LABOR

About 200 unemployed
workers from Vancouver Island
demonstrated outside the provin-
cial legislature Apr. 5 demanding
the government put B.C.’s
200,000 jobless back to work as
MLAs gathered to hear the 1982
budget

Union of the Unemployed and
the Courtenay-Campbell River
Labor Council’s unemployed
| Committee, five busloads of mar-

chers moved from Victoria’s
Beacon Hill Park to rally on the
legislature steps. The demonstra-
tion was the latest in a series from
jobless in Vancouver Island’s
most hard-hit areas.

““Welcome to the unemployed
capital of Canada — at least,
that’s what Bill Bennett is trying
to make it,’’ Port Alberni’s Bill
Massey told the demonstrators.
Marchers and passerby were urg-
ed to patronize the free facilities
of anearby ‘‘soup kitchen”’ set up
by the organizers.

Massey, in a historical tribute
later echoed by CAIMAW’s
Cathy Walker, told the rally that
B.C. workers were - traditional
leaders in unemployed struggles
throughout Canada’s history. He
said the famous ‘‘On to Ottawa
Trek”’ in the 1930s began in B.C.,
noting ironically that the target of
workers’ wrath was another Ben-
nett — prime minister R. B. Ben-
nett whose policies put so many
on the unemployment lines and
whose ruthless suppression of the
cross-country march in Regina

Organized by Port Alberni’s -f

Jobless rall y in Victoria

BILL MASSEY . .
housing program, control of
resources.

. jobless need

ultimately proved his political
downfall.

The unemployed should de-
mand the provincial government
institute a massive housing pro-
gram, guarantee jobs through
provincial control of natural
resources, and establish
manufacturing to stop the export
of jobs from the province, said
Massey in outlining a 14-point
program.

MLA’s could also legislate a
six-hour work day, provide pro-
tection against layoffs, increase
welfare and minimum wages and
scrap the restraint program
limiting social service budgets and
public sector wages. And the pro-
vince should pressure the federal
government into extending UI
benefits to cover the entire period
of unemployment and drastically

reduce “‘dead weight’’ military
spending, Massey said to roars of
approval from the crowd.

“*We musn’t allow a wedge to
be driven between those working
and the unemployed,”’ said Bill
Clark of the Telecommunications
Workers in stressing the impor-
tance of organizing Canada’s
jobless.

Terry Johnson of the eee
ty of Victoria’s Anti-cutbacks
Team stressed a common interest
between workers and students.
He noted that by cancelling sum-
mer work programs for students
the provincial government was
making it harder for working
class people to achieve a post-
secondary education.

Organized unemployed
workers have already won some
battles, according to Campbell
River-Courtenay representative
Sandra Nicholl. Through exten-
sive demonstrating and lobbying
of local officials the unemployed
committee succeeded in rolling
back the waiting period for UIC
cheques to three to four weeks
from a previous 12 to 16 weeks,
she said. And welfare recipients
now have to wait only one day, in-
stead of the three-week period
before the area’s unemployed got
organized, she said.

NDP leader Dave Barrett told
the demonstrators he agreed with
their demand for a stop to the ex-
port of jobs. Four freighters to
service the northeast coal project ’
areto be built outside the country,
when they should be built in B.C.,
he said.

VDT ruling ‘historic’

The Telecommunications
Workers Union won an histotic
arbitration award Mar. 25 giv-
ing pregnant women the right to
be transferred away from work
on video display terminals
(VDTs) in order to provide ‘‘a
safe work environment.’’

The arbitration case was in-
itiated by the TWU last year on
behalf of B.C. Telephone
operator Chris Mitu who re-
quested a transfer -when she
found she was pregnant.

Three other pregnant women
working with her on the direc-
tory assistance and intercept
system (DAISY) were transfer-
red but Mitu was denied a
transfer on the grounds that she
was only a temporary employee.

Fearing for the health of her
unborn child, she resigned her
job and launched a grievance
against the transfer denial.

On Mar. 25, arbitration
board chairman Joe Weiler

_brought dwn his award, arguing
that it was the responsibility of
B.C. Tel to provide.a safe work
environment and ta respond
without discrimination to any
pregnant employee who fears
the health effects of VDTs. Mitu
was ordered reinstated and
compensated for loss of wages.

TWU education director
Dolly Storey termed the award

ta major Pica COuen for
women.’

Linda Rolufs, TWU business
agent echoed that and added:
“Tt is now clear that protection
from VDT use is a right that all
women who are pregnant must
be granted and does ‘not allow
distinctions to be made in the
regular, probationary or tem-
porary nature of the women’s
work,”’

The possible effects radiation
emitted from VDTs on the fetus
have prompted mounting fear
ever since four pregnant women
working on the machines at the
Toronto Star in 1980 all gave
birth to children with congenital
defects.

Employers and manufac-
turers alike insist that there is no
reason to believe that the radia-
tion may effect unborn children
but the evidence is increasingly
to the contrary.

This week, a survey of
pregnancies among women
working with VDTs in a federal
government office in Ottawa
found that every pregnancy was
abnormal.

Four of theseven pregnancies
resulted in miscarriage, two
babies were born with
respiratory ailments and. one
was two months premature.

VDLC protests murders

openly threatened by police.
The Washington Post also
reported that when they left for
Chalatenango, they were a
followed by a van similar to

B.C. Packers closure, fleet
_ sale puts jobs in jeopardy

the plant closes. to purchase the B.C. Packers fleet

Delegates to the Vancouver
and District Labor Council
Tuesday condemned the
murders of the four Dutch

B.C. Packers will probably still television journalists, in El:

be turing over dividends to its The UFAWU was meeting on for $10 million on behalf of three Salvador and wired Canadian those used by the junta’s secret
- conglomerate parent, George the shutdown this week anda ma- northern tribal councils. But there external affairs minister Mark police.

Weston Ltd., but to several hun-- jor job action to protest B.C. are no guarantees from the tribal MacGuigan demanding thathe —‘ The U.S. has also been seen

dred fishermen and shoreworkers Packers move was expected to be councils that those who are cur- do the same. as culpable in the incident. The

this month, there is only the pro- called for next week in Prince rently fishing will be able to con- The labor council’s motion State department had openly
criticized Dutch news coverage

spect ofimpending unemployment Rupert. tinue — even though two-thirds of said the murders of the jour- itch
+= the result of two actions an- For the fishermen now renting _ the fishermen are Indians. nalists were aimed at silencing Of the conflict in El Salvador
nounced by the fish packing com- boats from B.C. Packers — some “The pretext for the government the international press coverage and had sent a series of cables to -
pany. have worked on the company fleet is that it will assist Indians,”’ of El Salvador.” the Dutch government to
Last week, the United. for 20years—the future is equally Hewison said, ‘‘but we say it won’t : : register that criticism.

_ Fishermen and Allied Workers’ uncertain. - help.”’ _ The Dutch journalists, who _ Secretary of State Alexander
Union condemned the federal § ‘‘With the season upon them, He said that the union had at the time of their murders were Haig was particularly incensed
government for its scheme to buy these fishermen have no idea presented a proposal to Liberal | en route to Chalatenango pro- by Dutch references to the U.S.
up B.C. Packers’ rental fleet — whether they can fish, which boat senator Ray Perrault which would vince to interview FMLN naval vessels as ‘“‘spy ships” and
leaving 287 fishermen without any they have or whether their careers have enabled the rental fishermen leaders, were “‘cruelly beaten to the partisanship of the Dutch
idea about their future. , are finished,” UFAWU secretary- to purchase the boats from the and shot from behind at prac- media to the FMLN-FDR.

And this week, B.C. Packers treasurer George Hewison told a company at reduced interest rates, tically point-blank range’’ ac- Dutch foreign minister Max
confirmed plans to close its Seal press conference in Vancouver until the period of high interest | cording to a West German van der Stoel has called the inci- (

. dent ‘“‘premeditated, cold-
blooded murder’’ and assigned

reporter.

rates had passed.
Only days before they were

April 2. me oe
‘‘But while Perrault said the idea

Cove fish processing plant near
“‘Many of these fishermen are

Prince Rupert — throwing another

300 people in the northern com- veteran Japanese fishermen who was sound and his office was pur- shot, the four had been sum- the Dutch ambassador in Mex-
_ munity out of work. would be losing their vessels fora suing the matter, his colleague moned to police headquartersin ico to conduct a complete in-
Some 380 are employed in the second time because of govern- Romeo LeBlanc was sending out San Salvador where they were vestigation.
_ plant at the peak of the season and ment action,”’ he said, referring to correspondence aaa ora
although 80 of themareexpectedto the 1942 internment of Japanese tions saying no interest assistance Bp + ifi d
be employed elsewhere, the re- and seizure of their property. would be forthcoming,” he said. r ess con r act r ati 1é
maining 300 will be jobless when ~The federal government intends Hewison also emphasized that

Vancouver’s news reporters
and other newspaper workers
have signed what has been called
a ‘“‘trend-setting agreement’

with Pacific Press, publishers of

benefit plan which gives women
full pay for the first two weeks
and supplementary pay, to aug-
ment UIC pregancy benefits up
to 95 percent of full pay for the

other boats were available for sale
that would not directly affect
working fishermen. ‘‘There are all
kinds of boats for sale without hur-

RIBUNE

: Published weekly at Suite 101 — 1416 Commercial Drive, “ting fishermen,”’ he said.
N RCNA RN UD. Penn etka 1) In addition, B.C. Packers will the Vancouver Sun and Pro- following 15 weeks.
reap a windfall profit from the $10 vince. ee

Read the paper that fights for labor & million sale Sane according to the The settlement reached by the The joint council represents
\ é union, ‘‘most of the boats have six-member Joint Council of the -Vancouver-New
® Nemes. oh ee a i a. Se been depreciated to zero a long ‘Newspaper Unions provides Westminster Newspaper Guild;
Pa VOSS SUS Sn ry ao b time ago. : _ payincreasesof17percentinthe the International Typographical
x eer Or ttle ee es oe Province. a Sees ‘Q Hewison termed the sale a first year and 13 percent in the Union (ITU Local 226); the
’ PUSTALCOSE — nc. can “straight corporate handout. second, calculated on the key Graphic Arts International; the
\ tam enclosing: bY “If B.C. Packers is to be the classifications in the Newspaper Vancouver Mailers Union
Tyr. $140 2yrs. $250 6mo.$8 0 beneficiary of this ripoff then at | Guild, the largest of the six (ITU Local M-70); the Van-

Old New Foreign 1 year $15 0 least the people of this industry | Unions. : _couver Printing Pressmen’s —
Bill me later C) Donation$.......... should not be displaced by govern- Union negotiators also broke Union; and the wholesale
a 4 42 £2 2 ED MT a a Le a a a

new ground with a maternity drivers union (Teamsters).

ment action,”’ he said.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 9, 1982—Page 12