is _ Canada. 7 =: WE CANADA By MIKE PHILLIPS | et month's rejection by Cape 2reton miners of the Canadian | Gneworkers Union raid on the 4 dig a Mineworkers of America i stat ayed the miners’ under- _ ‘landing that the fight for Cana- ae autonomy can’t be separated Tom the economic fightback. si None level the victory March ee T the UMW can be seen as part (OF the growing trend among __ Workers, most prevalent in B.C., and now in Alberta with the birth _ and development of Operation cul. toward unity in the fs AS an unprecedented attack | € people’s rights and living __ Standards by the monopoly estab- lishment and the governments ‘Which serve it throughout wonetWithstanding a measure of in = and indecision at the nh ‘ the trade union move- 4 » below, at the grass roots mel workers are responding to- - © Monopoly offensive by unit- _ 'g their ranks and seeking allies __With whom they can rally to throw = S - Pack this reactionary onslaught. ‘The trend is toward breaking cot the barriers to all-in labor hity so a militant fightback can in Waged, and workers are seek- 8 large and powerful organi- Zations to help them protect their Interests. They sense that the unity of the | Orces arrayed against them must _ © Matched by trade union and } working-class unity, if all that has _ Seen achieved so far, as a result of _ Sacrifice and struggle, is to be Saved and further improvements _ Made to the quality of life. The CMU raid was fueled less ~ | qe een than on the min- heed to exe eter T0 rt rank and file democracy and. control over UMW District 26. This was reflected in the way the winners offered the hand of friendship and fraternity to CMU supporters, recognizing some of the positive impact on the union raised by the debate that raged among the miners over the way out of the crisis facing them, and recognizing that at bottom the CMU supporters were also seek- ing justice. District 26 president, Jake Campbell following the announcement of voting results appealed to CMU backers: to close ranks with all other Cape Breton miners, and join in the task of building a stronger, more democratic and effective UMW. The miners were divided among themselves over what was the best way to strengthen democracy and the union’s ability to wage a successful fightback. In the end the majority opted to take the UMW, with a new reform- minded international leadership, at its word. — : The fact this new leadership moved swiftly to implement promised reforms and took action to put District 26’s affairs in order by clearing the way for the elec- tion of a new grass-roots-based leadership, was cited by many as the reason why the UMW broadened its margin of victory over the CMU. The March 8 out- come was 200 votes more for the UMW than in last year’s CMU bid when the latter came within 347 votes of success... - The tally on March 8 had the UMW beating CMU 1,795 to 1,242, a margin of 553 votes. Ironically, the Confederation of Canadian Unions has found dis- sent within its own ranks as a re- ~ Cane Breton vote shows >— need for unity, fightback — - sult of placing narrow nationalist goals above the demands of work- ing class'unity and class struggle. A group of B.C. miners has bolted from the Canadian Association of Industrial Mechanical and Allied Workers, (CAIMAW) a CCU affiliate over a number of issues including CAIMAW’s failure to remain within B.C.’s Operation Solidarity. By failing to kick in its share of the financial commitment all par- ticipating unions had agreed to submit to the B.C. Federation of Labor-sponsored all-in labor coal- ition, CAIMAW found itself standing on the sidelines of one of the most significant labor strug- gles seen for a longtime in B.C. or the rest of Canada. _ The UMW victory in Cape Bre- ton is by no means the last'we will hear of the miners’ fight for Cana- dian autonomy. There remains a long way to go in the fight for a sovereign, united and in- dependent Canadian trade union movement. But important gains have been made toward this goal, and there is recognition by Canadian work- ers that the fight to achieve this. objective has to take place within the mainstream of the labor movement, where the workers are not on the fringes or in isola- tion from the rest of the organized working class. Tough battles loom for Cape Breton workers, as for workers throughout Canada. To the. de- gree the trade union movement can be united around class strug- gle policies that will prevent monopoly from foisting the toll for capitalism’s crisis onto work- - ers’ backs, so will total control over that movement by Cana- dians be achieved. Immigrant workers want dignity ~ Strike for wage parity | — Sli BRA Special to the Tribune ty” MPTON — ‘We're fighting for our digni- » Amerigo Villalobos said on the picket line at es Certified Brake Ltd., as the United Steelworkers’ > strj : 'Sttike entered its fourth week. ages are the issue in the workers’ fight for a nt contract. The company offer is insultingly 4 The workers, mainly immigrants of Latin a two Italian and Asian origin are aiming for a year pact with wage hikes of $1.20 an hour and C. the first and second years. i poe Brake isn’t a “Mickey Mouse’”’ opera- i » the strikers point out. It is the largest manu- i) dece _Sturer of automotive brakes and components in - ae With some 600-workers in two plants in the _ ~ Mpton-Mississauga region, outside Toronto. ie © workers, members of United Steelworkers dog 14831 went on strike March 15 after turning “me n the company’s offer of a three-year agree- 4 At with a 50 cent an hour wage increase over the _ abe: first years, and 60 cents in the third. The aver- _ * Tate in the plants about $8 an hour. : cen addition, the company wantsto ravage work- ‘the benefits. They want the workers to pay part of aH Woe? (provincial health insurance) premiums, ch currently are fully paid for by the employer; Pa they’re seeking concessions in the drug and ae plans to shift the costs onto the workers’ — “oulders. . any ilalobos, a Chilean immigrant, noted the unity _\'“ Solidarity of the workforce, of which about 35 BS cent are women. Latin Americans, he added, ~AStitute about 40 per cent of the workforce. - Much of the reason for this unity’’, Villalobos, said, ‘“‘is that the workers in this plant are the lowest paid in North America for the kind of work we do.”’ When the plant is in operation, it is far from being a health and safety paradise, many strikers said. A number of workers have died this year of cancer and tuberculosis and the surviving workers share dark suspicions of the causes.: In their jobs they must handle asbestos and sev- eral chemical substances known to be dangerous. Even within the past three weeks, the strike has seen its ugly moments. During the first days of the conflict the workers had to defend their picket line in a confrontation with the police who were trying to escort scabs across the line. Then, on April 3 a woman picket suffered a leg injury when she was hit by a vehicle trying to plow its way through the line. : Also, the municipality of Mississauga has gotten into the act of the California-based company’s side in a move to try to force the strikers to remove a tent they’ ve set up near the picket line as a shelter for the strikers. : - ae The workers, however, aren’t showing any signs of caving in to the pressure and are keeping their sights firmly rivetted on a substantial wage in- crease and staunch rejection of concessions. — The large Latin American population among the Certified Brake workers drew the attention of the Chilean trade union central in exile, CUT, which has expressed its support for the strikers. CUT supporters have also brought quantities of bread to the line to help the strikers out. Language issue highlights crisis” The Manitoba New Democratic Party government’s con- troversial French-language legislation, first introduced in July, 1983, was allowed to die on the order paper, on Feb. 27, as that session of the legislature was prorogued, but the issues fundamental to the raging debate are now standing out more starkly than ever for Manitobans and all Canadians. The Manitoba Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of Canada took up the points at issue in this statement released March 12, which has been held for publication until this time. 5 ee eee, Ee At the heart of the matter (of French language rights) is the unresolved national question in Canada and the failure to recognize Quebec as a sovereign nation, within the Canadian state. Trudeau’s policy of bilingualism, an effort to by-pass recognition of the national rights of Quebec, has failed mis- erably. In English Canada, it has allowed deep-seated chauvi- nism to be further reinforced, as witness the hostility generated in Manitoba over the last eight months. The Manitoba legislation, including a constitutional amendment to resurrect French as an official language under Section 23 of the Manitoba Act of 1870 and a bill providing limited extension of French-language services to Franco- Manitoban communites in the province, was fought tooth and nail by the Tory opposition. A vicious campaign of distortions and outright falsehoods (such as the claim that “‘all Manitobans would have to speak French” if the legislation passed) was unleashed. The Tories held the legislature to ransom for 263 hours of bell-ringing, until the house was prorogued and the session ended. . The injustice of the 1890 denial of Franco-Manitoban rights by a Tory government was replayed by the Sterling Lyon-led opposition Tories in 1983 as they refused to come into the house so that a vote could be taken. Unfortunately, they were assisted by a Speaker's ruling which said no vote could be taken without the opposition present. The NDP, for its part, should have challenged the speaker and a vote should have been held. While such action would have been*met by hypocritical cries from the Tories that the NDP was undermining the parliamentary process, it would have been preferable to surrendering to the minority opposition. It cannot be over-emphasized that the provincial Tory campaign against the French language legislation was moti- vated and designed to bring down the NDP government and the Tories back in power. As well, there is the evidence of total opportunism and chicanery by the Progressive Consevatives, as whole, as shown by the different federal and Manitoba positions they held throughout the controversy. Brian Mulroney, in his attempt to convince Quebec voters that Tory policy can serve French Canada’s interests, sup- ported the three all-party resolutions in the House of Com- mons calling for support for the provincial NDP legislation. Meanwhile, in Manitoba, the same Conservative Party, including the Tory MPs from this province, were the driving force against entrenchment of language rights for Franco-Manitobans. The Manitoba NDP must shoulder its share of the blame for the eight-month fiasco. The NDP government let itself be _ put continually on the defensive. They tried to find an accommodation with the Tories instead of acting resolutely as the elected government. They failed to mobilize mass support from democratic forces, leaving the field clear for the Tories and their reaction- ary backers like the so-called “Grassroots Manitoba” and the neo-fascist Canadian League of Rights. The French-language plebiscite held in Winnipeg at the time of last fall’s civic elections was a strategic thrust in the opposition’s escalating campaign. That plebiscite was only made possible by the votes of the two NDP city councillors. As well, the NDP failed sufficiently to explain its proposals to a confused public. Now, the matters rests with the Supreme Court of Canada —entirely out of the hands of Manitobans. The long and painful exercise only highlights the absolute need to resolve the national question in Canada — to grant the right of self-determination to French Canada; to root out Anglo chauvinism and to confirm the rights of French and English-speaking minorities in the English and French- speaking nations respectively. It also serves as fair warning of future Tory actions, in that, should they be elected federally, they are in no position to guarantee rights of French Canadians, nor, for that matter, the rights of any minorities in Canada. PACIFIC TRIBUNE, APRIL 11, 1984 e 7