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Vol. 46, No. 37

Faced with the growing threat of a
Province-wide strike action against
Tepressive legislation, the Bennett

Overtures for meetings with B.C.
Federation of Labor president Art
Kube.

Both premier Bill Bennett and Labor
Minister Bob McClelland began issuing
Media signals for meetings last week but
it was not until Sunday, after Kube in-
dicated that any meeting would have to

with the leaders of the Solidarity
Coalition, that Bennett made formal
the request for a meeting through his
deputy Norman Spector.

_ Kube, together with Solidarity Coali-
tion co-chairs Renate Shearer and
Father James Roberts met with Bennett
»at.his office early, Monday morning...

At Tribune press time few details
Were available of the 80-minute meeting
but initial reports indicated that the
government has not altered its intention
to press ahead with its contentious
legislation.

Premier Bennett reportedly rejected
Tequests to recess the Legislature to
allow time for the public to make its
view known to the government.

_ Bennett also dismissed any sugges-
on that the legislation go to standing
Committees of the Legislature for public
hearings, stating adamantly that the
legislation would be dealt with by the

gislature only.

The only avenue for public input ap-
Peared to be meetings with individual
Ministers. But without any move by the

eds to back off from its legislation,
that offered little chance for change.

Solidarity Coalition chair Renate
hearer reported that the meeting had
begun the ‘“‘consultative process’, leav-
Ing the door open to possible future
Meetings after the constituent groups in
the Coalition have met.

Kube also emphasized that the
Meeting would not change Solidarity
Plans, particularly the scheduled

€monstration set of Oct. 15.

Nor would it affect support for the
BCGEU, he said, stressing that the
trade union would support the union in
any action it might take should 1,600
‘Members be fired after Oct. 31.

_Any BCGEU action would be the
direct result of the government impos-

Ing the terms of Bill 2 or Bill 3 which
Temove seniority provisions and effec-
Uvely emasculate government

We'll back BCGEU action

says Solidarity Coalition

TRIBUNE PHOTO—DAN KEETON

Some of B.C.’s youngest residents help their parents dramatize the plight of
renters faced with unwarranted evictions and skyrocketing rents resulting from
the Socreds’ proposed Residential Tenancy Act Saturday. Adults were at a central
stage nearby to hear speakers, including B.C. Federation of Labor president Art
Kube, and performers underline that point at the Tenants Tent-in organized by the
B.C. Tenants; Rights Coalition at Vancouver’s Vanier Park. The coalition, a

Province-wide representatives of the
Solidarity Coalition have voted unanimous-
ly to back the B.C. Government Employees
Union in the actions it feels necessary to
take’’ — a resolution of support that could
bring workers off the job in a mass walkout
across the province.

Coalition steering committee members
Art Kube and Renate Shearer annouced the
decision at a late-night press conference
Thursday. It was called as some 200
representatives of the Coalition were
meeting to discuss the continuing campaign
to compel the government to withdraw its
July 7 budget and accompanying legislation.

The resolution endorsed by the meeting
stated that the Coalition would ‘support the
BCGEU in the actions it feels necessary to
take in opposing the government’s intran-
sigence or its repressive legislation.”’

The BCGEU stated at its bargaining con-

ference Sept. 25 that any ‘action by the _

government in using Bill 3, the Public Sector
Restraint Act, under which some 1,600
BCGEU members are slated to be fired ©
when the BCGEU contract expires Oct. 31,
would trigger a walkout by the BCGEU
across the province. A ballot is now going to
members for endorsement of that position.

The vote at Thursday’s meeting places the
Coalition firmly behind the BCGEU if the
union is compelled to stage a walkout
because of government action in firing 1,600
people.

‘‘That vote demonstrates that not only
will the trade union movement support the
BCGEU but the community organizations
will also give support,’’ Kube told reporters.

He emphasized that the Coalition would
be “‘not solely for the 1,600 who face being
fired but also to retain the services which
those 1,600 people provide.”’

The issue of support for the BCGEU will
also go before meeting of the B.C. Federa-
tion of Labor officers as well as Operation
Solidarity, the coalition of B.C. Fed-
affiliated and non-affiliated unions which
was formed July 15 to fight the Socred
government’s legislative attack on human,
democratic and trade union rights.

“T will put to both of those bodies a sup-
port program for the BCGEU,”’ Kube ©
stated.

That position would be that ‘‘no union
can stand alone if 1,600 of its members are
fired,’’ he emphasized.

He added that he was ‘‘quite sure that the
affiliation of the B.C. Federation of Labor
as well as the affiliates of Operation Solidari-
ty will support me.”’

Kube did not outline any details of that
support program but it was understood that
it would involve a walkout of trade unionists

€mplo i ; member of the provincial Solidarity Coalition, has held several meetings for local : : t
ec ea as tenants recently. (See TENANTS’ UNITY page 3.) across the province. The federation’s public
sector committee has already laid out a plan
a See SOCREDS’ page 12

Scottish workers stop company’s pullout —