THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

GUIDELINES ATTACK.
ON BARGAINING

Premier W. A. C. Bennett’s
eall for compulsory guidlines
for wages and prices has

angered trade unions through-
out B.C.

The B.C. Federation of
Labour quickly branded it an
outright attack on free collec-
tive bargaining and a further
indication of the failure of the
provincial government to meet
its responsibilities.

Premier Bennett made the
proposal in connection with
the federal government’s pol-
icy of voluntary wage and
price guidlines, which has
also been rejected by labour.

_ he Federation said Pre-

mier Bennett is obviously
attempting to build up a
straw man around the infla-
tion issue. Canada is not going
through a period of wage-
push inflation and there is no
economic evidence to warrant

the kind of scare propaganda
he is engaging in.

A major component in in-
creased costs is housing which
represents about one-third of
the consumer dollar. Yet the
provincial government has
done nothing to curb the land
speculation which has con-
contributed so greatly to the
rise in housing costs. The
federal government has not
only done nothing to reduce
high interest rates; it has ac-
tually sponsored increases.

The Federation said that
Canada needs a planned eco-
nomic stimulus; not the slow-
ing down process that guide-
lines are intended to achieve.

In British Columbia a

major source of the present

problem is the borrowing
practice of the provincial gov-
ernment which, on a per
capita basis, borrows more
than any other province.

SETTLEMENTS AGREED
IN TWO INTERIOR PLANTS

Settlements agreed upon in
direct negotiations with two
Northern Interior operations
include contract terms sub-
stantially better than those
recommended in the Munroe
report, Regional president
Jack Moore has announced.

The operations are two stud
mills, Tubafour, at Quesnel,
and Weldwood of Canada,
Ltd. at Lac La Hache, with a
total of 150 employees.

In a three-year contract
wage increases will be:

e 24 cents an hour, effective
September 1, 1967;

e 10 cents an hour, effective
May 1, 1968;

e The coast increase nego-
tiated 1968, effective Janu-
ary 1, 1969;

e 10 cents an hour, effective
September 1, 1969;

e The coast increase nego-

itated 1969, effective Janu-

ary 1, 1970.

‘The night shift premium
will be increased to 10 cents
an hour in October, 1967.

Annual vacation pay will be
based on an additional one-
half per cent of annual earn-
ings.

Statutory holiday qualifica-
tions will be placed on a par
with those in effect at the
coast.

Commenting on the settle-
ments, the IWA president
said: “If these two small mills
producing two by four studs
are able to provide substan-
tially better contract terms
than those proposed by Mr.
Justice Munroe, it is abun-
dantly clear that the large

-companies can easily ensure

Interior woodworkers full
parity with coast woodwork-
ers.”

2nd Issue
October, 1967 AS

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THERE
127 E. 2nd Ave., Vancouver, B.C.
W65-5