THE “BIGHT” BAe labour movement in British Columbia deserves public com- mendation for its recent approach to problems which affect the prosperity of the whole economy. Two conferences within recent weeks laid bare all the economic facts about. the province’s industrial life before policies were de- vised regarding contract standards and organization. No other organized body in the province has been at greater pains to gain an over-all perspective of present-day economic trends. Our congratulations go to the four economists who placed their capable services at the command of the trade unions. B.C. Unions are also indebted to the Research Department of the Cana- dian Labour Congress for a revealing insight into trends of the Canadian economy. Attention now centres on Iabour’s forecast for 1962. Production, sales volume and profits will continue to rise. Mass unemployment overshadows the whole situation. The goods-producing industries are employing fewer workers, the unorganized service-producing industries are expanding with vicious wage exploitation. “Blue collar’ workers are fewer in number, while “white collar” workers increase outside the established bargaining units, Various pressures are being exercised by the employers to increase the work load of fewer workers in direct production. No responsi- bility is assumed, either by the government or the employers, for any effort to spread available employment. All plans announced for the economy accept the fact that mass unemployment is inevitable. The rapid advance of technological change is aggravating the situation. An increased number of workers have been discarded. The rosy picture painted by Premier Bennett of growing pros- perity completely ignores the fact that the labour force is facing in- creasing insecurity. A sad fact that should not escape attention is that the number of workers on social assistance has risen in recent years from 12,000 to 87,000. The facts exposed at the Vancouver and Parksville conferences must now be communicated to the rank and file membership. Labour faces a struggle of vital importance, which requires the unified sup- port of all trade union members. SOCRED FARCE | aarge es Minister Peterson’s recent statement in the Legislature extending collective bargaining rights to hydro-electric em- ployees with one hand and restricting them with the other sets a new high for inconsistency in administration of the province’s labour laws. As pointed out by Opposition members in the Legislature, his offer to BCE unions is meaningless. The right to strike is an essen- tial right of free collective bargaining. Without the right to strike, the negotiating union is wholly at the mercy of the employer—in this instance the Government. The absurdity of the situation is realized when consideration is given to conciliation board proceedings in the event of a dispute. The Government will appoint the chairman, the hydro authority will name one representative and the union the third member of the board. The decision of the board in such cases will be final and binding on the union, which is outnumbered two to one on the board. It is little else than a farcial form of compulsory arbitration. The usual safeguards for arbitration are absent. A further inconsistency appears in the fact that no mention was made of the status of the civil servants, members of the Provincial Government Employees’ Association. The Association is not as- sured of collective bargaining rights, and is even deprived of the right to negotiate a check-off. Employees of government depart- ments are still outside the Labour Relations Act. The civil servants are now requesting a wage increase. Negoti- ating meetings were held with the Civil Service Commission Janu- ary 7. Not a word has been heard of the Commission’s recommen- dation to the Government. The whole proceedings have been conducted under a cloak of secrecy. This publication has drawn attention to ILO reports on similar situations in the United Kingdom and in Sweden. In both coun- tries public service employees are encouraged to unionize and are given full collective bargaining rights. Evidently, Mr. Peterson intends to continue his crippling inroads on established trade union rights. Publication date of the next issue of the WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER is February 16, Deadline for ad copy is February 1, and for news copy February 2. Bw EN PUBLISHED TWICE MONTHLY ON THE FIRST AND THIRD THURSDAYS BY lie International Woodworkers of America (AFL-CIO-CLC) Regional Council No. 1 = REGIONAL OFFICERS: ._ Joe Morris Jack Moore .._Bob_ Ross Jack MacKenzie woe Ered Fieber . Joe Madden Jack Holst President... nccecneoocse Ist Vice-President . 2nd Vice-President 3rd Vice-President .... Secretary-Treasurer ...... oss International Board Members 20-2. nmeenncrreeeeemeenen en Address all communications to FRED FIEBER, Secretary-Treasurer 2859 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. TR 4-5261 -2 Subscription Rates... nnn $2.00 per annum Advertising Representative ........G. A. Spencer Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Dept., Ottawa, and for Payment of Postage in Cash. 27.500 COPIES PRINTED IN THIS ISSUE ( MARCH [47H - ANNUAL CLC PRESENTATION To GOV'T. In United Kingdom ta OTTAWA A Union Status High ILO Report Shows Trade unions in the United Kingdom have secured public recog- nition that in a modern community but in the general conduct of public affairs, states rt of an ILO mission that made an on-the-spot survey re- lating to freedom of association. only in industry the repo they have a part to play not “THE TRADE UNION SITUATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM”, Report of an ILO mission. $1.25 Canada Branch ILO, 202 Queen St., Ottawa 4, Ont. The right to organize is established by law for workers of all kinds in both the public and private sectors of the economy. As an example of the way trade unions and collective bargaining are accepted, the report states that the staff in the royal palaces are represented by appro- priate trade unions, which negotiate on their behalf. Leaders of the Nation “Members of trade unions in the United Kingdom”, the report ob- serves, “are no longer regarded as a dangerous rabble or their leaders as violent agitators. Nowadays trade union leaders are considered to be amongst the leaders of the nation, and unions have come to be accepted as one of the country’s institutions. “Trade unionism,” moreover, is no longer considered to be something merely for manual workers. Not only have the workers themselves risen in status but the movement has now spread to all categories of persons who are employed for a wage or a salary.” Numerical Importance The report stresses the numerical importance of trade union member- ship in the United Kingdom—9% million of a total working popula- tion of 23 million. The 183 unions affiliated with the Trades Union Con- gress (TUC) were found to have more than 8 million members. Collective Bargaining Basis The system of collective negotia- tions is generally regarded as an in- tegral part, if not the very basis of industrial relations. It is now custom- ary in all walks of economic life. This system forms the foundation on which both the voluntary machinery set up by agreement between em- ployers and unions and the statutory machinery have been built. The same bodies deal with both bargaining claims and the settlement of disputes. The Minister of Labour may refer a matter to an Industrial Court for advice without consent of the parties concerned. If the matter is submitted for settlement, the con- sent of both parties is necessary. The report also notes that, al- though the right to strike is guaran- teed in the United Kingdom, the trade unions seldom make use of it. In 1959, strikes, including the un- official ones, were responsible for the loss of only one-tenth of one per cent of the days worked. The report attributes the position of influence held by the trade unions to the fact that official support is given collective bargaining, and to the Government's participation in collective bargaining as an employer. Unions Consulted The trade unions have won the right to be consulted, just as the em- ployers are, whenever new labour legislation is considered. The unions, like the employers, are also con- sulted on a wide range of industrial and economic problems not requir- ing legislation. The history of the British trade union movement reveals that the earliest struggles to gain the right to organize took place in the United. Kingdom. More than one trade union has preserved an unbroken existence since the eighteenth cen- tury. Early trade unions were re- garded as a threat to the established social order, and were then declared to be conspiracies. It was a criminal offence to belong to them. Many thousands of workers were im- prisoned, transported, or even exe- cuted in defence of their rights. The report covers the organiza- tion and structure of the trade union movement and its relations with the British Labour Party. It notes in conclusion that “the right of workers to combine in trade unions is no longer in question, and the unions are fully accepted as an important institution of British democracy”. In Washington Mr. Kennedy bluntly said that unemployment in- the United States is “still far too high” and is “a claim on our con- science.” He was speaking of a labour force: é3 of which 6.1 per cent was unem- — ployed in December. In Ottawa, through the medium of the Speech from the Throne, Mr. Diefenbaker talked of “record levels of employment” and of “a substan- tial improvement” in the unemploy- ment situation. He was speaking of a labour force of which 6.4 per cent was unemployed in December, Mr. Kennedy is deeply concerned and calls for action. Mr. Diefenbaker, with a propor- tionately greater number of unem- ployed men and women in Canada, talks consolingly of “record levels of employment,” of “substantial im- provement” since last year. It is true that more Canadians have jobs and there are 115,000 fewer unemployed than the year he- fore. Nevertheless, there are © still 413,000 jobless — one worker in every 15 without work. What are Mr. Diefenbaker’s rose- tinted words doing for them? President Kennedy takes to heart a relatively less severe situation in his nation as “a claim on our con- science.” The touchstone for him is how many are without jobs, not how many have them, and he proposes remedies. Mr. Diefenbaker turns his face away from the unemployed, and to judge from the opening speech in Parliament, has no major plans that would get them back to work or put muscle into the still-sagging econo- my. —Toronto Daily Star NEW BY-LAW PROVES HIT This club brought out a scad of new ideas by the adoption of a simple by-law, which provided that the person suggesting an idea didn’t necessarily have to be chairman of the committee named to develop it. —Observer-Tribune, Mendham, N.J. YOUR LOCAL PIONEER DEALER WILL SHOW YOU WHY Prices from $2 24°° with 16” attachments and pivot grip — PIONEER SAWS LTD. PETERBOROUGH, CANADA Bes a Oa ee >.