eA aes | 34 is it ndtv lat the ‘ : ’ RAR: ae AA: ARE «dS BO SL IE AER? SERRE LABOR Shop at White Spot Restau- _ rants, members of the Food and Service - Workers of Canada (FASWOC), were i to meet this week to consider the food chain’s action last week in refus- ing to carry out a Labor Relations Board order to lift its unilaterally imposed con- tract and to bargain in good faith. The union has asked the LRB to file the Feb. 20 decision in Supreme Court so that | it can be enforced by law. — this company’s total disregard for collec- tive bargaining,” FASWOC president In his decision, LRB panelist Ken Alber- tini ruled that White Spot, which has col- lective agreements with FASWOC in some 20 restaurants in B.C., had violated Section 6 of the Labor Code by unilater- ally imposing contract terms after bargain- ing had broken down. The ruling ordered White Spot to cease and desist and to proceed to bargain in good faith. _ However, Albertini stated that the vio- lation had occurred because the company did not give adequate notice of its inten- tion to impose contract terms and sug- gested that 14 days notice would be the Accordingly, the day following the order, White Spot gave the union 14 days ‘notice of its intention to impose the con-- tract. The company also launched an of the LRB decision Feb. 27. __ _ The White Spot dispute has assumed particular importance because of the company’s action in continuing an anti- - union trend that has seen employers using negotiations merely as a forum to demand major concessions. When they are ejected, the employer terminates the existing agreement and unilaterally imposes the concessions agreement on the workers. The precedent was set Oct. 16, 1985 when the Labor Relations Board ruled, on an appeal of two earlier cases, that employ- ers could unilaterally impose contract terms if they had “bargained to an im : On Jan. 8 this year, White Spot sent a letter to FAWOC announcing termina- tion of the current agreement and stating, © “please be advised that negotiations — have reached an impasse and are now concluded. The Company representatives have. ..bargained in good faith to the point of impasse,” itsaid. White Spot then imposed the terms of its Nov. 7, 1985 contract offer which had been overwhelmingly rejected by -FAS- WOC members. The three-year contract introduced a two-tier wage system which would keep all new employees, hired after Jan. 8, 50 cents an hour below the “job rate” even after the required six months _ qualifying period. New employees would — FASWOC mulls jobs action as White Spot flouts ord | : order,” she said. “haven't give us a whole lot of choic “White Spot just hasn’t followed ‘The union has already given s notice — which gives the union until 30 to act — and the company’s Hillborn added. She emphasized that any dec would come from the meeting of ste Mar. 6 but noted that members w likely begin job action on a limited “But we'll be escalating it,” she Strike action after Apr. 30 could affect a key White Spot outlet — th Bailey restaurant in the Expo site. Unions’ actions to embargo apartheid The trade union campaign to put pres- sure on Ottawa for sanctions against South Africa will become a major offensive during the week of March 8-15 as unions in this province and across the country take action against the apartheid regime. Organized by the Solidarity Committee with the South Africa Congress of Trade Unions (SSC) in Toronto and Vancouver, the campaign marks the 31st anniversary of the founding of SACTU and will see a union embargo against South African trade as well as mass rally to press the demand for sanctions. The focus of the week will be March 13 when a rally has been scheduled for 12 noon in Vancouver’s Robson Square. That same day, unionists across the country will be imposing their own sanctions against apar- theid. @ Telecommunications workers, mobil- ized by the Communications Workers of Canada and the Telecommunications Workers in this province, will refuse to han- dle all telephone and telegraph communica- tion to or from South Africa; @ Members of the Letter Carriers Union and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers will refuse to handle mail to or from South Africa; 3 e@ Airline ticket workers, members of the United Auto Workers, the Brotherhood of Railway and Airline Clerks will refuse to handle booking for travellers coming from, or travelling to South Africa. On that day, supporters have been asked to contact operators as well as airline book- ing offices to thank unionists for their action and express their support. In addition, the United Food and Com- mercial Workers has already pressed the big retail chains where it is certified to stop handling South African goods. Safeway, IGA, Overwaitea and Woodward’s in Vic- toria have given assurances that they will no longer handle the products. Some Super Value stores however, are continuing to stock them. Advertisements for South African tour- ism running on two television stations have similarly been the target of union action. The CKVU Employees Association was successful in having the ads pulled from CK VU, an independent station, but BCTV, a CTV affiliate, is continuing to run them. Although their action is not specifically a part of the week of action, the two pulp unions have made trade with apartheid an issue in 1986 contract bargaining. The pulp trade with South Africa has highlighted the long term problem of deal- ing with the apartheid regime. According to the SACTU Solidarity Committee, . the achievement of a high degree of self- sufficiency in pulp production has been one of South Africa’s strategic aims. And the export of pulp mill technology — notably through one Vancouver firm — Sandwell Engineerings — has assisted the country in achieving that objective. South Africa was a significant importer. of B.C. pulp — from Canadian Forest Products and Weyerhauser — until 1984, when the amount dropped dramatically from 26.8 million tons in 1973 to 11 million tons in 1974 and only 3.6 million tons in the’ first three quarters of 1985. The figures underscore the increased productive capac- ity of South African mills — which are now moving into markets served by B.C. mills. APARTHEID 4 FREEDOM Tan “The South African producers are gear- ing their production towards equally dra- matic increases in the export.of their pulp and paper products to the same interna- tional markets upon which Canadian pulp workers’ jobs depend,” a recent SSC bul- letin noted. But the issue is not just competition for markets, it noted. “The long term ability of South Africa exporters to undercut Cana- dian exporters in international markets is...based on gross exploitation of unfree black labor power under apartheid.” Black pulp workers are paid $1 an hour compared to the $14 an hour paid Canadian pulp workers. Also giving impetus to the unions’ con- - tract demand that all trade with apartheid be halted was the revelation last year that at least one company in Kamloops, Filek Sound Ltd., has been importing cheap South African pulp to manufacture cases for musical instruments. ss In a related event this week, the SSC, together with the South African Action Coalition and the Anti-Apartheid Network, which includes the B.C. Federation of Labor, issued a joint press release reiterating . the demand that the Ottawa-based Centre for Investigative Journalism withdraw an invitation it had extended to Hennie du Toit, third secretary of the South African Embassy, to participate in a panel discusi- son on South African media censorship during a CIJ conference in Vancouver March 14-16.. Although a number of participants have withdrawn as a result of the invitation, CIJ organizers have so far refused to back down, claiming that the issue is one of free speech. “It has nothing to do with free speech — it’s like inviting Jim Keegstra to speak,” said SAAC spokesman Basil Free- man. “The South African embassy person- nel are there to defend apartheid which has been condemned as a crime against human- ity by the rest of the world.” + Pio oe tiple egie w 64) -8, 9 9-010 .25018 eam WRT WATE FIN EERE FPR ETD! BC > a. 2 © a ” lam enclosing 1 yr. $141) 2 yrs. $25 O 6mo.$80) Foreign 1 yr. $ Bill me later 0 ~ IRIBUNE Published weekly at 2681 East Hastings Street Vancouver, B.C. VSK 1Z5. Phone 251-1186 St Se ot Se eS eet to Um 0 6 4666 NS Bw Oe a eco MAS Md a A a Se a \ READ THE PAPER THAT FIGHTS FOR LABO, = The press release issued by the tt groups also dismissed as ‘“‘absolu untrue” claims by some CIJ representat that representatives of the African Natic Congress would also be taking part in panel. = The SSC sent a letter Feb. 24 to} Fillmore, president of the CIJ, noting unionists across the country would be™ ing action in their workplaces. . .in sup of the imposition of effective and ma tory sanctions against all forms of com ity with the apartheid regime... a “In our view your organization’s dee to offer a platform to a representative apartheid regime is completely cont the call for sanctions which has com many sectors of Canadian society,” It also warned: “. ..the SACTU ity Committee has taken the positiont the CIJ fails to withdraw its invitation. will have no choice but to picket yo ference and publicize your position. ee Were me a eee ee ete Se eke ome fee «6 Wie eH Ca Mele so eee ae ee 0 Vo (0%e ow ee he Ole R Donation$........ :