The rin B.'s foes nds

B.C. Federation of Labor
etary Len Guy last week
Ched a blistering attack on
dlords who are withholding
tes from the public until they get
"ir price.
Charging that the B.C. Rental
using Council, which represents
© landlords, is fraudulently
‘Srepresenting the status of
““lords in the province, Guy
“cused the landlords of ‘‘making
tantly political attack on the
. Vincial government for trying
Climinate profiteering in the
1 housing industry.”

Guy branded as hypocrisy the
: by landlords that they
Ot operate on rent increases
to 10.6 percent annually. He
‘the B.C. Federation of Labor
1€ves the 10.6 percent ceiling on
Ual rent increases is more than
- “The provincial government
Our full support in maintaining
Policy of rent controls.”

Note with interest,” said Guy,

a

RACK RENT CONTROIS  —t~*S
Labor Fed condemns
landlord hypocrisy

“the statement by Robert Gibson
of the Rental Housing Council that
people will be sleeping in their cars
by February 1 when the full impact
of the landlords ‘strike’ is felt. I
can only suggest that the callous
attitude and hypocrisy _of the
landlords involved in the dispute is
unworthy of any sympathy
ever.

fe: landlords are ie of oh,

st anti-worker, anti-tenan
ee in the province. For them to
call their attempted political
power play against the provincial
government a strike is a slur on the
Ge enile signs proclaiming
“No vacancy due to government
regulations,” began to appear on
Vancouver apartments as the
landlords circulated 3,000 signs to
be posted by apartment block
owners us part of their drive to
deny housing accomodation to
needy people unless rents are
raised beyond the 10.6 percent
allowed by provincial legislation.

a8 @

x

Tribune

VOL. 36, No. 49

B.C. HARD HIT —

Over half million -
jobless in Canada

Canadian working people were
on the receiving end of a double-
barrelled blast this week when
Statistics Canada announced that
unemployment had risen sharply
in November, and that it had been
accompanied by another sharp rise
in the cost of living.

Nationally the unemployment
rate rose to 5.5 percent in
November, which taken together
with categories such as Native
Indians and other part-time em-
ployees not included, indicates that
the national total now stands well
over the half million mark.

Hardest hit areas were
Newfoundland, the Maritimes and
B.C. The official percentage figure
given for B.C. is 6,9 percent for
November. With mass layoffs in
December the figure. has now
passed the 7 percent mark, with an
estimated 80,000 workers out of
jobs.

The ‘Statistics Canada an-
nouncement of the jobless rise was
followed within hours by release of
the latest cost of living figures
which showed a continued sharp
rise, especially food costs. In
November the cost of living went
up another 1.1 percent bringing the

-total increase for 1974 to 12 per-

cent. The food index, which is most
important for working people and
those on low incomes, showed a 15
percent rise in 1974.

“Don't put grapes on your Christmas table”

The latest figures demonstrate’

once again the deepening crisis
Canada faces, with sharply rising
unemployment accompanied by
record-breaking price boosts. In
B.C. both unemployment and the
cost of living are higher than many
other parts of the country. The

mass layoff in forestry and mining
is threatening cutbacks in other

‘industries in B.C.

A sharp fight-back by labor and
people from all walks of life is
essential if rising unemployment
and prices are to be checked.

CUPE, MREU

Negotiators for the Canadian
Union of Public Employees and the
Vancouver Municipal and

‘Regional Employees signed a

memorandum of agreement last
week providing a $10 a month in-

terim increase retroactive to
January 1, 1974. The increase is’

applicable to some 5,000 municipal
employees in the greater Van-
couver area. ©

The interim agreement provides
for $10 a month retroactive for all
full-time employees employed by
any one of the municipalities as of
November, 1974. Part-time em-
ployees still onthe payroll in

November will receive six cents —

per hour increase for every hour
worked this year.

The increase was subsequently
endorsed by Vancouver city
council Tuesday night by a narrow
six to five majority.

in a demonstration recently at a supermarket in Ottawa.

win hike

Commenting on the agreement,
CUPE representative Aubrey
Burton said the $120 interim in-
crease for 1974, representing 60%
of the original demand for $200,
was ‘“‘a fair compromise.’’
“However, it’s a poor substitute for
a proper cost of living clause in our
agreements.

“The 1975 contract settlements
must have such a clause to prevent
the kind of erosion of our standard
of living that occurred in 1974.” he
Stated.  _

Union demands for 1975 include a
substantial wage increase with a
catch-up factor for low-paid
clerical employees, an adjustment
for tradesmen, a COLA clause,
improved vacations, a dental plan
and a job security clause providing
some protection against layoffs for
employees with one year or more
service with a municipality.

says placard carried by supporters of the United Farm Workers

i arin