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The fightback against the federal
government’s wage freeze
highlighted a year in which
Canada’s trade union movement
made history with the first
country-wide general strike that
saw morethan one million workers
lay down their tools on October 14.

If 1976 is remembered for
anything in Canadian history it will
be the new strength shown by
labor. It was a year in which the
working class of Canada, despite
the many problems it faces,
demonstrated that it had reached a
new plateau, and entered Canadian
politics as a rising and major force
shaping the country’s future.

B.C. workers can be proud of
their role in the great fightback of

1976. From the very inception of
the government’s wage freeze
program they voiced strong op-
position. In the first days of
January 1976, B.C. unions warned
the federal government that they
would not take Bill C-73 lying down.
This notice was served when the
B.C. Federation of Labor and the
Vancouver and District Labor
Council announced they would
boycott seminars called by Jean-
Luce Pepin, chairman of the Anti-
Inflation Board, in Vancouver for
Jan. 12-13. In turning down an
invitation to attend, B.C. unions
warned that “the controls will
steadily erode the living standards
_ of working people.”’

The truth of this warning was
soon to be proven as the AIB
proceeded to order one wage cut
after another in agreements
reached through collective
bargaining. These rollbacks or-
dered by the AIB sparked many
bitter struggles by B.C. unions,
such as Kitimat, and featured in

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every dispute in 1976. Despite this
the AJB continued to order new
wage rollbacks in collective
bargaining agreements right up to
the closing days of 1976.

Canadian labor mounted a major
fightback against the government
wage freeze, against unem-
ployment and slashes in social
services to the people. On March 22
over 30,000 workers demonstrated
on Parliament Hill against
government policy in the biggest
demonstration Ottawa had ever
seen. Called by the CLC, it showed
that labor’s rank and file supported
their leaders in opposing govern-
ment policies.

the construction strike-lockout and

But the Liberal government,
backed by the Tories and
provincial NDP governments,

refused to back away from its anti- ’

labor policies. Labor accepted this
challenge at its 11th Biennial
convention in Quebec City in May
when it adopted a resolution
authorizing their executive. ‘‘to.
organize and conduct a general
work stoppage or stoppages if and
when necessary.”’ This resolution
ied to a decision in August by the
CLC to hold: a: National Day of
Protest on Oct. 14.

The struggle by labor throughout
1976 against the attack of the
government and monopolies on
living standards also led labor to
adopt a more politically in-
dependent position.. It voiced
criticism of the NDP because of the
support’ by NDP provincial
government’s of the wage freeze,
and the lukewarm attitude of the
national NDP leadership to labor’s
fightback. This was spotlighted in
a speech by CLC president Joe

will need unity and militancy more
urgently than ever before. The

‘economic crisis is not easing but is |

deepening as the monopolies and

federal and provincial govern-—

ments step up. their attack to
reduce worker’s living standards

and undermine trade union rights.

With nearly every major union in
B.C. entering negotiations: in the
coming year, and with the AIB

determined to impose even lower :
settlements than in 1976, sharp |

confrontations are inevitable.

In 1977 labor will be faced with
the need to find new and even more
effective forms through which to

continue its struggle against 4

reactionary anti-labor policies and
for a greater voice in national and
provincial affairs.

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As if the attack by the federal ”

government against living. stan-
dards .and collective bargaining
was not enough, B.C. labor and the
people were saddled from the first

Morris in Winnipeg, when he said:
“Labor will stick to its principles
even if it means opposing the party
which the trade unions brought into
being.”

B.C. labor rallied in large
numberson Oct. 14 to back the Day
of Protest, shutting down most of
the major industries and staging
parades and demonstrations in the
main centres, with over 10,000
joming a demonstration in Van-
couver. This was achieved in spite
of a campaign by the capitalist
media and government threats,
and opposition from right wing
trade union leaders.

Despite the growing campaign
by right wing union and NDP
leaders to turn B.C. labor away
from its militant policies and in-
dependent stand, which reached a
peak at the November convention
of the B.C. Federation of Labor,
B.C. unions continued to support
these policies as new and bigger
struggles faced.them in 1977.

B.C. labor stands on_ the
threshold of a new year in which it

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—DECEMBER 77, 1976—Page 8

days of January 1976 with a new
threat: aright wing Socred
government, headed by Bennett
the Younger, which took over the
reigns of office at the beginning of
January after defeating the NDP
government on Dec. 11.

From its first hours in office the

new Socred government served
notice on the working people that it
intended to follow far right big
business policies. It singled out the
working people as its main vic-
tims, and the. giant resource
corporations as its main
beneficiaries.

The tone of the Socred govern-
ment was set by human resources
minister Bill Vander Zalm and
minister in charge of ICBC, Pat
McGeer. Before the first week of
January, had passed Vander Zalm
declared war on the poor, the
destitute and jobless. ‘‘If they (the
jobless and those on welfare)
haven’t a shovel, they better get
one,’’ he warned. By January 15
Victoria was the scene of a lobby

by hundreds of jobless, carrying .

shovels and demanding ‘‘Where
are the jobs?” :

But this was only the first of
many attacks by Vander Zalm,
carriedon throughout 1976. Vander
Zalm’s actions have earned him
the Scrooge Award for 1976.

Closely following Vander Zalm,
Pat McGeer early
ordered outrageous boosts in ICBC
rates which touched off some of the

biggest protest demonstrations the

province had seen in many years.
In Vancouver, 10,000 gathered at a
rally to protest, while large rallies
were held throughout B.C. A

massive petition was taken to ~

Victoria demanding the Socred
government drop the exorbitant
rates. McGeer’s reply to the
protest was to take his cue from
Marie Antoinette “If they can’t
afford it, let. them sell their cars.”

Some said McGeer suffered from
“foot-in-mouth’’ disease, but
thousands of people took up the cry
‘“stick-it-in-your-ear, McGeer’’
which became the most popular
slogan of 1976, next to ‘‘we’re out to
fight controls,”’ which was the CLC
slogan for the Oct. 14 Day of
Protest.

Despite the huge public outcry
against Vander Zalm and McGeer,
the Socred government pressed

in January |

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