ee ae ca : Sips “INSTEAD OF YouR CEGULAR CHRISTMAS TURREY THs NEAR WE ARE DRESSING OUR FOREMEN LIKE SANTA CLAUSE" High-priced lawyers for oil companies operating in B.C. maneouvred last week before the Royal Commission on Gasoline Prices to block B.C. Communist Party leader Nigel Mor- gan from presenting his full case against monopoly control in the industry and for curbing their exploitation of the public. ese Appearing before the com- mission hearings in Vancouver, Morgan presented a briefand then asked for permission to remain in the witness chair to elaborate his views further. However, Shell Oil Co. lawyer Douglas McK. Brown, Q.C., opposed Morgan being allowed to make a further statement. Commissioner Judge C. W. Morrow asked the oil company lawyers if they wished to hear Morgan and said they didn’t have to go along with Brown, but the lawyers refused to hear Morgan further and refused to question him, Obviously, the legal rep- resentatives of the oil monop- olies felt that the less Morgan was given a chance to say the better. Morgan sought to introduce evidence to show the high degree of monopolization of the oil in+ dustry, the extent of U.S. con-- trol over petroleum and gas oper- ations in Canada, and the way in which these effected the price set for gasoline, “Everyone knows the price of gas and oil is away out of line with their cost, and that there is no justification for price diff- erences that range from 35¢ per gallon in Vancouver to 53¢ up-country,” Morgan told the PT. “What many don’t know is that oil is one of the most highly monopolized industries in the world, Seven big corporations own and control 4/5 of the oil resources of the capitalist world The largest of these; Rocker- feller’s Standard Oil of NewJer- sey, through its subsidiaries, Imperial Oil (which in turn owns 60 per cent of Home Oil), pro- duces about one third of B.C?s oil and gas sales, “Gulf Oil, owned by the Mellon interests, controls 60 per cent of British - American Oil Ltd. These two, along with Shell, a subsidiary of the Royal Dutch Shell, Standard Oil of California, which controls Standard and Chevron, and the former McCall- Frontenac holdings of Texaco Inc., completely dominate 72 per cent of the Canadian oilindustry?” said Morgan, “These five big foreigncom- panies which control the 3,000- odd gas outlets in B.C, compete: in advertising and marketing but co-operate in setting and main- taining monopoly prices,” char- ged Morgan. The Communist Party brief called for legislation to take the petroleum industry under public ownership, and, pending legislat- ion, strict control of oil and gas- oline prices be established Legislature must extend labor's By CHARLES CARON As we expected, big business, in preparation for the coming session of the B,C, Legislature, laid the basis for a further at- tack against labor’s rights. R, S, S, Wilson, chairman of the Canadian Manufacturing Asso- ciation (B,C, Division), in his submission to the cabinet, de- manded that a number of re- strictive measures be enacted, He specifically demanded that picketing be confined to the plant where a dispute exists and not be allowed to spread to an em- ployer’s other plants; andcalled for a reduction in the three- month period during whicha strike may be called, after a strike vote is taken, Obviously if workers striking a plant are not permitted to ‘picket the operator’s other plants, the company can transfer its production to plants in oper- ation, and thus break the strike, The measure to shorten the time in which a strike can take place after the strike vote is taken is simply to limit the manoeuverability of the union and provide the employer with the most favorable grounds on which to fight the union, Among the employers’demands was one to prevent “a minority union group in a multi-union operation from calling a strike which shuts down an entire op- eration,” To justify this demand, the C,M,A, tries to make it appear that they are concerned not for their profits, but for the time lost from such a strike by the major- ity of the workers not directly affected in the dispute, No one will argue against the necessity of labor co-ordination in negotiations to-avoid unneces- sary loss of time in strikes, The B,C, Federation of Labor em- phasized that fact in convention, This, however, is a problem for labor and should not be con- fused with the conspiracy the C.M,A, has worked out, The sole intent of big business is to pre- vent the use of strikes for the settlement of sectional griev- ances and demands, They know that with the wide introduction of technological change the result will be further rationalization of the production processes which in turn will mean more sectional problems, Big business plans to disarm the workers through denial of the right to strike for a satisfactory _ settlement of their grievances, The whole emphasis in the C,M,A, submission was against strikes, Strikes hurt them deeply because they touch their profits, And of course, they never give up their fondest dream ofno union at all. Towards that end, they placed before the cabinet the de- mand for a “right to work law,” a law which in essence encour- ages no union among workers, The Socred government would like to oblige the monopoly in- terests with this type of legis- lation, but because of the mass protests that would ensue, it would have little chance of pass- =Ang. In contrast to the narrow self- ish demands of the C,M,A,, labor should place before the Legis- lative Assembly proposals that will benefit the vast majority of the people ofthis province, Labor requires above all a new eco- nomic policy, a policy based on . a considered outlook aimed at the all-round development of British Columbia, Such an economic perspective would require putting a stop to the export of B,C, resources, and instead, utilize them for our own industrial development,. Moreover, monopolies must be placed under control to make possible a planned development of our province, and also, so that the benefits of the technological advances may accrue to the people rather than solely to the enrichment of those monopolies for which the C,M,A, speaks, To enable labor to play alead- ing part in the achievement of such policies requires not the r | Bit We — “So you are determined to ruin this great firm by insisting on your ten cent wage increase!’’ ‘limitation but the extension of labor’s rights, ’ Although comprehensive legis- lation is urgently needed in the form of a Bill of Rights for labor that would embody at least the minimum standards projected in the federal code, it is likely that the labor unions will limit their submission to the cabinet to eliminate the most objection- able parts of the existing legis- lation, ‘Labor legislation in British Columbia has almost been con- verted into anti-labor legislation as a result of amendments in- troduced by consecutive Liberal, Conservative and Socred govern- ments, Because of these restric- tive measures, labor requires far-reaching adjustments in the present labor laws, Among basic changes needed are the following: * Full bargaining rights for | public employees; * Make certification voluntary, that is on the request of the union, and certify unions for a two-year period in place of the present 10 months, In addition, when a bargaining agency is changed, the agreement should ~ terminate; * Rescind Bill 43 and 42 which both place severe limits on labor’s democratic rights; * Delete the provision in the act which permits an employer to bypass a union and submit proposals directly to its em- ployees; December 18, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Pag® through the Public Utilities Com- mission. The brief said prices of pet- roleum products were exhorb- | itant and that the companies arb- itrarily imposed inequitable and unjustifiable price differences on | up-country and interior consum= — ers, It said cars are essentials, not luxuries, and that, therefore, oil and gasoline distribution should be considered a public ~ utility. The brief chargeda conspiracy by world - wide cartels to fix — prices and ruthlessly exploit sere vice station operators, Multipli¢- ity of service stations and costly promotional schemes resulted in exhorbitant charges, it said. Morgan charged that compal- | ies were profiteering at public expense despite discovery of oil in B.C. and modernization that — greatly reduced production costs: The brief proposed that gas prices ces be rolled back; elimination of inequalities and discriminat- ory price differences andimmed- iate public control, It also urged legal action for conspiracy and collusion to fi% prices and legislation to bring | under public ownership all oi resources, refineries and whole sale distributive agencies. rights * Ban court injunctions in Jabor disputes; * Remove the section from thé act that permits the Labor Dé partment to step in during neB0” ~ tiations and act as an arbitratio? board; * Strike out supervised strike vote from the act; * Remove from the act the timé limit in which a strike may ¢ place; * Remove the section thas makes officers personally T° sponsible and liable for the actl© of the union; * Establish the right to st during the life of an agreemen™ These adjustments in preset legislation and the enactme? minimum standards are Vit#" ” labor and must be fought unitedly, They cannot, howe¥ ‘ serve as a substitute for 4 por of Rights which will give #°). a new status in line with today conditions, er, Organized labor must mately gain a say in the ope? of the industries of Can@ ge is inconceivable that in this a of automation, monopoly ne 1 ests can be permitted to 45° aa so-called “rights of profit” ‘e of the well-being of the peQP™™” Py Legislation is essential to ea tablish new norms of labor ae, agement relations, Such ened lation brought about and sust®™ through labor’s struggle guarantee that the benefits "1p automation will go to the P aio? and not solely to enrich Can and foreign monopolies. _ 12 rike - ultie | ation