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4

DOORMAT —

Teachers holding firm
on arbitration awards

B.C. teachers intend to press for
the full salary increase awarded by
arbitration boards despite
suggestions from education
minister Pat McGeer, echoed by
the B.C. School Trustees
Association, that teachers accept
only the increase allowed under the
federal guidelines, leaving the
balance unpaid until the question
of applicability of the guidelines
has been clarified.

The BCSTA had made the
suggestions to teachers this week
after McGeer insisted that if
teachers took the full arbitration
award, they might be forced to
return some of the increase in the

future when legislation is ‘in--

troduced forcing conformity with
the guidelines.

A spokesman for the trustees,
contacted Tuesday, pointed out
that teachers were being asked to
accept voluntarily only the
allowable increase and that this
was being done because McGeer
had warned of a future rollback
which would be made retroactive
to January 1, 1976.

“Our association is not willing to
go along with ‘the request for a
deferment of the arbitration
award.’’ M. Alan Paterson,
president of the Vancouver
Elementary Teachers Association,
told the Tribune Tuesday in
response to the request from
McGeer and_ the trustees
association.

“We expect to be paid the full
amount of the award,’ he
declared.

Doris Hahn, president of the
Surrey Teachers Association

stated that her association was
taking the same position in in-
sisting that the Surrey school
board ‘‘follow the law”’ and pay the
increase awarded by the ar-
bitration board.

She said the board and teachers
had discussed briefly the question
of deferring the increase, but
added: ‘‘as far as we’re concerned,
the arbitration award stands.”

The B.C. Teachers Federation
has also called on boards to pay the
increase stipulated in arbitration
awards.

The various arbitration boards
brought down salary increases

‘varying from 10.2 percent to 12.7

percent. Federal guidelines
specify that increases be held to 10
percent in most cases.

All but two of the more than 70
B.C. school districts have had
salary agreements settled by
arbitration and under the terms of
the Public Schools Act, such
awards are final and binding. Only
a change in provincial legislation
would enable the federal controls
program to supersede the Act.

McGeer has suggested, however,
that just such a “‘big stick” policy
can be expected.

Ina statement issued January 2
he said that he was asking all
school boards affected by the
arbitration awards as well as those
that settled salary agreements
earlier ‘‘to ensure that payrolls are

adjusted in accordance with the ©

federal guidelines.
“The government will be taking

further steps shortly to ensure that _

the anti-inflation program will
work in the education sector and

ICBC protest mounting

Cont'd from pg. 1

phasized that motorists would face
“financial hardship” if forced to
pay the proposed increases.

Federation secretary Len Guy
has also been invited to participate
in a meeting Sunday called to
protest the increases in Autoplan
rates. :

Scheduled for Sunday January 18
at 1:30 p.m. in the White Rock
Secondary School Auditorium, the
meeting has been called by the
White Rock and Surrey Concerned
Citizens for Fair ICBC Rates.

A demonstration has also been
scheduled for this Thursday,
January 15 in Victoria as various

formed the Community Action
Groups to press for a rollback in
1976 premiums.

Participants will be gathering at
10 a.m. in Victoria’s Centennial
Square.

Thousands of signatures have
already been collected on various
other petitions circulating in the
province and actions are being
planned where the petition will be
turned over to government
ministers.

Most of the petitions are calling
on the Bennett government to
follow the lead of the NDP
government and use revenue
collected through gasoline taxes to
subsidize ICBC and thus provide

necessary adjustments will be
retroactive to January 1, 1976,’ he
warned.

McGeer’s hardnosed position,
scarcely modified by his ironic
comment that “‘B.C.’s educational
venture can look forward to much
brighter days,” is similar to that of
the previous Social Credit
government of W. A. C. Bennett
under which teachers’ salaries
were a prime target of government

; cutbacks.

It was also the subject of some
sharp remarks from Vancouver
teachers’ spokesman, Paterson,
who noted that the Socreds, during
their short time in office, have
established ‘‘quite a reputation”
for stating something one day and
changing it completely a few days
later.

He pointed out that any future
attempt by McGeer to roll back
increases granted by arbitration
boards would likely spark protest
by teachers and denounced as
“reprehensible” the government’s
intention to make any salary ad-
justments retroactive.

“Tf the government can change
this law and make it retroactive,”
he asked, ‘‘what other laws will be
changed retroactively?”

Price freeze out,
wage controls in).

Cont’d from pg. 1
movement support the govern-
ment’s program.
Last week the federal. govern-

-ment’s attack on worker’s living

standards got added support from
B.C.’s new Social Credit govern-
ment when Evan Wolfe, finance
minister, made an announcement
that the Socred government will
support a program of wage
restrictions ‘‘at least’”’ as tough as
the federal. program. The im-
plication of that is that B.C. labor
can expect the right-wing Socred
government to attempt to go even
further in attacking living stan-
dards than the federal program.

Meanwhile, a report released in

' B.C. this week by the B.C. Food —
Advisory Council on factors af-

fecting the cost of food in the
province, which is the highest in

North America, whitewashed the

food chains and put the major onus
for high food prices on wages. It
claimed that profits were not a big
factor, but that wages, packaging
and other administrative costs
were the major reasons, and that
food prices will continue to rise.

This report must certainly be one
of the most shallow ever produced
in B.C, and an insult to the in-
telligence of the public. It turns out
that the report failed to include in
its study of food prices to what
extent profits were a significant
factor. Chairman of the Council,
Barry Brown, explained this by
saying the Council had a ‘‘limited
budget” and therefore the study
could not go into detailed research
on the importance of profits.

B.C. Federation of Labor
president George Johnston, a
member of the council which
conducted the study, told a press
conference Monday that he had
urged that the study “‘go beyond
the farm gate’’ and investigate
profits, and that because it did not

do so, Johnston said, the con-—

clusions are ‘‘not valid.”’

The 14-member B.C. Food Ad-
visory Council was appointed in
March, 1973 to advise former
agriculture minister Dave Stupich
on the food industry.

The report makes the charge
that labor costs are the largest
single identifiable factor in the
retail price of food. But the report
does not bother to explain that
most food workers in B.C. from the
Safeway and Supervalu (Weston)

|

chains have been involved fol =
months in negotiations for a wag
increase after living under a two
year agreement, and have still no
received an increase. Since thert
was no wage increase during thit
period for the bulk of retail stort
outlets, how could their wage i
creases have had a major effect 0!
the sharp food prices which havt
occurred over the last two years

n
t
The study does not make al &
attempt to disclose how monopol} 1
control of the food industry enable t
the giant chains, such as Safewa! V

‘and Supervalu, who dominate th

retail food outlet in B.C., from e
concealing their real profits all tht s
way up the food ladder. They ow! ¢
and control bakeries, dairies yn
packaging plants, fool y
manufacturers, etc., and take the j,
profit rakeoff at every step of tht
food chain right up to the cas
register in the supermarkets.

c
tl
gc
With the federal and provincia
governments’ freezing wagé A
while at the same time cuttin A
back on such programs I

_ children’s allowances, and

creasing the cost of importa! —
services such as ICBC, ete s
working people in B.C. face a yed ~
of severe attacks on their li

standards. United and mili a
action is the only way workil
people will be able to defend the
interests from the attacks of D)
business and their governments #
1976. :

=

MINING

Cont'd from pg: 1

imposed, the giant Comin@
operation in B.C. would still bene
to the extent of another $8 millid
to its net profits in 1976.
Is it any wonder that
president of the B.C. Chamber %
Mines, R. F. Sheldon, told ¢
gathering of mining big sho
Tuesday that “the pendulum hi SI
swung around?”’ -
The big concessions made to t
mine companies stands in shal
contrast to the attack on people
welfare represented by-the ICB
rate boost. After less than a mot
in office the Socred governmeé
has left no doubt that it is an ail
People’s big business 4
ministration. be

Sse

Cartoonist Linda Chobotuck whose work has frequently a
Peak, prepared this humorous portrait of Fred Wilson w
position in Toronto. Along with several other satirical sket
Papers, it was presented to Fred last Saturday at a farewel

ppeared in the SFU student newspaper, The |
ig this week to assume his new

ches, grouped under the title of The Wilson | yy;
| party int Vancouver where more than 15 =

ho is leavin

organizations and individuals have lower premiums for motorists.

~

people gathered to wish him well. —
Peete ee A ex pe a Se MEE, ee Ree ae . —

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