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~ eve

“direct action” to bar intro-
duction of the labor bill-which
is described as “the toughest

ada.”

B.C. Federation of Labor of-
ficials, while not in favor of
a general strike at this time,
are aware that rank and file

Betty)

4 Phone MUtual 5-5288
Authorised as second class mail by

. the Post Office Department, Ottawa 1 Oc

Vol. 18 No. 11 VANCOUVER, B.C.
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1959

Youth lobby demands

unemployment action

A brief on unemployment, dealing particularly with its
effect on young pedple, was presented to the Standing Com-
mittee on Labor last Friday by the B.C. section of the Social-
ist Youth League of Canada, represented by a delegation
of 15 from Vancouver, Nanaimo and Victoria.

The brief, read to the committee by Monica Samuelson,
SYL provincial secretary,
pointed out that there are
“many young Canadians, full
of ‘energy, talent and ambi-
tion, who are denied their
elementary right in this rich
country of ours—the right to
work.” e

It reviewed the plight of
thousands of young people
who have exhausted their un-
employment insurance bene-
fits and continued:

"In addition to these, we
must add the thousands of
youth who have not worked
long enough to qualify for
benefits. Hundreds of uni-
versity students will not re-
turn to classes this fall be-
cause they will not be able
to find enough work this
summer to earn their tuition
fees.

“Then there is the plight of
young immigrants who came
to this country. in hopes of a
’ full, new life and find no work

(Continued on back page)
" See YOUTH LOBBY

sentiment for militant action
is growing rapidly.

A BCFL delegation paid a
visit to Victoria this week in
an attempt to meet the cabi-
net and discuss Bill 43.

Present plans of the federa-
tion call for a 10 cents month-
ly assessment on 111,000 or-
ganized workers in the prov-
ince, which. would give the
federation $11,000 a month to
conduct a public fight-back
campaign in the form of leaf-
lets, newspaper advertising,
and a radio and television
program.

BCFL secretary Pat O’Neal
said there “is also a possibility
of a two-day emergency BCFL
convention being called if the
government press ahead with
this reactionary legislation.”

This youth delegation presented a brief on unemployment t

anti-union legislation in Can-

DIRECT ACTION URGEL
NUT BILL 43

Demand is rising for a general strike in B.C. to compel the
government to withdraw Bill 43 and abandon proposed restrictive
changes in the Labor Relations Act. To date 24 local unions (in-
cluding IWA 1-217, the largest local in B.C.) have advocated such

More than a decade ago trade
unions in B.C. combined: their
strength in a successful at-
tempt to defeat -Bill 39. Many
unions feel that the same type
of action is needed today to
force the Socred government

No cash aid,
says Ottawa

OTTAWA—More than 1,000
prairie farmers arrived here
this week to press the govern-
ment for grain deficiency pay-
ments, but Prime Minister
Diefenbaker indicated they
will not get the $300 million
they asked in increased aid.

The demand was brought to
the government in the form
of a petition signed by 302,-
200 western farmers. It said
that prairie agriculture was
caught in a cost-price squeeze.

Diefenbaker spoke to the
delegation for an ‘hour, but
refused to make any promises.

Oo a government committee in Victoria last Friday.

to withdraw Bill 43.

By ramaining firm, and
united in the face of govern-
ment threats, nurses in eight
lower mainland hospitals this
week won their wage demands.

The government capitulated
to the nurses and again to the
province’s 11,000 civil servants
(although the strike of civil
servants. was* still scheduled
to start at Pacific Tribune
press time, unless the govern-
ment gave written, instead of
verbal assurances that the in-
creases would be paid).

Pressure from B.C.’s 111,000
organized unionists could also
force the government to scrap
Bill 48.

Petition extension

Because the legislature will
not prorogue until the latter
part of March the BCFL un-
employment petition cam-
paign has been extended to
March 17. It is understood
that more than 100,000 names
have already been collected
throughout the province.

BS
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