Kashtan urges unity in |

Speaking to an overflow crowd of
about 300 people Wednesday night
the national leader of the Com-
munist Party of Canada, William
Kashtan declared that it was a
‘plain unmitigated lie to say that it
is not the intent of the government
to depress wages in introducing its
so-called ‘‘Attack on Inflation.

Kashtan was in- Vancouver as
part of a nationwide “‘crusade to
unite and fight Trudeau’s wage
cutting policy.”

“Trudeau has been saying that
we are all responsible for inflation,
that we must all tighten our belts,
and cut down on our expectations.”
Kashtan said.

“But I don’t know who this ‘we’

Canadian Labor Congress vice president Julien Major addressing the he is talking about is. Workers
B.C. Federation of Labor convention on Tuesday, outlined the CLC’s don’t create inflation. They create
opposition to the wage control program and reiterated the Congress’ things of real value. Things people

own program to fight inflation.

—Sean Griffin photo

Morgan outlines

election policy

Cont'd from pg. 1

premier Barrett should join the
Canadian trade unions~ in
demanding its withdrawal and its
replacement by a genuine anti-
inflation program such as _ that
advocated by the Canadian Labor
Congress. Labor cannot accept a 68
day price freeze in return for ac-
cepting a three year freeze on
wages. That would be a very poor
deal for the workers,’’ said
Morgan.

Warning against the danger of a
return of a right wing Social Credit
government in B.C., Morgan said,
“the Communist party shares with
trade unionists, NDPers, and
progressive people concern over
the big business drive to elect the
Soereds. The election of such a
government would be a serious
setback for the working class, for
social progress and democracy. It
would return the province to right-
wing, anti-labor reactionary
policies which characterized the
20-year rule of the former Socred
government and the Liberal-Tory
Coalition before that.

“The return of such a govern-
ment would open the way to a
stepped-up monopoly offensive
against the working class and
people. It would endanger
progressive social legislation and
lead to further alienation of our
natural resource. It would tighten
the grip-of the profit-greedy
monopolies on B.C.”

Morgan said the Communist
Party has repeatedly called for
united action of all progressive-
minded people to block the return
of big business government to
Victoria. But the NDP has con-
tinuously rejected such appeals for.
unity, and instead the Barrett
government has failed to carry out
many of its election promises and
retreated before the pressure of
the big monopolies.

“The enemy of the people of B.C.
is the Socred Party which is the

main political representative of big _

business in the _ province.
However,’’ said Morgan, ‘‘ex-
perience in the three years since
the NDP government came to
power, and this is strikingly
demonstrated by some of its recent
anti-union actions, shows that the
re-election of the NDP government
does not by itself ensure that the
working people will get the kind of
policies they want or need. Nor will
it ensure that the Barrett govern-
ment will abandon its policies of
retreat before the pressure of big
business.”

The Communist Party leader
said his party cannot abandon the

political field to the NDP. To do so
would be to remain silent and thus
condone some of their anti-union

‘policies and abandonment of many

big social issues in B.C. which cry
out for action. “In the present
election the Communist Party, as a
party of the working class, will
campaign vigorously for
legislation to protect labor’s rights
to strike and collective bargaining.
We will campaign for a Labor Bill
of Rights while at the same time
projecting a program to fight in-
flation which will emphasize
strong action against the profit-
seeking monopolies, for full em-
ployment, action on housing,
takeover of monopolies such as
B.C. Tel and for recasting of our
tax system to take the load off
working people.

Morgan said the election of
Communists. to the Legislature
would strengthen the voice of the
working people in Victoria. “‘The

-best outcome on December 11

would be the election. of a
progressive majority including
Communists. With this aim in mind
the Communist Party is planning
to nominate in a large number of
constituencies,”’ he said.

The Communist Party has
already nominated five candidates
and is. holding additional
nominating meetings in a number
of ridings in the next few days.
Named so far are Nigel Morgan
and Sam Vint Jr. in Vancouver
East, Sean Griffin in Burnaby
North, Rod Doran in New West-
minster and Ray Holmgren in
Nanaimo.

The provincial committee of the
Communist Party has been called
to a special session this Saturday to.
get the Communist Party election
campaign into high gear.

SAM VINT Jr. who has been

nominated as Nigel Morgan’s ©
running mate in Vancouver East

for the Communist Party.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 7, 1975—Page 12 .

want and need.”’

‘The real cause of inflation is
obvious. It’s the monopolies and
multi-national corporations who
are going on unchecked in their
price gouging and profiteering.”
he said.

Kashtan

emphasized that

- Trudeau’s plan will not get at the

causes of inflation, but is simply
another effort ‘‘to try and solve the
economic crisis of this country by
making the working paople pay for
it.

“Let’s look at what Trudeau is
saying. His first proposition is that
in order to cope with inflation, it is
necessary to have high unem-
ployment. He is saying that we
must slow down the period of
economic recovery, and must be
prepared to accept unemployment
at rates of seven, eight or even nine
per cent until 1980.

Kashtan said that this
proposition would do nothing to
curbinflation, and that all it would
do is “shake up the economy at the
expense of the working class, at the
expense of the standards of the
working class, and at the expense
of the jobs of the working class.”’

He said that implicit in the

wage freeze fight back’

federal program is the attitude
that wages are _ primarily
responsible for inflation, and that
the government is intent on
destroying the collective
bargaining process. é

“No longer will wages be
determined by the strength of the
workers in union after union, plant
after plant, mill after mill. This is
not to be. The government has
decided that wages will rise eight
per cent, six per cent and four per
cent over the next three years.

“The government is

very

WILLIAM KASHTAN
specific in regards to wages, but
what of prices?’’ he asked.
Kashtan said that on the surface
it looks reasonable, but then listed
the items which will be exempted
from controls; housing, rents on
new buildings, land costs, food,
interest rates, mortgage rates,
energy and imported goods.
“These are the essentials for the
average man and woman,” he
declared, ‘‘and it is in these areas
that the government intends to do
nothing.’”” He pointed out that
energy and food increases alone
are responsible for 50 per cent of
inflation, and that if housing costs

i

were added in it would be as mu¢ll
as 75 or 80 per cent. |}
Kashtan said that these are the}
reasons why the Communist Party} _
branded the program a “fraud”
from the day it was announced,| —
and why the CP was advancing 4]
program to unite the working class}.
and fight Trudeau’s ‘“‘Attack 02)
Inflation.”’
“The CLC should be commended}
for rejecting the Trudeau scheme;
as should provincial Federations 0}
Labor and other labor bodies. We}
support them in their rejection and ;
support the ten point program they
have advanced to fight inflation,
he said.
“They have pledged to d0|~
everything they can to break the)
guidelines, and to fight this)
program, and if they are to suey
ceed they will need the utmost]
solidarity.”
“Tf the British working clas|~
could force the Heath government .
to retreat in it’s restraint policy|
the Canadian government cal)”
force the Trudeau government
retreat in it’s wage freeze,” he
declared. pet
But, Kashtan said, it will take the
forging of a strong alliance of the
trade union movement and
Communist Party, the NeW)
Democratic Party, farm |
organizations, and all the othe!)
democratic minded people to do S®
He called on the NDP to abando?
its “opportunistic policy of try
to walk on both sides of the street] ”
and adopt a policy that is in
interests of the working people tha!)
elected them.” Kashtan said thal)
the NDP must give up on its idea’)
of trying “to make capitalis®
work, and take on policies whit!) —
will challenge capitalism.”
_ Earlier, Ce provincial :
leader Nigel Morgan pledged thal),
“the Communist Party will entel
the provincial: election in 2
agressive manner, in order.
bring the issues before the ele
torate of B.C.

ga
Ph ae

r

Ks

B.C. Fed. pledges fight

Cont'd from pg. 1
“brutally abrogated the rights of
all working people.

“No other government in Canada
has yielded so quickly and tran-
sparently to the cries of the open
line radio moderators for action to
subjugate ‘big labor’,’”’ the report
stated, adding that Barrett’s
suggestion that Bill 146 was neutral
legislation was ‘‘an insult to the
intelligence of working people,”’
since it came only days before the
imposition of federal wage con-
trols.

The report outlined several
demands including the repeal of
Bill 146, the repeal of Bill 84 with
the exception of certain sections,
the amendment of the labor code in
line with Federation policy and the
amendment of all labor standards
legislation ‘‘to conform to
Federation policy to provide a
decent standard of wages and
working conditions for all
workers.”

“‘We’ve certainly seen in recent
months what the result is when we
issue blank cheques to politicians,”’
said CUPE delegate Dave Werlin
in speaking to the committee’s
report on the strikebreaking
legislation.

“When we guarantee our sup-
port, we remove the incentive to
provide good legislation,” he
emphasized. ;

Werlin urged trade unionists to
get out on the hustings and fight for
the program adopted by the B.C.
Federation of Labor and to reject
candidates which voted for
strikebreaking legislation or for

_ the federal wage controls.

“Tf we don’t do that,’’ he added,
“‘we will be betraying our duties as
trade unionists.”

Carpenters delegate Carl
Beaulieu echoed Werlin’s com-
ments and told delegates: ‘‘We’ve
been a little too preoccupied with
the government and not enough
with labor’s legislative program.”

Fishermen’s delegate Homer
Stevens also emphasized the im-
portance of labor’s independent
program, adding that he could not
go out and tell fishermen to “get
out and vote for the NDP’”’ when
the government had reneged on its
own election promises in refusing
to grant bargaining rights to
fishermen.

“It’s going to have to be made
clear,” Stevens emphasized, ‘‘that
labor has its own program, that it
is not captive to a government
which, when it gets into power,
turns its back on the.people who
elected it.” .

The black record of the NDP in

- labor legislation had clearly raised

serious questions in the minds of
delegates as to continuing support
for a. government which had
repudiated labor’s program and its
own election platform.

Even Federation secretary Len
Guy had reminded delegates
earlier ‘“‘it is our support for the
NDP party and our placing the
party first and the trade union
movement second which has got us
into trouble.”

He added, in reference to the
attempts to muzzle the
Federation’s criticism of bad

- government policies, “no party

movement.”’

rit

could have done what was done ®|
us if we were united.” :
Canadian Paperworke?|
delegate Norm McLellan told the
convention that he could not acceP
such legislation and said “‘if thet
is a Communist candidate or #
independent candidate runnine
that supports labor’s progra™
then I’ll vote for him.” A
The nature of the governme?” |
labor legislation was also the fo |
of Richmond MLA Harold Ste
who, along with North Vancouv’ | -
Capilano MLA Colin Gabelma” §
addressed the delegates. a
were warmly received for es \
opposition to Bill 146 in the vote! |
the Legislature. ~ ‘ :
“We've had our ups and dow")
since the election of the NDF‘ |
Steves commented, ‘“‘but V4 3
fortunately, for labor, it has mos”
been down. 4 .
“The government took away ||
fundamental right of workit
people— the right to withhold ba
labor — but provided no sancH® |
against the big multinatio™ | —
corporations. : 2
“Why didn’t the governmel” oS
instead of moving against lal,
tell a company like Weston to
back to the bargaining table — 9),
if you don’t we'll open your bo",
and see whether you can afford
wage increase’,’’ Steves declat
Gabelman urged trade uniom™
to get active in the election
paign and added “hopefully tt)
will be more than three of us i? 1
Legislature who will support

policies of the trade uni

Ch