LABOR SCENE BY BRUCE MAGNUSON Writing in the Toronto Star on Monday July 10, Ed Finn re- ported Murray Cotterill, veteran public relations director of the Steelworkers Union as saying that unions will never have a respectable image as long as they are “doing a job for their members” as the chief oppon- ents of the nation’s “elite.” Mr. Cotterill is also alleged to have Stated that the unions erred in deciding to affiliate directly to the New Democratic Party in- stead of developing their own political action program. “Both views may be open to question,” writes Mr. Finn, “but together they point up a Significant truth: Labor’s close link with the NDP tars that party with the brush of labor’s unpopularity, especially during periods of heavy strike activ- ity.” Not content wtih this most emphatic assumption, Mr. Finn goes on: “During the past six months, with public service strikes rampant (sic!) across the country, labor has become so- ciety’s No. 1 villain. During the Same period, the Gallup Poll es- timate of the NDP’s share of the popular vote has dropped front 22% to 16.” Entirely apart from the merits or demerits of Mt. Cotterill and Mr. Finn as labor men, both ex- press equally sectarian and nar- row points of view which prove nothing. All they are doing here is adding one assumption upon another assumption, based on nothing but mass media propa- ganda, dictated and paid for by the enemies of both the unions and the NDP. It would be an ex- cercise in futility to get into a- frenzied argument about whe- ther the trade unions have caused harm to NDP popularity, or whether the NDP has done harm to the unions’ popularity. The class struggle is not a popularity contest among petty-bourgeois philistines, con- ducted under Queensberry rules and with the price of fame and respectability for those who may win such a contest. The class struggle is something real in a real world where the chal- lenge before each and every one of us is to decide which side we are to be on, or want to be on. Sometimes we find people who simply want to be-on neither side, which is like trying to opt out of the world. Others, again, try hard to be with one foot in both camps, deciding from case to case which side is the most profitable to be aligned with at the particular moment. These are the incorrigible opportun- PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1972—PAGE 4 The NDP and labor ists. Only the ruling corporate elite and exploiters of the work- ing class stand to. gain by such opportunist wavering and lack of principled firmness in the ranks of the organized sections of the labor movement. Mr. Finn gets himself into some rather peculiar and con- tradictory positions when he starts to speculate about popu- larity or lack of it. Internal wrangling within the NDP over the Waffle faction is dismissed by Finn when he writes, “but even if the Waffle hadn’t exist- ed, the decline of the party’s (NDP’s) fortunes in a year of labor turmoil would have been just as severe.” Obviously, Mr. Finn sees the labor connection of the NDP as a strong handi- cap if not the main obstacle to its advance to power in this country. As a champion of the Waffle, Mr. Finn points to the votes gained by Waffle-leaning candi- dates in the last Ontario elec- tion as proof that the Waffle has not been a handicap to the NDP. He then goes on to say: “It is no doubt true that most Cana- dian voters regard the Waffle policies as much too radical. But they don’t fear the Waffle, as they do the unions. They realize the Waffle consists of a relative- ly small number of academics, students and theoreticians who have no real power and _influ- ence. The unions, however, de- monstrate their power every time they call a strike.” Of course Mr. Finn writes that business firms and govern- ments also have power, “but they exercise it more subtly and indirectly.” Union power is blamed for - the NDP right-wing attack on the Ontario Waffle. “Union lead- ers,” says Mr. Finn, “never did like the Waffle’s left-wing ideas, but they tolerated them until the Wafflers started to intrude into union affairs.” Then he goes on: “Ironically the purge of the Wafille will do more to impair than to enhance the NDP’s electoral prospects, for it stamps the union label much more prominently on the party. The Waffle was seen by many voters as a countervailing force to the unions. Without it, the NDP will become even more closely identified in the public mind as a predominantly labor party.” Mr. Finn goes further and suggests that “. . . labor’s sup- port of a party is an electoral kiss of death.” Notice Mr. Finn does not state specifically the NDP, but ‘a party,’ meaning presumably any party. Peculiar, is it not, that President Nixon and Senator McGovern in the USA do not seem to think labor support is a kiss of death. And, it would appear most unlikely that either Trudeau or Stanfield, not to speak of Wacky Bennett in that labor bastion of British Columbia, woud repudiate labor support in this way. But Mr. Finn writes that vot- ers on the Prairies elect the NDP “knowing the unions have little strength there, and’ don’t fear them the way so many vot- ers do in more heavily union- ized regions . . . If anything,” writes Mr. Finn, alluding to the ousting. of the Ontario Waffle, “the image evoked is that of a party even more firmly con- trolled by the unions—most of them American unions. If a fed- eral election were held tomor- row, the NDP would be lucky to win a dozen seats.” Presumably he means that the unions are despised by a major- ity of people, who are deadly afraid of them. Therefore, if the NDP does not disassociate it- self from the unions, or keep the Waffle in as a ‘countervail- ing’ force, the NDP is as good as. washed up. There is scarcely any need to comment on this nonsense. Without the support of labor the NDP will get nowhere. With- out a policy that will rally work- ing class support; defeat. right- wing manoeuvres, and help .to promote understanding of the class conflict reflected in the massive and_ growing strike movements of today, both in Canada and internationally, the NDP cannot hope to get any- where. If Mr. Finn thinks seriously that the capitalist mass media has succeeded in brainwashing the masses of working people into anti-union hysterics, ought he not as a labor man begin to fight this dangerous: trend, in- stead of accepting and rational- izing it, seeking to find accom- modation with the class enemy by propagating its anti-labor line? Nothing can be more harmful to the NDP, the Waffle, or to the trade union movement, than to accept defeat and adopt a position of petty-bourgeois de- spair. Rightwing policies, based on deep-rooted illusions, are spread to split the workers and to rule them by default. It is rule by a minute minority over the majority. It is class dicta- torship imposed upon the people by big corporate interests and monopolies. It bears no relation- ship whatever to true democra- cy. Compromise with, and ac- commodation to, this drift in a rightwing direction is the road to disaster, not only for the NDP, but for the organized labor movement, the working class and all the people of Canada. What is needed is unity of all jeft forces around a common anti-monopoly, anti-imperialist, democratic program. We need to elect more NDP’ers and Com- munists to carry forward the battle to defeat monopoly and its policies, and win the strug- gle for democracy, peace and socialism. defined A | Hees! What Sadat . really said... In the welter of Western spe- culation about the departure of Soviet military advisers from Egypt, Radio Cairo, on July 18, gave this account of President Anwar el-Sadat’s report to the Central Committee of the Arab Socialist Union party: “After fully reviewing the situation in all its aspects, and in full appreciation of the tre- mendous Soviet aid to us, I found it appropriate to adopt the following measures: “1) To terminate the mission of Soviet instructors and mili- tary advisers who came at our request, as of yesterday; our sons in the armed forces to take their places. “2) All military installations built after July, 1967, are to be manned by the Feyeuen armed forces. “3) To consult with the Soviet Union, at an agreed-upon level, to define the methods of our cooperation in the future. ‘Essence not affected’ “It is essential that we should consider these measures within their true framework, because they do not affect the essence of our friendship with the Soviet Union.” Sadat made it clear that the measures applied to a certain limited number of Soviet mili- tary personnel whose work was no longer necessary in Egypt. He paid tribute to the vast Soviet aid to Egypt, particularly in reference to the Aswan High Dam, the Helwan steel centre, and other areas brought out in the 15-year Soviet - Egyptian treaty signed on May 28, 1971. There is no doubt that there are differences in approach to the Middle East situation be- tween the USSR and Egypt and that Sadat has a certain number of military fire-breathers he must deal with in the Egyptian armed forces. But as Sadat him- self pointed out: “It -is only natural that differences should exist among real friends. There is nothing unusual about this.” Informed sources also recalled Sadat’s interviews with New York Times editor Cyrus Sulz- berger, published last Dec. 13, in which Sulzberger reported: “Mr. Sadat said that Moscow had indicated more than once its desire to pull its servicemen out of Egypt.” “Every time I try to prolong Stelco reaches agreemetl By BOB MANN Employees of the Steel Com- pany of Canada Ltd. voted on July 28 to accept the terms of a . new three year agreement..The old contract was due to expire on July 31. On Thursday, July 27, the stewards of local 1005, Hilton works representing 11,500 work- ers at the company’s main plant rejected the offer. However, at the plant gate in a vote con- ducted on Friday, July 25, the workers accepted the offer by a 65% margin. The terms give an 80¢ an hour breakdown over the three years — 45¢-20¢-15¢. The total pack- age is estimated at $1.44 over the life of the contract. There were improvements in the pen- sion plan, raising payments to retirees with 30 years of service Statement of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union issued following statement on in connection with the drawal of its military ad from Egypt: 8 In accordance with the quests of the leadership ° Arab Republic of Egypt for in ensuring its defence pol in the face of the Israeli 48 sion, specifically through rary stationing of a nu Soviet military personne f Soviet Union has been a friendly desistante over i ber of years. The Soviet ou personnel was staying in for the purpose of he ipl Egyptian armed forces to ma Soviet military equipment Both sides many # pressed their satisfaction the effectiveness of such ures. Now the Soviet militar sonnel in the Arab Ree Egypt has completed it tions. With the awa this, after an exchange nions, the sides deemé dient to bring back to the Union the military o Ey will Fone return to t oi i President of the a ft lic of Egypt Anwar § in his speech at the meetif the Central Committee Arab Socialist Union ® 18 that the measures take foutl “in no way affect the oO tions of Egyptian- -Soviet of ship.” In_ this connectio eh president once again sport ly about “a great assiS the Soviet Union” at Re ed the striving of the pi sh I public of Egypt for the © ihe Oh ed_ friendship between ¢ countries. its P* The Soviet Union, OF elop! plans to continue a) and strengthening in eA its relations with the j public of Egypt bas€ sot strong foundation 0 ri ment Egyptian Treaty of he} 0 and Cooperation am gatiO™ struggle for the liqu! 4 the consequences 9 nd se” aggression, for peace an ity in the Middle East = al their stay, I must ust » Si efforts to convince lzber was quoted by Sulz saying. ont! from $365 to $475 # % the age of 60. a dem The younger workers urine, i for a vacation peri fuse summer months was 5% the company. The ; mad tion of the terme wae a in large part, of y° e ployees who recone # giant corporation for 4 afford to shut dow? tion period. do be The — settlement + that > square with the fact © ofit made astronomice 1971. The techno Be ds and automated met duced in steel ma ty are recognized bY employees. They knot i are getting short er in the wage area qucti there was no redu work week.