When the Quebec labor minis-
ter speaks about “veto. power”
by a minority in the Quebec
construction industry, and when
he proposes to abolish this
power by new corporate legis-
lation, ostensibly to establish
rule by the majority (of work-
ers and employers) in the in-
dustry, it may, at first glance,
appear as a move toward more
democratic procedures. How-
ever, the exact opposite is the
truth.

The legislation goverfiing col-'
lective bargaining in the Quebec .

construction industry which ex-
pired on April 30th last, was in-
deed designed to serve a minor-
ity at the expense of the major-
ity. That law was passed in or-
der to impose an employer-
government dictatorship over
construction workers and their
unions in Quebec. Mr. Cour-
noyer’s new law is meant to
consolidate the government-
employer dictatorship’ by the
simple expedient of freezing out
all actual and potential op-
position. ‘

Democracy in the abstract,
based upon formal precepts of
majority versus minority, in this
particular context ignores the
important question of democra-
cy for whom?—for what class?

The bureaucratic officials of
the international unions last
year plotted raids upon their
brothers in the Confederation

Miners strike in

By RICHARD ORLANDINI

The RCMP dispatched one of
its strikebreaking units to
Buchans, Newfoundland to in-
timidate the workers who have
been carrying on a strike against
American Smelters and Refining
Co. for six weeks. The federal
police roamed the streets of the
mining town after they has been
called in to surpress any more
“outbreaks of violence.” The
alleged violence took place when
supervisory staff tried to cross
the miners’ picket line. No one
was reported injured.

For the second time in two
years the miners, millmen and
tradesmen of Steelworkers Local
5457 have been forced to strike

‘against the company, which is-

part of the multi-national
Asarco. This year, after .two
months of bargaining and a fail-
ure of conciliation, the strikers
are operating their picket lines
with only five pickets because of
an anti-labor ex-parte injunc-
tion imposed on them and en-
forced by the RCMP.
During the negotiations the
company refused to make any
substantial offer to raise the sub-
standard wages or change the
term of the agreement. The wage

differential between Buchans

Asarco and the rates paid at
Asarco properties in the U.S. is
$1.50 an-hour.

Buchans, situated in mid-New-
foundland, reflects none of the
wealth that Asacro has torn
‘from the land. In the townsite,
employees are forced to live in
archaic and dilapidated company
row housing. The town is so

isolated that is was only 15

years ago that a road to the out-

‘side world was built. Efforts to

unionize the workers before the
coming of the road were ham-
pered because the only way into
Buchans for organizers was on a

SY BRUCE MAGNUSON

LABOR SCENE Quebec building trades

face dictatorial law

of National Trade Unions with
the aim of swallowing up. or
smashing these rivals. Having
failed in this adventure, they
have now joined forces with the
government and the. dominant
employers for the purpose of
doing the same thing by other
“legal” means. —

Refusing to join with their
brothers in the CNTU affiliated
construction unions in joint’
negotiations to win the best
possible collective agreement in
the interests of all construction
workers, they have conducted
their-own contract talks with
the dominant employers in
secret, and have come up witha
sweetheart deal which they now
propose to impose with the gov-
ernment’s cooperation upon all
construction workers in Quebec.

In other words, what we have
here is a class collaborationist
conspiracy on the part of the
big employers and the Quebec
government with rightwing in-
ternational union officials in the
Quebec construction industry,
to establish a corporatist setup
which aims to effectively elimi-
nate not only CNTU affiliated
building trades unions, but all

semblances of democratic col-.

lective bargaining with mem-
bership participation.

: % * *

This, plus last year’s raids in
the Quebec construction indus-

— anes yy

try, point up a most dangerous
situation. If allowed to develop
without effective challenge from
members of building trades
unions throughout Canada, the
situation in Quebec could play
into the hands of anti-union
employers throughout the coun-
try.

In place of internicine war-
fare, raiding and’ class-collabo-
rationist negogtiations behind
the backs of the membership,
what is needed more than ever
is unity in action and industry-
wide solidarity to meet the
challenge from governments
and employers head-on.

The time has come to bring
about order out of chaos in the
building trades by establishing
independent and sovereign Can-
adian machinery for adjudica-
tion of differences in affiliations
and jurisdictional matters. This
has to be done on the basis of
voluntary and democratic parti-
cipation of all unions and with
the fullest participation of the
membership.

What cannot be allowed to
continue is officials of some
unions collaborating with em-
ployers and governments against
other sections of organized

workers. What is required is.

solidarity of all organized work-
ers on a class basis—unity in
action to advance the interests
of the workers at the expense
of monopoly profits.

NFLD

AAR Pee

Buchans miners picket the Asarco gate for the second time in two
years. These strikers travelled over a hundred miles to do their stint.

company-owned railway. And
the company was a little more
than reluctant to let “outsiders”
use “their” railway. —

The members of Local 5457
are. now suffering from an at-
tempt by the management to
“save Asarco money.” But Asar-
co doesn’t need any further sav-
ings. According to Moody’s In-
dustrials,\ Asarco is ‘part of a
giant multi-national corporation
with operations on three contin-
ents (Australia, South America
and North America), and in 1971

‘had an earned surplus of more

than $349 million.

The workers’ struggle for
higher pay and better benefits in
Buchans is also being hampered
by the presence of a man who
insists upon wearing two hats.
Douglas Souter is the president
of the Industrial Relations Re-
search Association — supposed-
ly aimed at improving “harmo-

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MAY 11, 1973—PAGE 8

nious industrial relations.” But
now that the strike is on, the
workers tell of him donning his
-second hat — he is also vice-
president of industrial relations
for Asarco, and when he wears
that hat his harmony “turns as
sour as vinegar.”

The strikers recognize that
they are up against heavy odds.
,A tight - fisted | management,
strikebreaking police, two-faced
industrial relations men and
their relative isolation. Yet they
are holding firm by countering
these factors with militancy, and
they are overcoming their isola-
tion with calls for solidarity to
their fellow workers.

As Ivan Hodder, a secretary
of Local 5457 said in a recent
issue of Steel Labor, ‘‘As long as
Asarco thinks we are isolated
they will hold onto the foolish
notion that they can beat us. No
way is this going to happen.”

The increasing tempo on the
part of Canadian workers to

-achieve autonomy within the

international unions was reflect-
ed by William Dodge, Secretary-
Treasurer, Canadian Labor Con-
gress, in two addresses in the
past week. ,

Speaking to the International
Chemical Workers’ Union Con-
ference in Montreal, he reminded
the delegates that the conven-
tion in Boston was a triumph for
the Canadian’ workers where
constitutional amendments were
adopted meeting the demands
for Canadian autonomy.

“This is important” he said,
“because there are some ele-
ments. in the Canadian labor
movement which are determined
to destroy it. They seem to have
lots of money and unlimited ac-
cess to the press and television
to carry on their destructive
campaign. They have only one
propaganda weapon which they
use indiscriminately and con-
stantly — a cheap appeal to na-
tionalism. They do not ask if a
union is strong, or progressive,
or militant,, or democratic, - or
even if it observes fully the
principles of autonomy for its
Canadian membership. They do
not ask about good contracts or
the benefits a union has won for
its members. They are interest-
ed in only a 100% red-blooded
Canadian Union! If it is not, it
is unacceptable and must be re-
jected in favor of a Simon-pure
Canadian union, no matter what
the costs may be in lost benefits
to its members.”

Dodge then went on and re-
ferred to Kent Rowley and the
Council of Canadian Unions. “I
want to repeat that they are
small and weak, because if you

look at the CBC: these days you’

might get the impression that
Kent Rowley and his Council of
Canadian Unions are about to
take over the Canadian Labor
Congress. Let me put the record

‘straight. The Canadian Labor

Congress has gained more mem-

Mallette mouths off on
non-English immigran!>

Karl Mallette, Metro Toron-
to’s own elected neo-fascist is
back in the news again. Mal-
lette, who has a perchant for
making stupid statements, re-
cently shot his mouth off in a
discussion of an $84,000 grant
to ‘be given to the Community
Information Centre of Metro
Toronto. The Centre’s function
is to provide translators for To-
ronto’s large new immigrant
community.

In response to the appeal, the
bellicose Mallette displayed his
erstwhile Neanderthal mental-
ity by saying, “I don’t think
there is any reason why, in this
day and age, an area munici-
pality should be saddled with
the problem of people who do
not have a working knowledge
of English.”

When asked about Mallette’s
newest display of fascist at-
titudes, John Bizzell, Metro To-
ronto organizer of the Com-
munist Party said: “Mallette
displays the most base, jingo-
istic and racist attitude to the
Canadian immigrant population
in his statement. What Canada

needs is not a curtailment of

~on the right or the Waffle move:

bers by new affiliations sinc
January of this year than RoW
ley has in his entire so-called
central organization.”

Three days later, in Toronto,
speaking to the Canadian Coun
cil of Christians and Jews
Dodge again referred to ee
super-nationalist groups 4
said, ‘The present move towards
more independence for the Cam
adian sections of internation4
unions will result in full ind®
pendence within the next
years. In spite of the aid sve
to the ‘miniscule’ independent
movement by the CBC and the
Toronto Star, the transition i ;
take place by a smooth meth i!
and mutual understanding,’ ate
not by “the destructive proce
being promoted by self-appoim
ed saviors of Canadian ing
‘pendence such as the Comm
tee for an Independent Canat”

ment on the left.” oe
Mr. Dodge’s statement calm
amidst the May Day ol r
tions across Canada. In the May |
Day issue of the Canadian +"
une, dated April 25, the C f
tral Executive Committee
the Communist Party of ied
da issued a statement enti
“For an independent sovere 4.
and united trade union me
ment.” The statement rea
ATs oe ‘ ie:
: “If the CLC fails to act dec
sively at this time, it could® a
the door to an extension ,
raiding and greater splitting f
the trade union movemen
condition which the employ
and the big business pol! on
parties would welcome and.
courage. On the other ware
the CLC acts to lead the 5" 7
gle for a new relationship rot
tween. Canadian and U.S. 181)
then the way would be on ft *
uniting all trade unions in mio
ada and enable the trade of?
movement to play an even itical
effective role in the po inst
arena and in the struggle 48"
monopoly policies.” x

immigration, including pe :
who do not speak English
might add, French), but *acl
stantial increase in the 19
ties for new immigran’® od
learn the language. W® ae
facilities that are more hu 5
ized than the ‘para-military tion
tem presently in Pe pat
through the ‘Manpower De
ment. — of
“Mr. Mallette’s bigotry as
this issue is as repus?? . of
his advocacy of sterilizal bi”
welfare recipients. SUC? ott
try is not new; it comes e) by
close to the ideas advan a 4
Hitler regarding steri ast
and the language of the ge
race,” Mr. Bizzell said. igo
Despite  Mallette’s
opposition, the Metro soved
Services Committee #
the grant to the center.

USSR Oil Pipeline’ oil |
Canadians are interest@™ (apa |
and gas pipelines. A high i
city oil pipeline is ;
oan Saipies to Almetyysed ‘'
northwestern  Siber1a. al cart
with other lines, it Wi rope
Siberian oil to the EYP”
USSR. “