ee

—

It’s time for a change in
the camp and mills of British
Columbia. Loggers, Shingle
weavers, tradesmen, boom-
men and many others have griev-
ances that have to beresolved.
Speedup and mechanization
have brought big changes on
every job.

More thanhalf the citizens of
this province depend on wood,
directly orindirectly, for their
livelihood. Woodworking is
B.C.’s number one industry. It
is the source of fifty cents of
every dollar of wealth we pro
duce.

FOREIGN
OWNERSHIP

Ninety-two percent of B.C.’s
forest land is presently con-
trolled by six huge. mgulti- na-
tional corporations. “Rive of
them are U.S. owfted ~con-
trolled. By mea Rag
ment-granted fo
ment licences*B.e
sources haverbee :
and fabulous prt
from theni. Th

of the economy of B.Ce
ACeording to press Teports#the

tenforest companiesregistered

a 94.4% higherprofit forthefirst
sixmonths 0f 1972 over thesame
period in 1971. One company,
MacMillan-Bloedel (which
alone holds tree farmilicences
covering 42% of all B.C. forest
land) showed net earnings for
the first half of 1972, 100% more
than the corresponding period
in 1971.

Crown forests were surrend-
ered to the monopolies for one
cent per acre per year inreturn
for adequate reforestationand
perpetual yield. Yet govern-
mentreports show that 9,300,000
acres of forest land— an area
larger than Vancouver Island—
have been logged off and not re-
forested. —

The Social Credit government
admitted that while at least $18

million a year should have been.

devoted to reforestation, the

lumber monopolies spent only —

one-tenth of that amount;
instead of planting 140° ‘million
seedlings, the monopolies
planted only 44 million in 19)
and 50 million in 1972.

‘Forest management, refor-
estation, and conservation meas-
ures and controls need to be.

Wood mono.»
polieSare the heartof big busi-
nessTeaction in this province?
thecentréof foreigndomination

: sealers.

drastically overhauled and im-
proved. The returns to the people
of this province for their forest
resources should be increased
substantially.

Four major factors have made
it possible for the forest
companies to strip the forest
with abandon amassing huge
profits in the process: the
special privileges and conces-
sions giventhem by successive
Liberal, Conservative and
Social Credit governments;
greatly increased productivity
of labor; the strait-jacketing of
the trade unions under Social
Credit anti-laborlaws; andthe
divisions in labor’s ranks.

LABOR DIVISION

While there has been con-
siderable talk from many quar-
ters about the need for one union
in the industry, woodworkers
are being splintered even more.
The bosses co-ordinate their
assault on labor.through the Em-
pleyenss Countiliéf B.C., wood-
} are split into several
uniéns = whieh ‘Often raid one
another. ”

Dissatisfaction Pyvithin the

“hiternationahUnion of-Pulp and
_Suiphite-Workersled to the frag-

mentation of tHatulion and the
formation of the Pulp and Paper
Workers of Canada: This
division, while. achieving

‘nothing in the way of improved

conditions for the workers of
either union, led to much hard
feeling and bitterness, raiding
and counter-raiding.

Similar dissatisfaction, diSin-
tegration of — sub-locals,
griévance and safety com-
mittees have now led to divi-
sions within the International
Woodworkers of America. The
Pulp Workers of Canada have at-
tempted-to raid IWA sawmills on
Vancouver Island, while the
IWA has attempted to take over
pulpmills i inthenorth. . .and
pulp unions war on one another.

Union officers who promote

_war within the house of labor,

regardless of the pretences, are

doing a great disservice to the

working class. Setting brother
against brother in a jurisdic-

tional dispute is playing into Aue :
hands of theboss.
- Last summer, the fallers

waed a hard Struggle against

the employers to defend their

interests and the jobs of 450

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MAY 11, 1973—PAGE 12

stration of determination and
militancy undoubtedly stiffened
the IWA bargaining stance.
However, neither the fallers nor
any other section of such a highly
monopolized industry can fight
the employers, the courts and
the government by themselves.

The 1972 negotiations, in which
the union leadership failed to
mobilize the membership and
dropped some of the key
demands, resulted ina narrow
vote of acceptance which
caused a serious split in the
union. The fallers were com-
pelled to reassess their situation
and come to the correct conclu-
sion thatnosectionofthe union
can afford to go it alone.

Unity of all sections of thein-
dustry, of all unions within the -
industry, and rallying of solid-
arity and support of the trade
union movement as a whole, is a
prerequisite to solving the
continuing problems of fallers,
shingle weavers, tradesmenand’
other divisions. There is no other
way — and there are no short
cuts.

UNITY IMPERATIVE

We stand for one union in the in-»,

dustry, from the stump to the fin-
ished product, including lumber,

pulp.and paper. We believe the

road £0 such unity lies througheo=
operationona day-to-day basis;
common ‘legislative goals;
common objectives in colleétive
bargaining and coordinated
Strike action whenever sucha
course. becomes neé@eéssary.
What we need more than everis
unity based on constructive
policies. It willhave to be fought
for in every union..Untilwe get

it, we will be fighting with one

hand tied behind our backs.
The increasing militancy in

economic struggles generally,

and the rising rank and file pres-
sure in the trade union move-

ment particularly, provide evi-.

dence of growing resistance to
monopoly’s drive for maximum
profit at the expense of the work-

ing people. The struggles are
indicative of a growing impa-

tience with, and criticism of
conservative, class
borationist leadership. _
_ There are those who seek to
eliminate undemocratic prac-

tices, political discrimination

and poor leadership ' withinter-

_ national unions by secessionand
Fortunately they
resisted the temptation to break —
with the IWA and by their demon-

the establishment of brand new

Canadian unions in opposition to
established unions, An examina-

 colla-

‘

tion of the major independent
Canadian unions — of their
constitutions, policies -and
achievements — will quickly
dispel any illusions of-radical
change. It is not the name of the
union that determines its

quality; it is the program and:

policy, and the extent to which
the membership is involved in
policy-making, kept informed
and united, that determines the
outcome of most political strug-
gles.

The Communist Party stands
for an independent, sovereign
and united trade union move-
ment, based on the vital needs of
the working class. We fight for
one Canadian trade union centre
open to every legitimate trade
union in the country and recog-
nizing the two nation character
of Canada— English and French
speaking. The achievement of
complete Canadian autonomy
for international unions will
inevitably bring about a com-

pletely independent and sovers “political, Macial, religious =

from’ union mérnbership
‘those working inindustry: ?
end to the blacklist. ~*

eign trade union movemenRtz»

The basis for a program: to.

unite the workers in the forest

“industry, we believe, lies around” ©
the following demands, snes

others: —

ECONOMIC
PROGRAM

~=@ Six hour day*and shorter
work week

e Elimination of piece work.

e Substantial wage increasés
and adjustments: to eliminate
inequalities and®so called job
evaluation; freeroom andboard
and transportation for loggers;
dental care program.

e Ahalt to the undermining of
working conditions by sub-con-

travel and communication.

The following pro-
gram for B.C. woodwork-
ers. is the culmination
of many hours of work
and discussion and was
finally adopted by acon-
ference of Communist —
woodworkers recently
held on Vancouver
Island. For reasons of
space, it appears here
slightly abridged but the
full program will shortly
be available in pam-
phlet form for distri-
bution throughout the
wood industry in British
Columbia.

Copies of the pro-
gram are available by
writing: Woodworkers”
Cttee., Communist
Party, Room 408, Ford
Bldg., 193 E. Hastings
St., Vancouver.

tracting; all employees of
contractors to be put on same
seniority list, wage scale, houls
and working conditions 4
parent company.

POLITICAL DEMANDS

e: Drastic overhaul of forest
management legislation; publi
control of forests Wi
workers having the right toelec!
representatives to such manag®™
ment.

e Strict control of log expor's
to create jobs in B.C.

e Use the government tae
over of Ocean Falls and Colcell
as base for expansion into W0
processing in B.C.

o Increase substantially thet
turns to the people from fores
resources. 4

@ Upgrade conservational
reforestation requirements.

@ Aggressive pursuit of mat
ket sin socialist and under
de eloped countries.

AUNION DEMOCRACY

e Reinoval of allrestriction”

for

~e Reestablishment of subs

” locals, safety and grievance
Committees on all jobs whe™®

they do not already exist. ly
e Restoration of ers
IWA’ Regional Councilym™
ings; restructuring of the un
and local boundaries to take
account changes inthe indus!

e Complete Canadianau”
omy and independence ra
policy matters and elect! :
officers with fraternal ties ™
with sections of the union int
U.S. and other countries.

SUBSCRIBE TO PT

Special offer for Woodworkers 4

6 MONTHS — $2.00-

ADDRESS: ae ae ie

cond to CIRCULATION DEPT., “MEZz. KE
193 é. Sess: 5, VANCOUVER ig