FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 1972

Ottawa must protest
bombing of Vietnam

The Trudeau government must not be allowed to remain silent in face of the
criminal renewal of massive bombings of North Vietnam by the U.S.

Using huge B-52 bombers and a
massive airfleet, thousands of
tons of bombs were rained on
Hanoi, and for the first time, on
Haiphong. Thus Nixon has done
what his predecessor former
President Johnson never dared
to do.

According to reports from the
U.S., President Nixon made his
decision to authorize the bomb-
ing of Hanoi and Haiphong
Friday night while he was in
Ottawa as a guest of the Cana-
dian government. While he was
mouthing sugary words of peace
and assurances to our MPs that
he will recognize Canada’s
independence, his bombing fleets
were raining death and destruc-
tion on the people of Vietnam
who are waging an heroic
struggle for their independence.

Not only has the U.S. as-
sembled a huge air armada in
Indochina, it has also brought to-
gether an __ estimated 50
warships of all sizes with large

numbers of marines and other
fighting forces. The armada has
been steadily bombarding the
coast of North Vietnam. It
includes aircraft carriers, troop
carriers, and guided missile
destroyers. It is reported that
nuclear weapons are aboard
some of the vessels.

This week secretary of defence
Melvin Laird made it clear that
the U.S. is out to force a mili-
tary decision on Vietnam. He
made it clear that U.S. forces
consider themselves free to use
any means of war they think
necessary to achieve their aim.
He_ specifically mentioned
continued bombing, a sea block-.
ade and mining the harbor of
Haiphong. North Vietnamese
spokesmen have warned that
the U.S. is preparing a land inva-
sion.

The situation is grave. The
president who got elected (like
his predecessor) on the promise
of ending the Vietnam war, now

seems on a mad course of reopen-
ing the military conflict with a
view to a military victory.

Protests around the world are
mounting against the U-S.
action. Tuesday night the Van-
couver Labor Council con-
demned the resumption of
bombing of North Vietnam and
endorsed the Paris peace appeal
calling for a_ peaceful
settlement of the conflict and the
withdrawal of U:S. forces.

Also this week the B.C. Peace
Council circulated a wire urging
the public to sign it. Addressed
to Prime Minister Trudeau, the
wire says:

“Urge you now publicly con-
demn the bombing of North Viet-
nam and press the U.S. to return
to Paris peace talks to negotiate
total withdrawal and end to the
war.”’

At latest reports hundreds of
people have signed and sent this
wire demanding Ottawa act in
the present crisis.

Construction unions condemn
GLRA refusal to bargain

By MABEL RICHARDS

About 4,500 carpenters in the
Lower Mainland walked off the
building sites for a half day shut-
down last Friday to protest the
refusal of the construction
bosses, through CLRA, to carry
on honest negotiations on a new
contract.

About 300 of them gathered at
the courthouse for a protest
rally which was addressed by
heads of the Locals and a provin-
cial representative of the
Carpenter’s Union.

Six mediators have been in on
the negotiations but have been
unable to break the deadlock
between CLRA under Chuck
Connaghan, and the unions
united in the Building Trades
Council, chiefly because
Connaghan has refused to make
any offer on any of the points up
for negotiation.

At the courthouse rally, provin-
cial secretary Lorne Robson
told the crowd that only a
fraction of the carpenters in the
Council are able to get year-
round work. Union records show
that 50 percent worked a little
more than 8 months in the year,
and 50 percent worked less, he

said.

And although productivity in
the construction industry
increased 3.5 percent each year
in the past 10 years, wage
increases were but 2.22 percent
per year. Robson said a 5.8
percent increase in the labor
force produced 43.3 percent
more physical volume of con-
struction in terms of 1961
dollars. So much for the charge

Carpenters protesting stall by CLRA at last Friday’s rally.

that shorter hours and a higher
wage would break the industry.
The union spokesmen who
addressed the rally reiterated
the fact that the Construction
Labor Relations Association
has refused to make any offer
during three months of so-called
negotiations. A leaflet

See CLRA, pg. 12