The recent disclosure that MacMillan Bloedel plans to close its Vancouver Plywood operation is part of the pattern indicated earlier by the announcement that the International Nickel Company intended to lay off hundreds: of workers in Ontario and Manitoba. Both corporations are multinational operations. Both have exploited the natural resources of this country and their employees to amass huge profits. Both have been treated very generously by governments over the years. And both corporations have made huge investments in other countries, instead of using their profits primarily to provide more jobs for Canadians. These corporations are typical examples of how the corporate elite is more interested in super profits than the welfare of the working people and the com- ‘munities they live in. The current campaign of the B.C. Federation of Labor to draw attention to unemployment as a major social issue and to advance labor’s program for jobs is likely to B.C. forests inadequately stocked Continued from pg. 1 MaeMillan Bloedel, B.C. Forest Products, Crown Zellerbach, and others, under the terms of the present tree farm licensing program, are free from respon- sibility for .re-foresting. In fact, when companies do participate in reforesting, the costs incurred are subtracted from the company’s stumpage rates in the following year. At the recent conference of the Canadian Forestry Association, professor G. F. Weetman of the University of New Brunswick and a leading expert on Canadian forest reserves, said 12 percent. of - Canada’s forests are un- derstocked. Weetman also revealed the startling figures that in B.C. each year 500,000 acres of forest are cut and only 120,000 acres are replaced through planting. In addition, he said, there is a backlog of 10 million acres in the province that has been inadequately stocked in the past. According to Bishop, the com-' panies do a ‘‘remarkable job” in reforesting the lands that are owned outright by the private forest companies. But 95 percent of B.C. forests are “‘crown land” and leased to companies to be formed. “Once land is cleared, the responsibility for it reverts back to the crown,” Bishop said. The timber shortage will force action on a number of fronts, Bishop said; there will be an-: nouncements of reductions in allowable cuts, and there could be pressure to reverse the trend towards building up British Columbia’s ecological reserves. The pressure to allow forest companies the right to farm provincial parks and reserves, and to prevent future reserves. being established, is already felt. That kind of solution to the forest crisis, however, would grant the com-: panies free reign to cut up crown land and leave barren lands behind unsuitable for the future needs of the province. Clearly, some pressure of ‘another kind is needed, from the IWA and peoples’ movements to force the Socred government to revamp forest policy so as to make the forest corporations responsible for the replacement of B.C.’s most important resource. Millions of dollars are required now in a massive tree farm program to avoid serious cutbacks in the woods industry and the loss of thousands of jobs. Export of jobs seen in layoffs Continued from pg. 1 “For years, Mac-Blo has been exporting hundreds of millions of dollars abroad — to South America, Alabama, Scotland, England, France and _ the Mediator’s report down Federal mediator Henry Hut- cheon’s report on the B.C. Tel lockout has proposed what appears to be substantial concessions to the company on the central issue of contracting-out. The report, released Wednesday as the Tribune went to press, proposed that 33 job classifications be subject to contracting out. The union position, backed by the Hall Report, has been to retain the existing clause that limits con- tracting out. While the union considered the Hutcheon Report, it announced that it was appealing court decisions limiting picketing at B.C. Telephone operations. Netherlands — to buy up and develop forest industries. “Rather than exporting capital to build modern plants in low wage areas outside of B.C., the company should have been compelled to invest in new equipment, to keep its operations up to date, diverting to new products, and broadening the base of manufacturing and processing in B.C.,’’ he stated. “Instead it wants Vancouver Plywood workers to pay the price for its profit-hungry policies. How cynical and callous can this giant corporation get?” MacMillan-Bloedel’s action in announcing the plant closure has come under particular fire since the huge forest company — the giant in the industry — has built its empire on the exploitation of B.C. timber. It continues to receive major concessions in tree farm licences from the. provincial government despite long standing demands for radical changes in forest tenure. Rush stressed that Victoria ‘‘is in a position to put major pressure on- Mac-Blo to continue its operation at Vancouver Plywood. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JANUARY 27, 1978—Page 8 “Tf the company insists on going ahead with this heartless and irresponsible action, then the provincial government should not only take over the operation but should also serve notice that it will phase out existing tree farm licences currently held by Mac- Blo,”’ he said. Syd Thompson, president of Local-1-217 of the International Woodworkers of America which is certified at the plant, had earlier made the point that the govern- ment “basically controls. the timber in this province and they’re the ones that can put the pressure n.’’ Thompson also blasted the company for its failure to put new investment into the operation. The IWA held meetings this week with officials from MacMillan Bloedel and the _ provincial government to discuss the closure. A three-part committee, made up of representatives from the union, the company and the government is to conduct a complete _in- vestigation into possible alter- natives while another committee is to work with federal manpower officials to look for alternative employment. be intensified as a result of the MB announcement. The overall plan of the Federation calls for municipal lobbies, letters to members of Parliament and the pravincial Legislature. It would be logical to single out the MB layoffs to dramatize the situation created by LABOR COMMENT BY JACK PHILLIPS plant closures. The premier of the province has stated that the proposed layoff is ‘“‘not acceptable to the provincial government.” A strong delegation to the Vancouver city council calling upon that body to also take a position against the proposed closure should be on labor’s immediate agenda. It would be logical to have labor representations now to every MLA and to every MP from British Columbia. Vanply workers should know where they stand on the proposed layoffs. We might also suggest the IWA should use its connections in every community and in every labor council where it has a presence to win the broadest possible support for a demand on the provincial government to keep Vancouver Plywood in operation, with a guarantee that no worker will lose his job. While if would be wrong to be negative in respect to premier Bill Bennett’s statement in opposition to the announced layoff, it would be very foolish merely to sit back and wait for the premier to solve the problem especially since forests minister Tom Waterland has ac- cepted that there ‘“‘will be jobs lost.”’ If the IWA, supported by the labor movement as a whole, swings into action, the premier and his government will be more likely to match their words with positive action. e A- committee of union, management and government has been set up to “‘investigate ’ the situation. The terms of reference seem to indicate that Vanply workers would be ill-advised to place undue reliance on that body. In the last analysis, the workers should be prepared to fight for their jobs, because the MB directors have voted unanimously to close the mill. If they refuse to reverse their position, the fight will move on to a new stage. If nothing satisfactory comes from the investigation, the union might consider a one-day work stoppage of all MB operations and a large, representative lobby to the legislature. Perhaps the leadership have already thought of this? The December issue of Labot Research Bulletin, published by the provincial labor ministry offe! some very revealing statistics: o In the past 12-month period, the B.C. labor force has expanded by 19,000 persons, while employmett in this period increased by only 8,000. o In 1973, 30,540 more persons} moved to B.C. than migrated other provinces. e During 1975: and 1976, 8,84) more people left B.C. than entered. The summary by age fol) November, 1977, showed an overall] unemployment rate of 8.5 percent, with the rate standing at 13! percent for those age 20 to 24 and) 18.7 for those 15 to 19. These, of course, are officidl| government statistics and must bé] treated with suspicion. For example, spokesmen for the B.C: Federation of Labor believe the) true picture in B.C. would show at overall unemployment rate of 10 percent plus, in place of the official) 8.5 percent. ® The climax of the B.C! Federation of Labor campaign is 10’ be a mass rally in Victoria coincide with the opening of thé legislature on March 30, to be) supported by local rallies al Unemployment Insurance offices throughout the province. With the threatened layoffs in lumber and in steel fabricating, 0? top of the massive unemploviiaae in construction and other it) dustries, every labor council in the) province should pull out all stops 12) preparation for March 30. zt Along with the fight to compél MB to keep Vanply operating wit) no loss in jobs, organized labol) should fight for legislation 10) protect all workers against layoffs: For example, employers should bé/ compelled to give one year’s notice | of intended layoffs and to negotiate | with the union(s) representing the) employers. There should be 4 provision of one month’s severancé | pay for each year of service, plus’ 90 percent of earnings for the duration of unemployment. Nationalization under democratic control should also be’ pressed because it would make) possible a planned development of our natural resources and/ secondary industry. Without such 4 | development, our industrial basé | will contract rather than expand. In the immediate case of Vanply, | MB should be told firmly by the) provincial government that n0 layoffs will be tolerated. After all, it is the provincial government, in the name of the people, that. provides trees for the lumber bosses and decides how much (or | how little!) they pay for the ex- | ploitation of this great resource. If the end result of corporate ex- ploitation of our resources is massive unemployment, the the corporations should forfeit theif | right to utilize these resources. 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