PRAGUE — In response to the ever growing attack on the trade union, human and civil rights of workers and the vicious attacks on their living standards by the transnational corporations, the forces of imperialism and monopoly in general, the world labor movement has countered with a ‘Universal Declaration of Trade Union Rights’’. Adopted by the participants in the 9th Congress of the World Federation ‘of Trade Unions (WFTU), in Prague, April 16-23, the labor bill of rights was unani- mously endorsed by 978 particip- ants in the congress from 123 countries, representing some 230 million workers. The Declaration is based on a comprehensive and detailed framework of human, social and civil rights, highlighted by the right to productive and socially useful work and job security; the immediate elimination of exploi- tation of nations and individuals, colonialism, neo-colonialism, fascism and racism, including nazism and apartheid, and of all other policies and ideologies con- IN PRA trary to the aims and principals of the United Nations; and, the democratization of the state and the administration with the par- ticipation of the workers and their organizations in the running of public, economic, social, and cul- tural affairs, without any discri- mination. ’ Among the social rights work- ers and trade unions will have in the delcaration are included the right to organize, meet and dis- cuss ‘“‘without authorization or control by the public authorities or by employers.” They will also have the unfettered right to ‘‘take part in any action in defence of their interests whether this action be in the form ofa strike, boycott, a picket, an occupation of a place of work, a demonstration or any other form of trade union strug- gle.’’ This also includes the right. to exercise these rights without fear of reprisals and punishment. The declaration calls upon governments to enact legislation providing for stiff penalties for employers and public authorities guilty of discriminating against ADOPT Universal Declaration of Trade Union Rights workers for exercising their trade union, and civil rights. Article 32 of the Declaration holds particular significance to g the labor movement in Canada £ g currently faced with frequent dis- closures of massive snooping and 7 secret investigations by the Royal 2 Canadian Mounted Police into the affairs of trade unions and their leaders. The article stipulates: = “States shall guarantee the in- violability of trade union pre- mises, correspondence and tele- phone conversations and shall in- stitute civil proceedings against those who. infringe the clauses protecting this right.”’ This clause further stipulates: “Trade ‘unions shall not be sub- ject to temporary discontinuance or dissolution by legal or admin- istrative means. In the economy, workers and their unions demand the right to _full participation in control and application of -social and economic development plans as well as the right to be consulted “in the drawing up of industrial policy, agrarian reform, physical planning and protection of the Another 600 face closings: More layoffs hit Ottawa By DOUG COUPAR OTTAWA — Nearly 600 workers from the Ottawa region will be left jobless soon as a result of three major plant closings in the area. The largest group of un- employed workers will come from the RCA plant in Smiths Falls where 300 employees — many with 25 years experience — will be phased out over the next. one and one-half years because the company claims the factory is ‘uncompetitive’. Lloyd Saunders, president of local 542 of the International ‘Union of Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers (IUE), said the union began negotiating a new contract April 24 under the as- sumption the record manu- facturing plant was to continue operations as usual. After five days of negotiations RCA management announced its intentions to shut down. The move came as acomplete surprise to the workers. In Ottawa, Canada Packers has decided to eliminate 182 jobs by closing its local manufacturing - operation this week. Chief union steward Gerald Marier said the union was aware of the coming layoffs but “‘we were still shocked to find out that it was really going to happen’’. Many of the laid-off workers have been with the company a long time and are advanced in age. Ottawa Today, the city’s only morning newspaper, threw 91 employees out of work last month because its majority shareholder, Daisons Press, put the paper in receivership over two weeks ago. Management officials refuse to give a definite reason for the pub- lication’s demise but it is well known that Ottawa Today has been plagued with internal prob- lems from its start eight months ago. Former staffers at Today are now consulting a lawyer in the event they will be forced to launch a legal battle for their back NEV LINES Steps for disarmament MOSCOW — Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev said April 25 that the USSR will not start manufacturing neutron weapons ifthe USA does not do so. He said the Soviet Union, which has no intention of increasing its armed forces in central Europe by a single soldier, by a single tank, would do its part to bring success to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT). Speaking at the 18th Congress of the Young Communist League, Brezhnev urged real steps to dis- armament on a world scale. On PACIFIC TRIBUNE—May 12, 1978—Page 8 behalf of the Soviet Union he proposed these steps: e An end to the production of all kinds of nuclear weapons, e An end to the production of all other kinds of mass destruction weapons and their prohibition, e An end to the development of new kinds of conventional weapons of great destructive force, e Not to extend the armies and not to increase the conventional weapons of the UN Security Council permanent members, and also of countries linked with them by military agreements. pay, holiday pay and severance benefits. None:.of ‘the news- paper’s staff members were unionized. In reaction to the announced layoffs Jane Stinson, a spokes- person for the Ottawa Coalition For Full Employment, said, ‘‘this is typical of the way corporations work. They give no consideration to the workers ... all they care about is their profits, when they have to cut back on costs to main- tain their set profit levels they just cut back in production, laying off as many workers as they need to. ‘‘Unfortunately,’’ she said ‘they know that nobody in power will stop them ... the present government is certainly not going to do anything. “But more and more people, both unemployed and working, are beginning to think differently. We are starting to organize and mobilize to prevent this callous attitude on the part of corpora- tions and the government,” Stin- son asserted. Marvin Glass, federal candi- date for the Communist Party of Canada in Ottawa-Centre, characterized the layoffs by stat- ing: ‘‘This is anéther deplorable outcome of the crisis resulting from corporate control of our economy. It also illustrates that indigenous corporations are no more likely to have workers’ needs in mind than foreign multi- nationals. “‘While the necessity for policies to put Canada back to ~ work becomes more and more apparent’”” he observed, “‘the Trudeau government continues to defend and subsidize the cor- porate sector. “‘A vote for a progressive majority, including communists, in the upcoming election is surely the only way to affect the real change that is needed to turn this crisis situation around.”’ H WORLE TRADE UNION CONGRESS PRAGHE APRIL wn AX CONERESO S1HDICAL MUNBIAL PRAGA 16-25 ABEL 1878 1y BCEMAPHDG KOUFPECE RPO@CoIzeR BpATA 18-29 ARPEAN taTe YAVA chee solenal TTT gle gett olla® gta plbak ix. svErovt sngonevi siczo rasa 2-20. copes 1978 workers met in Prague’s Palace of Congresses April 16-23. : environment in order to defend workers’ interests.”’ Among the rights workers and their unions in the work place should enjoy, the declaration in- cludes abolition of blacklists, the prohibition of management per- sonnel files on workers carrying other than information useful for occupational reasons, and the prohibiting internal management security and spying organizations to keep tabs on their employees. This section also calls on governments to ‘‘adopt legisla- tion to limit the power of employers in matters of labor re- lations by strengthening and extending the ~rights. of trade unions.” SFL LAUNCHES FIGHTS VS. C-28 REGINA — Sponsored by the Saskatchewan Federation of Labor, representatives from every Saskatchewan labor council met here April 31 to map out a cam- paign against the federal govern- ment’s Bill C-28. Bill C-28 is the government’s effort to keep public sector unions under wage controls and deny them union protection The SFL campaign will include letters and telegrams to sitting MPs, public meetings, and a pam- phlet exposing and calling for the defeat of the bill. BUILDING TRADES HIT THE BRICKS WINNIPEG — About 2,000 Manitoba building tradesmen took strike action May 1, for bet- ter wages. The unions ‘include sheet metal workers, plumbers and steamfitters, and refrigeration workers. Talks broke down after a last-minute bargaining session May 1. ASBESTOS MINERS STRIKE FOR LIFE BAIE VERTE, Nfld. — Led by the wives of striking asbestos min- ers who have been out against Ad- vocate Mines since Feb. 13 over health and safety issues, some 1,000 demonstrators protested through the streets, here, April 30 carrying a white coffin represent- ing the ugly death awaiting miners who return to an uncontrolled ‘as- bestos-contaminatec working en- vironment. In the realm of international re lations, the bill of rights reserve for labor the right to join regional, or international trade unio organizations of their choice, 1 form or join international tradé union committees within trans national corporations, and to informed and consulted of economic and social aspects 9 agreements between goveri- ments and transnational corpor4 tions. The document also calls on the International Labor Organization (ILO), to adopt new Internatio Conventions and Recomm mendations corresponding to thé provisions of the Universal De claration of Trade Union Rights- Every miner’s wife was out 08 the streets to support her husband in the strike. “I’d rather live 08 welfare’ than have my hus where he was and his health i# danger”, one woman said. The miners are members of Local 7713 _ Steelworkers. | 155 JOBS AXED AT PRESTOLITE | SARNIA — Prestolite, thé electrical division of Eltra of Canada Ltd., is firing 155 of thé plant’s 275 work force, it was ai nounced May 1. The jobs ale being exported to the company > home operation in New York. | A company official said the Sarnia plant was no longer com petitive with the ‘‘in-house”’ parts plants of the big automotiv? monopolies. | ARAB WORKER VICTIM OF RACISM DETROIT — Nagi Mohamad; UAW Local 3 worker, won a pat’ tial victory when his case, in which he was accused of fighting a fore man, was thrown out of court: Mohamad, an Arab worker, w25 beaten by a superintendent and 4 foreman when he refused to work outside his classification, he w#5 — subsequently fired for an ‘“‘ fight on company property.” light of the evidence bY Mohamad’s fellow workers, the | judge threw the case out as a } faith prosection by the forema! and Chrysler Corporation. The Union in cooperation with thé Arab community and Black and white workers are continuing thé fight to win Mohamad’s job back: