Labor government use of troops to break transport strike under fire LONDON, Eng.—Already faced with popular disapproval of its reactionary tory- dominated foreign policy, Sition from the trade union movement over governmen In view of the fact that the government draws an important CCL seeks data | en Vet ‘corps’ An inquiry into the activities of the ‘Canadian Corps of Commis- Stonaires’ was. urged by Garry Culhane, secretary of Shipyard General Workers’ Federation at dast Tuesday's meeting of the Vancouver Labor Council (CCL). Culhane read a ptepared state- ment to council delegates on the organizational structure, composi- tion, and objectives of the ‘Com missionaires’, which became known during the process of organizing Civilian guards at the Esquimalt naval dockyards by the Shipyard Federation. Quoting from the rules and regulations of the ‘Commission- ares’, Culhane drew attention to the fact that the semi-military nature of the organization, coupl- as with high fees and strong ‘Sciplinary restrictions, presum- | ably volved for the purpose of Securing -veteran-member ‘prefer- €nce’ in employment, is a matter a8 Serious importance to organiz- a labor. Two instances of the “te Organization securing em- > Syment for groups of veterans Fe cited in the ‘Commissionaire’ Prospectus, supplemented by the following paragraph from ‘the December, 1946, issue of the Onary’— ‘There won’t be any rt teeism or strikes on those 0 jobs, or on any projects ad- Ministerea by the Corps... .’ unions, the use of troops by the Attlee administration to break the truckers’ strike has brought widespread union criticism on the government. The truckers’ strike, now in its second week, involves all trans- port workers handling food pro- ducts in the Greater London area, The strikers are members of the powerful Transport and General Workers’ Union, of which foreign secretary Ernest Bevin is himself a member. The striking truckers are demanding a 44hour week instead of 48, two weeks annual vacation with pay and higher overtime rates. Labor Minister George Isaacs flatly stated that the government will not consider any settlement until the strikers return to their jobs. Despite strong union opposi- tion, the government called out troops to scab on the workers in an attempt to smash the strike. This move was met by a wave of sympathy strikes throughout London and other British cities. Despite attempts of the daily newspapers to create the impres- sion that the general public are opposed to the strike, authentic reports indicate that the people are generally in sympathy with the strikers’ demands and are extremely critical of the labor government’s attempts to break the strike. Taking note of this public resentment, the labor gov- ernment this week appointed a joint industrial council to negoti- ate a settlement of the dispute. The council is composed of rep- resentatives from government, in- dustry and the union involved. Evidence that the food truck- ing companies can well afford to pay the wage increases de- CSU wins wage boost, Overtime for tugmen For the first time in the history of the industry, tugboat men be guaranteed overtime pay, through an agreement to Signed this weekend by Canadian Seamen’s Union and tugboat companies operating out of Vancouver. 8 agreement also calls for Wage increases of $20 monthly and & Seven-day holiday each month or all tugboat workers, The sev- _ €U-day layoff is to compensate Which ae Sr long hours worked by crews °N small boats which have no ’ccommodation for additional ‘rew members. Overtime will be Paid at a flat rate of 75 cents _ 8n hour over a standard twelve- . hour day, ‘Negotiations have been going ©" since early in the summer, at time agreements covering _ Working conditions were signed. “The new overtime clause is _&n important step forward,” Said James Thompson, Pacific ist Director of the Canadian ®n’s Union, “Hitherto men Trail meeting on hold prices line’ TRAIL—‘Hold the Price Line’ Will be the main theme of a mass _ ™eeting here on the 15th, spon-| _ Sered by the Trail and District Smelter Workers’ Union, H,. W. _ Herridge, M.P., will be the fea- ‘ured speaker, he will speak on Price controls and how labor can “eal with this. question.’. George Knott, regional director of the ~ SMMSW, will address the meet- "g. His subject will be, ‘Will : eee , increases mean ces? ’ « , logy ‘ and Labor’s program for ‘ It is expected that the negotiat- 2 committee at present in Kim~- *erley negotiating on the check- off and a union pension plan will report to the meeting. PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 3 increased | were often compelled to work as long as 16 hours at a stretch with no pay for the extra hours.” The new agreement will. cover approximately 75 boats, with crews ‘Hart, the British Labor government is now meeting with strong oppo- t tactis in the truck drivers’ strike. part of its support from the manded, is the fact that profits among the larger firms in Bri- tain reached an all time high in 1946, totalling some 270-mil- lion pounds in profits for -1,063 companies during the’ first year of the Labor government. The union leaders in Britain have emphasized that corporate pro- fits have been higher under a Labor government than under the former Tory administration. Victoria labor takes stand on public ownership by BOB MEZGER VICTORIA — Following the report of secretary Bob Mezger relating to publicly- owned transportation for Greater Victoria, the recent meeting of the Victoria Labor Council in- structed Mezger to advise Mayor George of Victoria that the Labor Council awaits his convenience to present factual material and ar- guments favoring public owner- ship. In the letter to Mayor E, P. George, the Labor Council secre-. tary stated “that a full report on the transportation views of the Labor Council will be heard at the Citizens: Transportation Con- ference on January 19.” The Victoria Labor Council will convene a Citizens trans- portation conference ut the Ca- nadian Legion Hall, Blanshard St, at 2 p.m, on Sunday, Janu- ary 19. Mr. Mezger stated that .. . “the response to the Labor Council’s conference call is very encouraging and a well attend- ed representative meeting is an- ticipated.” : Strong condemnation of former Finance Minister Ilsley’s 1947 Tax Revision Budget was voiced by the Council. A resolution, which will be forwarded to Premier J. Prime Minister Mackenzie King, and Finance Minister Ab- bott was carried unanimously. The resolution pointed out that while those earning $7,000 per annum face a tax increase of only 1.7 percent, people earning $3,000 per year faced a tax in-| crease of 44.8 percent. totalling approximately 350 men. / fu eee aie Spaeth They Want us 10 Mone a meaal Yercvens Con Police threaten to use gas on Noranda miners NORANDA, Que.—The strike of 600 metal miners, mem- bers of Local 688, International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers at Noranda Mines, is progressing solidly. Arrival of 20 additional provincial police last week, with the threat of using tear gas, has failed to shake the miners, who have been on strike since Nov-; ember 22, The union is demanding a wage increase of 16 cents an hour and union security. The company has refused to offer more than 10 cents and makes no mention of the union security issue, James MacFarlane, financial secretary of Local 688 here, in a letter to the B.C. district union MMSW, states: “The strike situation is much the same, although the arrival of about 20,more police has add- ed some uneasiness. To prevent any moves, we have constant mass picketing. Morale of the strikers is high. They won't go back to work until their. demands are met.” A donation of $75 from B.C. Local 855, Taku District Mine and Mill Workers’ Union for the Noranda strike fund was acknow- ledged last week by financial secretary MacFarlane. “Helping keep the morale high in Noranda jis the fact that all locals of the union across the country are backing them to the hilt. With that support we won't lose,” Mac- Farlane said. Labor Council protests lifting price controls The federal government’s relaxation of price controls was strongly protested at last Tuesday’s meeting of the Van- couver Labor Council (CCL). A resolution moved by Nigel Morgan of Local 1-71, International Woodworkers of Amer- ica, condemning the government’s action was unanimously adopted. Morgan noted that the gains won by the IWA in that union’s strike last June were al- ready .wiped out by the increased price of essential commodities. This week the WPTB announced that controlS had been lifted on pork products, with bacon prices going up seven cents a pound. This latest price boost came de- spite earlier assurances from the Board that foog prices would not be changed. A resolution submitted by Ma- rine and Boilermakers’ Local 1, demanded that Canadian citizen- ship papers be granted to appli- cants without charge. The reso- lution, which was unanimously carried, noted that applicants are obliged to pay a $5 fee under the present regulations. Council pledged full support to tailors at Lounge Fashions Ltd. in event of the union’s taking strike action against the firm. The dispute arose out of discrim- inatory action against union shop chairman. Sydney Sarkin, whose pay was withheld in violation of a signed union agreement. The tailors are members of the Amal- gamated Clothing Workers Union. Nominations for the 1947 coun- cil executive were opened, with elections held at the next meet- ing. Nominated were: for presi- dent, E. E. Leary, William White, Pen Baskin and Malcolm Mac- Leod. Vice-president: Fraser Wil- son, William White, Nat Sadler and George Home. Secretary- treasurer: John Turner, George Mitchell and LEilleen Tallman. Valley LPP backs BCTF wage scale NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — A new regional organization of the Labor-Progressive Party, the second to be establisheq during the past month, was set up last Sunday when delegates represent- ing-all LPP clubs in the Fraser Valley met in the Russell Hotel here to map out a municipal and organizational program. Over the signature of the con- vention chairman, Ted Hansen, prominent member of the Inter- national Woodworkers of America and runner-up for council in Ward 1, Surrey, in last month’s muni- cipal elections, delegates sent a letter to Education Minister D. Weir urging immediate accept- ance of the B.C. Teachers’ Fed- eration salary scale. and asking that the government increase its grant per pupil to the municipal- ities. Other resolutions endorsed by the convention proposed a public works program for the Fraser Valley and asked return of a larger portion of the gas tax to the municipalities. Eric Birnell, well-known in lo- cal sports circles and a veteran of the Second World War, was elected organizer for the newly established Fraser Valley region. Sask. CCF gov't fails — education tax repeal REGINA—Failure of the CCF government to repeal the Saskatchewan education tax was sharply criticized by Nelson Clark, provincial LPP leader, in a statement this week. Pro- vincial treasurer C. M. Fines recently declared that the CCF government did not intend to re- peal the tax at the coming ses- sion of the Saskatchewan legis- lature, ; ¥ “By repealing the tax at this time, the government could have helped materially to lift the bur- den of present inflationary price increases,” Clarke declared. “They have not only failed to do this, but they have also, by this political blunder, creat- ed the real danger at the next election by groups who eat} . would immediately wipe out the modest reforms which this gov- ernment brought in,” the Sas- katchewan LPP leader warned, ‘In -urging the, government to reconsider their decision, Clarke noted ‘that the Hon. C. M. Fines, at the last two. sessions of the legislature has stated that the Education Tax would be abolish- ed when alternative revenue was found, Now, despite the comple- tion of the Dominion-Provincial agreement, this regressive tax is to remain.” . ' FRIDAY, JANUABY 17, 1947