a — —— ON BARRETT: 8 MORGAN CALLS Friday, December 5, 1975 came 4 37, No. 49 A call on Premier Dave Barrett andthe NDP government to join in - the demand that Ottawa withdraw Trudeau‘s wage freeze legislation was made by Nigel Morgan, B.C. Communist leader at an all- candidates rally at Templeton School Tuesday night. (Bill C-73 was pushed through the House late Wednesday night by a vote of 111 to 96 and now goes before the Senate for first reading. Senate approval is needed before final adoption. ) Drawing attention at the rally Tuesday night that Bill C-73 was up for final reading in Parliament, Morgan who is Communist can- didate in Vancouver East, challenged Premier Barrett to join the demand of Canadian labor that the wage freeze be scrapped. “Trudeau’s proposed legislation will become a chain around the neck of every worker in this country unless a determined stand is taken to stop it,’’ Morgan war- ned. “Thousands of Ontario teachers are up in arms over the grossly unfair, discriminatory dictats imposed on them by Bill C-73 and the government’s Anti-Inflation Board. Teachers demonstrated in Ottawa this week against the Board’s edict forcing low wage settlements under government guidelines, even though their negotiations began long before Trudeau announced his plans. Tens of thousands of B.C. workers are threatened by the same edict. “In Quebec a Common Front uniting the entire trade union movement, has been formed to fight the Bill and have called for a general strike to block the federal government’s wage freeze legislation. The Ontario Federation of Labor and the Canadian Labor Congress have renewed their demand that Bill C- 73 be withdrawn immediately. If ever there was a need for action to stop the projected wage freeze and adopt a genuine anti-inflation program the time is now. The NDP See MORGAN pg. 8 BSc vw. H . Community marched the “Trident Monster Poles, rope and black plastic strips, it stretched back 550 fe Of the 408 plastic strips represented a Trident nuclear missile. 'n a dramatic windup to Trident Concern Week, demonstrators from both universities and the Pacific Life ” through downtown streets last Thursday. Consisting of bamboo et — the length of each Trident sub — while each —Sean Griffin photo The postal strike is over, but x a will be little satisfaction for _ “ither the 22,000 members of the Bo naan Union of Postal Workers ‘ for an expectant public _“tXiously awaiting an improved _ Postal service. cin © CUPW national executive re a Ounced on Tuesday that their aoe ™bership voted 51.8 per cent to ce ne a 30-month contract that = inc Provide for a $1.70 per hour moose in wages over .the 7 tion of the agreement. “Pejeqiy ncouver, postal workers co €d the contract by 54 per By 79 Tn Montreal it was rejected : ae per cent. Nowhere in the Ove aM was there a decisive or Settle helming support for the Pah fon It was a disgruntled ely bitter work force that . Ne to the job on Tuesday. Whi Couver local president Peter Many ker echoed the feelings of ed When he commented on one ae Mackasey has won this Taige pass got us back for a $1.70 5 Sa nd that is what he is going e 4 $1.70 of work.” ad eg caker’s statement found ~~“ Yeflection in giant banners ¥ a NARROW VOTE ENDS CUPW STRIKE Issues still unresolved that draped around the main post office in Vancouver on Tuesday reading, ‘“Thanks for nothing, Mackasey.”’ The main issues remain unresolved. The wage increase is an extremely modest one con-" — General Antonio de Spinola was given a cool reception by 300 demonstrators recently when the right-wing Portuguese general visited Toronto. sidering the length of the agreement and the low base rate of $4.59 per hour on which it is ap- - plied. The lack of any significant concessions from the government on a reduced work week, relief pay, sick pay, maternity and pre- retirement leave and other mat- ters has left working conditions at the post office outdated and regressive. That the post office refused an additional holiday, a vacation bonus or retroactive pay made the settlement even less satisfactory. Postal workers will return to work in the. absence of conditions that are accepted as just in private ~ industry. It is little wonder that a wave of prophesies followed the settlement, predicting continued troubles in the postal service. There has been no report of any agreement ~— regarding the negotiation of technological change. A particularly important issue for the entire labor movement, for CUPW members, it will mean the loss of thousands of jobs. Many more workers who will not lose their jobs over~the in- See POSTAL pg. 8 unions blast Bill C-73 OTTAWA — Five hundred angry trade unionists from southern Ontario labor councils demon- strated outside Canada’s parliament on November 19 to oppose the -Trudeau-government’s wage cutting Bill C-73. The demonstrators included eight busloads of trade unionists from the Metro Toronto Labor Council [See photo page 8] Metro delegates met with Toronto MPs inside the parliament buildings and submitted a brief which rejected the government’s argument that wages were the cause of inflation. The brief also rejected any suggestion that the labor movement would participate in discussions which had the aim “to improve or amend the proposal to make it more perfect.’ Labor expressed total rejection of the wage-cutting concept in the government’s anti-inflation legislation. The brief declared, ‘‘no amend- ments — no improvements — will alter the basic nature of Bill C-73 and its false assumption that wage earners have caused inflation.”’ It said: ‘““We in the labor movement are vitally concerned with in- flation. It is our membership, not to mention the vast numbers of poorly paid unorganized workers who are the chief victims of in- flation. But we will not be gulled by the syrupy assurances of the prime minister that this Bill is the an- swer.” To fight inflation and unem- ployment, the Metro Toronto Labor Council brief proposed its own anti-inflation program which included: @ a massive housing program e rent controls e regulation of oil, energy prices e a full employment policy @ positive action to control professional fees e increases for people such as old age pensioners on fixed in- See BILL C-73 pg. 8 gas and COMMUNIST ELECTION RALLY Sun., Dec. 7 = 2 p.m. : QUEEN ELIZABETH PLAYHOUSE | HEAR WILLIAM KASHTAN NIGEL MORGAN _ Lower Mainland Communist candidates will be introduced — musical program. —— NANAIMO: Hear William Kashtan and Ray Holmgren, Tallyho Hotel — Sun., Dec. 7 — 7 p.m. I 22s Seen eee |e ~ — | |