"A sad day for the workers of Saskatchewan’

Blakeney hit on wage controls deal

REGINA — The Saskatchewan
Federation of Labor said~in a
press release Jan. 29 that the
Blakeney Government has been
uprincipled, hypocritical, and in-
consistent in its announcement

_of Saskatchewan participation in
Ottawa's Anti-Wage program.

“They have been unprincipled
because they are siding with the
Liberals and the corporations in
their attack on workers,” the
SFL charged. ‘Trudeau says the
corporate interest is the national
interest and Blakeney appears to
agree.

“They have been hypocritical
because they were elected and
re-elected as the champions of
free collective bargaining and
yet they are now party to a pro-

“gram that destroys collective

targaining more effectively than
Bill 2 ever did.

“They have been hypocritical
because they pretend to establish
a board to control prices and
wages in public utilities, when
they know they already had the
power to control prices in almost
all the areas under this new
board’s. jurisdiction. The board
will be solely an instrument of
wage control no matter how they
try to disguise it,” the SFL
asserts.

“They have been inconsistent
because on the same day as they
passed the very progressive po-

Last month the Steelworkers
Union appeared before the Com-
mission on Corporate Concentra-
tion. In the course of that pre-
sentation it was pointed out that

~ sales of the “Big Three” in Can-

ada’s metal mining industry in-
creased steadily between 1964
and 1974, from $877,801,000. to
$3,577,547,000 — roughly four
times over. The share of the
market held by Inco, Cominco
and Noranda has increased in
the same period from 47.7% to
64.7% 10 years later.

“In the same period,”- the

Steelworkers Union points out, -

“big mining assets have in-

creased from less than 1.5-billion:

to 5.2-billion and from 30.8% to
50.4% of all mining assets in
1974 . . . A similar degree, ot
mcncpoly power is repeated in
virtually every major line of in-
dustry and commerce in the
country.

“Every facet of economic life
is either controlled or heavily in-
fluenced by these corporate
groupings . . . all for the most
part thoroughly intertwined in
top financial circles and boards
of directors.

“The sc-called ‘free market
system’ has really long since dis-
appeared into the maw of these
corporate and monopolistic
giants.”

In the January, 1974 issue of
Steel Labor, in an editorial titl-
ed, “A new direction or a dan-
gerous path?” the Steelworkers
Union points out:

“For those conservative poli-
ticians and businessmen who
loudly voice fears that Mr. Tru-
deau is heading toward a social-
ist state, we can assure them
they have nothing to fear.

_ “The cut-backs in people-ori-
ented programs and the warning

tash legislation they announced
the most reactionary anti-union
program this province has seen
in decades.

“They continue to say abso-
lutely nothing about. the federal
government’s unwarranted intru-
sion into provincial jurisdiction
in the areas of construction and
firms over 500 employees. This
amounts to a betrayal of the
people of Saskatchewan that

they were elected to serve.

“It is interesting,” says the
SFL, “that no worker is on the
provincial board. It is clear that
no self-respecting worker or
trade unionist would be party to
such an action.

“Wednesday, Jan. 28, marks
a sad day for the workers of
Saskatchewan and a shameful
day for Premier Blakeney and
his Cabinet.”

Postal Code boycott
halt announced by CUPW

OTTAWA — The Canadian .

Union of Postal Workers an-
nounced Feb. 5 it was officially
calling an end to its Boycott of
the Postal Code campaign.

A union announcement of the
acticn said, “the Boycott of the
Postal Code was a_ protest
against automation without nego-
tiation. We have succeeded in
negctiating good protection from
automation in our new collec-
tive agreement. We feel the ar-
ticles in the collective agree-
ment give our members suffi-
cient protection as long as the
employer lives up to them.”

The union started the boycott
campaign in late 1972. Canadian
businesses and the public have

of more cuts to come in the
social service area are not the
actions of a government that is

swinging to the left, but rather .

to the right. The attack as usual
is being levelled against those
who cannot defend themselves.
Those who have no union to
protect them and no voice at the
bargaining table whether it be
old age pensioners or someone
on welfare.

“The casualties that Mr. Tru-
deau’s program will create will
also come from those on our
huge unemployment rolls who
even now can hear sott hints
from the politicians that some-
thing will be cut back on their
unemployment insurance bene-
fits.

(U.I. Act Amendments —

Bill C-69 — has raised the so-

called “acceptable” rate of un-

employment from 4% in 1971

to 5.6% in 1975; a move which

reduces the government’s con-

_tribution to. the U.I. Fund by

$900-million.) i

“Let the Prime Minister put
curbs on (monopoly) price-fixing

_and. monopoly powers and we

might be getting somewhere
other than ‘down the road’ to the
‘corporate state’.”

In this connection the presi-
dent of the Canadian Labor Con-
gress issued a timely warning to
New Democratic Party govern-
ments in Manitoba and Sas-
katchewan when speaking to a
convention of the Brotherhood
of Railway and Airline Clerks in
Winnipeg a few days ago. Mr.
Morris is quoted as telling the
NDP governments to:

“Either side with the labor
mcvement from which they
sprang, and with the working
people who support them, or

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEBRUARY 13, 1976—Page 8

The way out of
capitalism's crisis

been slow to adopt Postal Codes
which are essential to the auto-
mated mail system.

“Most Canadians do not be-
lieve that working men and
women should be thrown out of
a job or have their pay slashed
because of a machine,” said
CUPW president Joe Davidson.

He continued: “Our union was
trying to negotiate basic secur-
ity for postal workers faced

with a» mammoth automation»

program. Finally, with the help

of an impressive public boycott -

of the Postal Code and strike
action, the government came
around to seeing the issue our
way.”

side with the corporations and
the monied class . . . There is no
middle ground on which to fight,
for in this battle there can be no
compromise. Our opposition is
total and complete and we will
not back off.

“When it comes to a choice
between popularity and prin-
ciples, we will always remain
true to the latter. We have al-
ways done this and we shall,
even if it means opposing the
party which this trade union
movement brought into being.

“I think it is time for the gov-
ernments of Manitoba and Sas-
katchewan to rethink their sup-
‘port for the wage contro! poli-
cies cf the federal Liberals.”

Mr. Morris stated that, if the

NDP governments implement the |

federal program either by agree-
ment or enabling legislation, the
trade union movement will op-
pose them as it opposes the fede-
ral government.

“For both our sakes let’s hope
they choose wisely, for the route
they choose to travel is likely to
affect the future political institu-
tions of Canada for many years
to come.”

Mr. Morris told the BRAC
delegates that their union “will
be: in the front trenches in the
current negotiations. It will be
on the firing line when the AIB
and the government take dead
aim at holding the line on wage
increases.”

Perhaps Canadian labor will

learn from the sad experiences °

of the British Labor Party, which
has abandoned its 1973 program
and opted for reinforcement of
state-monopoly . capitalism; _ a
step which threatens to bring
down the Wilson government,
with the Tories waiting patiently
in the wings.

bY

HULL, England — Engineering workers demonstrate against un- ;
employment and a government decision not to nationalize a local
shipbuilding group called Drypool.

CARR TELLS PEPIN
TO QUIT

HALIFAX—For the first time,
the chairman of the so-called
Anti-Inflation Board, Jean-Luc
Pepin ard the executive vice-
president of the Canadian Labor
Congress, Shirley Carr spoke on
the same podium before a joint
seminar of management and la-
bor officials about the Trudeau
anti-inflation program.

Mrs. Carr called for with-
drawal of the anti-inflation legis-
lation, which she said was not
equitable.

She bluntly told Mr. Pepin
that he should resign and called
him the chief agent of bad law,
fuzzy economic thinking and
bankruptcy.” ’

—___——__

TEACHERS WALK: OUT
TO PROTEST
LAGGING TALKS
MONTREAL — About 52,000
students at Protestant schools
here had the day off Feb. 6 as
2,6C0 teachers stopped work to
protest the lack of progress in
contract talks with government
and school board negotiators.
The protest closed the 92 ele-
mentary and high schools of the
Protestant School Board of
Greater Montreal (PSBGM). .
The teachers, members of the
Montreal Teachers’ Association
(MTA), met in a day-long confer-
ence at a downtown hall to de-
cide whether to prolong their
“study session” or to adopt
other forms of protest.

4

TRANSIT STRIKE
CONTINUES ~

WINNIPEG — 1,250 city bus
drivers and maintenance work-
ers began their second week on
the bricks Feb. 6, as they waited
for word from the city’s negoti-
ating team requesting resump-
tion in contract talks.

Union president Harry Cohen
caid Feb. 5 that he was waiting
“for a phone call’ from the city,
and that the strike would go on
until the city raised its wage
offer from 9.3%.

The union was forced into
strike action Jan. 26 to back de-
mands for an 18% wage increase
in a one year contract.

EIGHT-MONTH BATTLE
OVER AT ALCAN —

ST. LAWRENCE, Nfld. — The
Aluminum Co. of Canada Ltd.
(Alcan) accepted a union con-
tract proposal Feb. 6, ending an
eight-month strike that had kept
the company’s -fluorspar mines
shut -down. The two. year con-
tract, which runs until Decem-
ber 1977, provides for wage in-

LABOR ™ BRIEF

HUMBERSIDE

~creases of $1.35 an hour plus 4

transferred from another plant

strike Feb. 5, newspaper wor¥ —

$550 settlement bonus for each
of the 357 employees involved.

CLC TO SPONSOR 3
WOMEN'S TRADE UNION
CONFERENCE

OTTAWA — The Canadian
Labor Congress will sponsor 4)
national conference for womef|
trade unionists in Ottawa Mac
5-7, CLC President Joe Morris
announnced Feb. 9.

“This conference will provide
an opportunity for women wh0
are active in the labor movement |
to increase their knowledge of
the role of trade unions in ex-
tending equal opportunity
through negotiations, legislation |
and organization. Delegates will
also discuss methods of encour-|—
aging more women to accept no-
mination to elective and other
positions of responsibility with-
in the labor movement,” Mr.
Morris said.

CLC Executive Vice-president
Shirley Carr will chair the open:
ing session starting at 8:00 p.m,
March 5. :

TWO-WEEK FIGHT
SUCCESSFUL AT
CHRYSLER

LINWOOD, Scotland — Five} —
thousand workers at the Chryslet
auto plant in Linwood. voted)
overwhelmingly Feb. 5 to end
their week-long strike over 4
$2.40-a-week wage demand by
50 packers.

The strike was over a claim
that the 50 packers who were

should get an extra $2.40 a week:

Last month the Labor Govern”
ment assured Chrysler a $324)
millicn loan to keep the plant
from closing.

LABOR FORCES ..
GOVERNMENT CHANGES

_ BUENOS AIRES, Argentina ~
Pressure from the General Com) _
federation of Labor (CGT) force?
Argentina’s president Isabel Pe) —
ron to replace her conservativ’
econemics and labor ministef?
last week in the midst of wide
spread agitation over the cout
try’s galloping rate of inflatio?)
which stcod at 334.8% in 1979
and 14.6% in January ’76. 3
In the nation’s capital, bakery)
workers announced a 72-how!

ers struck for 24 hours protest”
ing the dismissal of some 9%
their fellow workers at one ©
the city’s papers, and subway
workers defied the governmet!
firing of four unionists and
back-to-work order, by remai
ing on strike for higher wage*
last week. ;