LABOR.

300,000 WORKES SEE WAGES SLASHED
Quebec’s Common Front
_oncollision course with PQ .

By CLAIRE DaSYLVA
MONTREAL — In 1972, the Quebec
Government passed a law to jail the lead-
ers and break the province-wide general
strike which was organized by a Com-
~ mon Front of the three largest labor cent-
rals, the Quebec Federation of Labor,
the Confederation of National Trade
Unions, (CSN-CNTU), and the CEW,
the Quebec Teachers Central.
in 1979 the government passed a law

forbidding the province’s teachers, hos-
pital workers and para-public sector
workers grouped in the Common Front,
from taking strike action to back their
contract demands, before they would
have normally been in a legal strike

position.
_ This year, ine Parti Quebecois
government in Quebec City has passed
legislation which freezes, and even cuts
- workers’ wages before contract talks
even get off the ground.

These are some of the facts facing
Quebec’s Common Front of public and
para-public sector workers in their forth-
coming battle with the Quebec govern-
“ment, according to QFL representative
Real Lafontaine. With other represen-
-tatives of the Common Front, Lafon-
_taine was in Montreal Oct 7, for the last
ofa series of province-wide ‘information
_ meetings that brought to 10 Quebec cities
labor’s message for workers to gear up
for the battle head.

19% Wage ¢ Cut

=

- Quebec government negotiators have
admitted ae employees will suffer a

5% salary cut in 1983 and that for the next
three years their wages are to increase a
meager 3.29%.

According to the government’s last
contract offer, Bill 70, Quebec’s wage
cutting legislation for the public sector
will slash the salaries of 300,000 public
employees by 19% during the first three
months of 1983. Two-thirds of these
workers are represented in the Common
Front.

A wage increase of 2.3% which is due
in December has been cancelled by the
government of Premier Réné Léveésque,
even though that government signed a
contract with the workers in 1980. From
April to December of 1983, alt Gut 35,000
Of the lowest paid workers will have their
wages totally frozen. The 36,000 lower
paid workers will receive a princely 2%
wage increase during that period. In ad-
dition, the government is offering 5% in
1984 and 3.29% in 1985.

Yves Bérubé, president of the provin-
cial government’s Treasury Board, has
made it clear the PQ government, which
long ago ceased to brag about its bias
towards labor, will not only hold public
sector wages under the rate of inflation,
but will try to keep them much’ lower,
and linked, to wage increases in the pri-
vate sector.

Workers Robbed

The unions counter with the fact that
only a small percentage, less than 25% of

public sector workers can actually be ©

compared to workers in the private sec-
tor. They also point out Hank in most

cases where comparisons are possible,
the private sector workers are usually
organized, and earn higher wages than
their public sector counterparts.

Common Front leaders also note that
if the government has its way, the
purchasing power of public sector work-
ers at the end of the contract would be
much lower than it is today.

With recent tax exemptions to the cor-
porations in the province, the govern-
ment is refusing to collect some $700-mil-
lion. The unions point out that the
government S cuts on public sector
wages, in order, as it claims, to cover the
growing provincial deficit amounts to
just about the same figure. ‘“Why does

the government show more concern for

the corporations than it does for the
workers?”’ asked Jean-Francois Munn,
CSN representative on the Common
Front.

38,000 Jobless -

The unions point out that the govern-
ment budget cuts will result in the direct
unemployment of 38,000 workers,
further boosting the already huge de-
mand on unemployment insurance and
welfare. The cuts in wages will also mean
a drop in collectible tax revenue by the
‘government and further aggravate the
provincial deficit. The government is ex-
pected to collect a little less than $200-
million from public sector workers in
taxes next year.

According to the CSN, ‘the co
sions being demanded by the gover
ment on acquired union rights, part
cularly from the province’s hospité
workers, and after many tough battles fo
job security will push public sector work
ing conditions back to the dark days be:
fore 1966.

‘‘What job security’, CEQ repr
tative Gilles Lavoie asked, Oct. 7:
union expects to lose 10,000 teac
jobs if the government’s present ed
tion act changes are introduced.

‘. government wants the exclusive and un) |

lateral right to move workers. aro
merge jobs and hire and fire with no inp
from the unions, wiping out existing
tract gains in this area.

Teachers Aren’t Suckers

CEQ president Yvon Charbonne@
who was one of the three common fro!
leaders jailed by the provincial Lib
goverpment in 1972 for defending
members’ bargaining and trade unt :
rights, recently told a press conferen¢e
‘“‘We can negotiate a contract, even
1982.

‘This is especially true in the presé
context when our collective agreem
for all practical purposes, have bec
the ultimate protection against
deterioration of public services, esp
cially in education.”’

‘The government is proposing to ¢
tend its employees’ working hours. Ci
servants, not inthe Common Front, ha
seen their work week increased fro
32'4 to 35 hours. Teachers are going to
asked to teach longer hours and take
greater responsibilities.

“The teachers are ready to do thet!
part,’’ Montreal CEQ leader Roger Dubé},
has said, ‘‘but they aren’t willing 105,
finance the province’s debt, finance thé eH
banks, badly managed enterprises or the)
government ministries’ politic?!
advisers.” .

Ironworkers gain in autonomy fight

= MIKE PHILLIPS
victory for Canadian autonomy in

tor, this whole situation wouldn’t
TORONTO — A significant have happened.”
He was referring to the nominal

The sentiment for autonomy -
among Ironworkers members is
very strong. In fact, the largest
local in Ontario, the 1,900-mem-

8 by the Ontario Board’s de- 'Cohadinn Labor Congress” ;
cision, calling it ‘‘a vindication of -CLC president said, “‘one ¢
the principled position taken by clearly infer from the board
the Ironworkers’ members in On- findings that domestic matte?)

the building trades was won, Oct.
6, when the Ontario Labor Rela-
_ tions Board upheld the Ironwork-
-ers Ontario District Council's
complaint that the trusteeship im-
posed on it by the international
union was illegal.

While the board didn’t techni-
cally lift the trusteeship on the
Ontario Council, it ordered the
Washington-based international
_ union to cease from any activities
that would prevent the council
- from following through with an
earlier complaint before the board
against the international. Council
leaders, however, see the board
_ decision as an effective lifting of
_ the trusteeship because the inter-
~ national has to apply for an exten-

sion of the trusteeship Dec. 12,
and the decision urges lifting of
the trusteeship as soon as is prac-

Local 721 president John
Donaldson said last week he be-
lieved it ‘highly unlikely’’ that
the board would renew the
trusteeship in the wake of the cur-
_ rent decision. Donaldson called
the board decision ‘‘a triumph for
dissent”, and pointed out that “‘if

we would have had proper Cana-
_ dian autonomy, such as the nght
to elect our own Canadian direc-
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 22, 1982—

reason for the imposition of the
trusteeship, Dec. 12, 1981. Inter-
national union president John
Lyons placed the council under
trusteeship after it had brought
charges before the labor board
accusing Lyons’
Canadian director, Norm Wilson,

of signing a contract with building -

contractors for Ontario Hydro
projects, on behalf of the inter-
national behind the backs of the
Ontario Council which was the
designated bargaining agent with
the international union, and with-
out ratification by Ironworkers
members.

In a bid to stop the complaint
from going before the Board, the
international placed the council,
which represents six locals and
more than 5,000 members in On-
tario, under trusteeship, thus
freezing the funds the council had
raised to fight their case.

Fundamental to the whole bat-
tle between the international
union and the Ontario Council is
the question of Canadian workers
having the right to govern their
own affairs, to hold their own
Canadian conferences, which the
Washington-based leadership has
consistently rejected, and to con-
trol their own funds. _

Page 6

ee Se OY he Se re cre ee ere ae EE ae

appointed

ber Local 721 has re-affiliated to
the Canadian Labor Congress and

spurned the split-away centre
created by the building trades

internationals, the so-called ©

Canadian Federation of Labor
(CFL).

_Inits Oct. 6 decision, the Board
ruled that the International had
slapped the trusteeship on the On-
tario Council in order to stop the
council from exercising its rights
under the provincial labor act, to
block funding to the defiant coun-
cil, and stop their legal action
against the international before
the labor board.

The battle between the Cana-

. dian Labor Congress (CLC), and

the CFL over the autonomy ques-
tion also figured in the Iron-
workers’ fight with the inter-
national. Most rank and file union
members and the leadership of
the council saw the inter-
national’s actions as revenge for
the prominent role some were
playing in the fight for Canadian
autonomy, and a move by
Washington to get rid of the lead-
ers of this fight among the Iron-
workers.

CLC president Dennis McDer-
mott was ‘‘greatly pleased’’ Oct.

tario (and) highly instructive on . such as membership in the Cana
the matter of the rights of Cana- dian Labor Congress should D |
dian members of international left to the Canadian members.”

McDermott noted the Board’s
recognition that the council's re-
peated requests from the inter-
national to re-affiliate to the CLC
was part of the International's de-
cision to impose the trusteeship.

‘While the Board obviously the hope the board’s decisi
does not have the power to direct would lead to a reconciliation >
the international to resume per tween the council and the i
capita tax payments on behalf of _ national that would see the Iro!
its Canadian members to the workers return to the Congress:

McDermott said he hoped
decision would serve as a *‘w:
ing’’ to the other internati
building trades unions tht
shouldn’t deprive their Canadi
members of their rights in relati
to the operation of their organi
tions in Canada, and he expres

Correction on Chrysler

Due to a typographical error in Canadian Chrysler workers,
the Oct. 11 issue of the Canadian two and a half years of froz
Tribune the lead paragraph in the wages spilled over into a wil
article titled ‘‘Angry Chrysler _ strike.’’ In the process of se
workers want parity,”
that the frustrations of the work- transformed into violent.
ers over the company’s refusal to Tribune regrets any offence
negotiate a new contract that mechanical error may
would wipe out the disparity be- caused auto workers, whose m
tween Chrysler wages and condi- tant actions Oct. 6 and followi!)
tions and those at the other two the protest, were an appropria®
major auto corporations, spilled response to the situation which
over into a ‘‘violent’’ strike. In rooted in Chrysler’s stubborn
fact the original copy inthe article fusal to meet the workers’ j

stated that ‘*... the frustration of demands for parity.

suggested the original copy, wildcat

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