending the 32nd annual convention
of the Ontario Federation of Labour, presi-
dent Gord Wilson said free trade would
bring no concessions from workers in con-

_ tract talks, and pledged the resources of the

850,000-member federation to support any
members who occupy plants to protest
company shutdowns or downsizing because
of free trade.

The labour leader paid tribute to the
thousands of trade unionists who fought the
Conservative trade agreement and the
many popular movements which worked
alongside them.

Leaders of the Pro-Canada Network, a
coalition of 34 country-wide organizations
founded to fight the deal, were introduced
from the podium: Marjorie Cohen, vice
president of the National Action Commit-
tée on the Status of Women; Canadian
playwright Rick Salutin; Network co-chair
Tony Clarke of the United Church of Can-
ada; and Greg Dowling of the National
Farmers Union.

Enduring Coalition

“It is a coalition that will endure,” Wil-
son stressed. ‘‘It is a coalition that will con-
tinue to play a role in determining the future
of this province and this country. And it isa
coalition that will bring closer the day when

see GERARD page 11

.

Toxic waste facility dumped

— page 5

Next issue Dec. 19

With this issue, the Tribune will skip
a week, to allow staff time to prepare
the enlarged year-end edition. Your
next paper will be dated Dec. 19 and
will be off the press Friday, Dec. 16.

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