‘Grant funds to VGH’, gov't told The provincial government was blasted for ‘cynically posing as a peacemaker while it bears the Main responsibility for the crisis at Vancouver General Hospital” as demands grew this week for Victoria to allocate funds im- Mediately to hire additional nurses as a first step towards resolving the crisis at the city’s main hospital. The Vancouver and District Labor Council demanded Tuesday that provincial health minister Bob McClelland make __ sufficient Monies available immediately to hire the necessary nursing staff and to provide for ‘the training and upgrading of the present staff.” Provincial Communist Party leader Maurice Rush also called on the provincial government to ‘provide the $3.1 million needed to hire more staff and emphasized, “The major responsibility for the crisis at Vancouver General Hospital rests with the provincial government and its policy of cutbacks in essential public ser- vices, including health. “The crisis at VGH could have been averted months ago if the minister of health and the provincial government had acted on the demands of 800 nurses who petitioned for changes in nursing care and warned of the serious crisis in patient care,” Rush stated. As far back as November, 1977, nurses had met with health minister McClelland to voice concern over the problems of nursing care and to request an independent investigator to study ‘ the situation at the hospital. A major factor in the hospital crisis, however, were the actions of VGH president Larry Truitt who, in a letter to nurses in April, stated bluntly, “‘This hospital does not respond to petition democracy.” The Committee of Concerned Nurses, established in April and endorsed by over 300 nurses, had requested that Truitt assure them in writing of ‘‘a continuation of high nursing standards,’’ an evaluation of the nursing situation and, —a central demand — that he appoint a vice-president of nursing affairs, who would report directly to him. Truitt had also aggravated the situation when his director of nursing, Dorothy Babcock, dismissed three clinical directors of nursing. The refusal of Truitt and hospital administration to concede the need for changes in nursing care, coupled with mass resignations by VGH nursing staff finally promp- ted provincial government in- tervention last week. On Friday, acting under the provisions of the Hospitals Act, McClelland stepped in, dismissing see VICTORIA pg. 2 Be ~the Building workers endorse contract Construction unionists throughout -the province have voted 81 percent to ratify a two- year agreement with Construction Labor Relations Association, the first such pact to be negotiated by newly-established joint bargaining council: of the building trades. The new contract, which calls for two increases of 81 cents each — see PACT pg. 8 INSIDE with the strikers’ local union, the Service Office and Retail Workers’ Union of Canada. At a later rally, Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs presi- dent George Manuel (photo at left) pledged his organization’s sup- port to the strikers, all of whom are Native Indians. They have been out since June 1. Led by strike leader Christine Prince (foreground, left) and Indian Centre president Debbie Mearns, strikers from the Muckamuck Restaurant marched through downtown Vancouver streets Satur- day demanding that the owners of the Northwest Indian food restaurant come to the bargaining table to negotiate a first contract Action planned by labor, community groups Protest against fare hikes widens —Sean Griffin photos The Vancouver and District Labor Council voted Tuesday to add its voice to the growing protest Movement in Vancouver and Victoria against the announced bus far increases scheduled to take effect September 5. Last week B.C. Hydro stated that fares will rise by 47 to 67 percent. The adult fare in Vancouver will rise to 50 cents — double the rate of two years ago and the second highest fare in Canada. Labor Council delegates gave swift approval to an executive resolution opposing the fare hikes and additional bus service cut- backs in the Lower Mainland, also recently announced by Hydro. “Tt will really hurt low income people,”’ council secretary Paddy Neale commented on the fare increases, ‘‘and will result in substantial patronage cuts.” Fishermen’s delegate George Hewison supported the motion Vietnam given World Bank loan over objections of U.S. Despite opposition from the U.S. arter administration, the World Bank last week approved a $60 billion loan to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Because of € international recognition the “deal affords, it was considered of critical importance for Vietnam, Still striving to reconstruct after Nearly 30 years of war. — € 50-year loan, at three- Quarters of one percent interest, Was granted by the International evelopment Association (IDA), a World Bank affiliate. Although the SRV became a Member of the 132-nation World Bank in 1976, it had never before received a loan even though the IDA branch was established specifically to aid the developing countries. The money, which has been. backed by $30 million in loans from the Netherlands, Kuwait and the Organization of Petroleum Ex- porting Countries (OPEC), will help to finance a $110 million rice- irrigation system near Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. Robert Ss. MacNamara, president of the World Bank, was reported to have supported the loan to Vietnam over the objections director of Edward Fried, the U.S. member on the World Bank’s 20-member board of directions. MacNamara was the defense secretary under both U.S. presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. Five years ago, under mass pressure for peace, president Richard Nixon had pledged in a letter to Vietnam premier Pham Van Dong that the U.S. would provide $4.5 billion in postwar reconstruction aid as part of the 1973 Paris Agreement. Of that amount, $3.25 million was to be see OPPOSITION pg. 7 saying that the “‘real scandal is how Hydro is turning transit into a pay as you go business’’ after accumulating a massive debt from various power projects. In response to a call for ad- ditional action by the VLC from one delegate, Neale said that the VLC would be meeting with other interested groups to ‘‘co-ordinate action”: against the fare increases. Trade unions, community groups and student organizations will be meeting next Wednesday to discuss the campaign against the fare hikes at the offices of the Downtown Eastside Residents’ Association, the Tribune learned this week. The Committee of Progressive Electors (COPE) which last week led the way in condemning the fare increases, this week called on members and supporters to turn out for a two day petition campaign against the increases August 25 and August 26. Petitioners are asked to meet at COPE’s new election headquarters, 1588 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, at 11 a.m. 4 COPE has also called on organizations and individuals to see PETITION pg. 8 @ CUPW: An interview with Canadian Union of Postal Workers president Jean-Claude Parrot, page 4. @ CHILE: Despite junta claims of democratiza- tion, hunger, repression and torture have not diminished for the Chilean people — as this eyewitness report by a Canadian reveals, page 7.