or fights Bill 22 . . « See below

emands Van. Island protest

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. cold, tainy morning this week, workers at Vancouver G
™M in the face of Hospital Labor Relations’ refusal to

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eneral Hospital took the only course left to
accept the terms of an industrial inquiry

Danission: they struck. But even as they set up picket lines, the Labor Relations Board had already moved
tipple the strike with the designation of some 100 workers as “essential.” (See story). —Sean Griffin photo

the Vancouver and District
bt Council has called upon the
..: Federation of Labor to con-
lia 4 special meeting of all af-
...-> to coordinate a fightback
Ist the introduction. of com-
‘ory arbitration to the B.C.
i Way. As well, the conference
BC Plan a mobilization of the
ede labor movement against the
Tal wage control legislation.
ter VLC call came only hours
Wii Socred labor minister Allan
(Ry, 22S introduced legislation
22) in Victoria which would
all Strikes and lockouts on the
ilway for the next four
8; and settle any disputes by
‘ of binding arbitration.
te also said that the Socred
© ae would not hesitate to
the pave no strike period beyond
~our years which the legislation
: Ar S for,

a. Kube told delegates to the
ion, Council that Bill 22 should
fh. to the labor movement that
lake S “time to get together and
in. 02 the provincial government

3 frontal assault.”’
id that the Socreds were
Introduce this legislation
fag «4 C2use the labor movement
Wit slow to act against the
RVep or policies of the provincial
y ose and has been unable to
When the government tit for tat
Ver it has done things which

i“ Sely affect labor.’
addition to the VLC con-

demnation of Bill 22, other labor
leaders reacted sharply to- the
legislation, and the leader of the
five shopcraft unions on the B.C.R.
said that the introduction of Bill 22
will be ‘‘the beginning of the end of
the government.”

B.C. Federation of Labor
secretary-treasurer Len Guy said
that the legislation could provoke
an “all out war’? between the
government and the labor
movement. Guy. said that he was
shocked by the legislation and that
he did not think that the govern-

“ment would go as far as it did in

anti-labor actions.

“Wecan’t accept this. They have
‘thrown down the gauntlet as never
before. They’re saying to hell with
the working man,” he declared.

Guy said that the Federation
officers would be meeting im-
mediately to assess the situation
and formulate a plan of opposition
to the legislation. .

The BCR has been a focal point
of labor unrest over the past years
with the railways’s management
refusing to negotiate with the rail
unions. Both Guy and Kube ac-
cused the BCR management of
stalling and provoking this type of
legislation, which they said takes
away all incentive for the BCR to
negotiate in good faith. :

In other labor council business,
Lorne Robson, secretary of the
provincial council of carpenters,
called upon the B.C. labor

&

movement ‘‘to get back into the
struggle against Bill C-73.” Robson
said that the only thing missing in
the Canadian Labor Congress’
opposition to the federal legislation
was that ‘the labor movement in
B.C. hasn’t been rallied to fight.”

He said that a B.C. Federation of
Labor conference on Bill C-73
should begin mobilizing the labor
movement for any contingency,
including the calling by the CLC of
a one-day work stoppage.

A storm of protest swept Van-
couver Island this week in the
wake of Victoria’s announcement
of a steep increase in B.C. Ferries
rates scheduled to go into effect on
June 1. Labor, ratepayer, business
and municipal councils have joined
in expressing outright indignation
at this latest B.C. government
action.

“The Social Credit government
should immediately rescind the
boost in ferry fares announced
Monday by transport minister
Jack Davis, and cancel plans to lay
off 400 ferry workers by June 1,”
said Ernie Knott, Vancouver
Island regional organizer of the
Communist Party.

His action came following the
announcement that ferry fares will
double and that special fares for
commuters will be cancelled.
There will also be a sharp increase
in-commercial traffic rates and
rates for recreational vehicles. The
boost means that passengers
between the mainland and Van-
couver Island will have to pay $10
each way for their cars instead of
$5, and $4 per person, rather than
$2.

“The Socred government fare
boost will be a serious blow to the
standards of living of people on
Vancouver Island and will create
many new hardships. In addition,”
said Knott, “‘it will adversely affect
the economy of the Island where
there is already a high level of
unemployment.

‘Not only will it bea heavy blow
against the tourist industry, which
provides 4,000 jobs, but will also hit
every community which depends
on the ferry system link with the
rest of the province.

“Coming on top of recent in-
creases in electricity and gas
rates, auto insurance premiums,
home heating oil, food, drugs, sales
tax, income tax, medicare

premiums and hospital insurance,
the higher ferry freight rates will
sooner or later be passed on to the
consumers. Bus fare rates from
the mainland to the Island and
freight costs have already been
boosted in the wake of the
government’s action.

“By taking this step, the Socred
government is practising
discrimination against people on
the Island who suffer from all the
inflationary pressures imposed by
big business and the government —
now they will have their standard
of living cut into further by this
latest action. Many workers on
Vancouver Island, who live on the
mainland and have to commute
back and forth, will immediately
have their pay reduced by the new
higher ferry rates.”

Knott said that by tying together
the layoff of 400 ferry employees
with the government’s an-
nouncement of higher fares, the
Socred government is once again
demonstrating its tendency to
blame the workers and make them
the scapegoat for unpopular and
unnecessary cutbacks in services
to the public.

“The Communist Party on
Vancouver Island is totally op-
posed to the Socred government’s
action. We have taken emergency
measures to mobilize our entire
membership on Vancouver Island
to fight this latest attack on labor
and the people. We believe that
unity of all people on the Island,
including labor, business,
ratepayers, municipal councils
and others, can force the govern-
ment to rescind the ferry rate
boost. It can compel the Socred
government and Ottawa — which
must assume some responsibility
for the ferry system — to restore
the original fares and prevent the

See FERRY, pg. 12

HLR blamed in hospital strike

About 2,000 members of Local
180 of the Hospital Employees
Union are on-the picket lines at
Vancouver General Hospital
following the rejection by Hospital
Labor Relations of terms of set-

tlement proposed by an industrial
inquiry officer.

- The union, and negotiators for
HLR had previously accepted the
terms of the proposed agreement
but their decision was reversed by

‘Defeat the Socreds
in Van. East vote’

CP statement, pg. 12

the board of directors of HLR who
are determined to keep any con-
tract settlement well within the
federal government’s eight per
cent guideline.

The report tabled by industrial
inquiry officer D. R. Blair had
called for a wage increase of eight
per cent and substantial im-
provements in working conditions
and fringe benefits, including the
introduction of a dental plan, ex-
panded holidays, andthe removal
of a two per cent “trigger” to the
COLA clause. The total package is
estimated to be about a 15 per cent
increase.

The hospital continues to operate
on a reduced basis with the union’s
work being conducted by medical

See HOSPITALS, pg. 12