R Ss
: (Utther mi

; n
: then cil T

y
Pa

WORLD PROTESTS CHILE COUP . . . Pgs. 5, 6, 7

‘'c Iribune

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1973

Vol. 34, No. 38

Plans for a national day of
protest against high prices anda
march on Ottawa to coincide
with the reopening of Parlia-
ment on October 15 todemand a
roll-back was announced in
Toronto.

Representatives of 21 organi-
zations met in Toronto last week-
end and decided to forma Coali-
tion to Roll Back Prices, which
is sponsoring the country-wide
protest. Demonstrations, public
rallies, and other protests have
been set for October 13.

Parliament is expected to
adjourn its special session by the
end of this week and is expected
to reconvene in mid-October.

The special session of Parlia-
ment, called to deal with the rail-
way strike and the costof living,

Barrett’s stand on B.C. Rail
Undermines free bargaining

fp, ’
iniggg iC Barrett told trade un-
‘Overnme BC. that it’ was his
‘Wie Ms intention to end the
! labor relations in the
at had prevailed under
Bennett. he again

WTifieg a his preparedness to

oes rights in the face

of pressure from the Socred op-
position,

First it was Ray Haynes’ resigna-
tion ~ under pressure — from the
Judicial Council, And then came
the ultimatum issued to members
of the United Transportation
Union employed by B.C. Rail.

Trade unions condemn

Sm
Pedrace: 18S Arrests and brutal

tary jp on initiated by the mili-
Chit 4 began to sweep across
“OuVer flegates to the Van-
Counes) 224 District Labor
Bie eey night voiced
lary pay ceMnation of the mili-
lederal over and called onthe
Not ,, 8°Vernment and the UN
te Tecognize the fascist
h
teleg qeSlution called on
the. to “abhor and con-
and the Military fascist attack
ation. UShing of the demo-
“tChile aected government
hin" Bove to petition the Cana-
28 thig Ment not to recog-
«ther. ety fascist junta.
Ve any €solution gs
tions AU apon thie uae
RPeet, > USe to seat them as

fascist coup in Chile

unrepresentative of the demo-
cratic people of Chile.”’

The motion was presented at
the request of the Marine-
workers and Boilermakers
Union which had endorsed the
position earlier at a local meet-
ing. The resolutionis also tobe
forwarded to the B.C. Fed-
eration of Labor convention
which opens October 29.

Making reference again to the
events in Chile, Marineworkers
delegate Bill Stewart moved that
**the Vancouver Labor Council
impress upon the NDP govern-
ment not to bring in any legis-
lation that would allow workers
to opt out of or refuse to joina
trade union or refuse to pay

see UNIONISTS pg: 12

While the union leadership in-
itiated the agreement that would
put the men back to work under
the binding terms of the Smeal
report. Barrett took steps to ensure
that the rank-and-file revolt against
the agreement would not ruffle the
unveiling of the much-vaunted
labor legislation.

Even the federal Liberals waited
a few weeks before intervening in
the national rail strike. Barrett
took two days.

The strike on B.C. Rail began
Thursday of last week and on
Saturday. Barrett wired the chair-
man of the UTU urging him and
the members*of his union back to
work to wait for the binding
recommendations that would
result from the inquiry of Robert
Smeal. He gave them until one
p.m. Monday to respond and in-
dications were that if they refused.
Socred legislation would be in-
voked to force them back to work.

Monday's meeting registered a
return-to-work vote but members
of the UTU vigorously protested
the compulsory terms of the
settlement and sent a telegram to
Barrett voicing their protest.

Barrett did not condescend to
answer.

Clearly, Barrett wanted the
whole B.C. Rail dispute settled.
however it could be done. before

See B.C. RAIL pg. 12

took strong action to force the
railway unions back to work,

but weak actionas far as rising -

prices are concerned.

The Liberal government's
anaemic measures to meet soar-
ing prices was made to look even
more anaemic by the announce-
ment that in August the cost of
living shot up by 1.3 percent, the
largest increase in any August
in 22 years. If living costs con-
tinue to climb at that rate it will
mean an annual increase of 15.6
percent.

Actually, the situation for
working people is even more
serious than these figures by
Statistics Canada indicate. An
examination of the figures
shows that food prices — the
most important item for
millions of working people on
lower incomes— jumped by 3.2
percent in August.

The cost of living is rising at
a rate which is so far ahead of

15°

wage gains by workers across
Canada, that it makes the pro-
ponents of the argument that
wages are responsible for high
prices look silly.

The Canadian public are be-
coming increasingly aware that
it is not wages but excessive
profiteering which is respon-
sible for high prices. This was ad-

. mitted by Sun Labor Reporter

George Dobie this week ina col-
umn which said:

“The national trade union
movement is becoming more
convincing with its strong pro-
tests about corporate and gen-
eral business profiteering and
the argument that if there are to
be controls they should be on
prices only.”

Dobie is only saying the ob-
vious. Profit figures published
on the financial pages of his
newspaper recently show that
earnings of major B.C. corpora-

See PRICES, pg. 12

UT.

LOCALS 1778 & 1923

ON

LEGAL

g STRIKE

si AGAINST BCR.

B.C. Rail workers manned picket lines until forced back to work by
Premier Barrett's thinly-veiled ultimatum which gave them until 1 p.m,

Monday fo return.

N