Operation Solidarity leaders stated Dec. 13 that they’ll be discussing future action by the labor move- ment on Jan. 10 but for the holiday season at least, the dispute over the contentious issue of three extra days for teachers will be put on the back burner. Following a meeting of Operation Solidarity, ~ B.C. Federation of Labor president Art Kube said that he hoped ‘‘tranquility”” would prevail, adding that the “education system needs it.” But there to be little indication from the education ministry that it would do anything to pro- __ yide that tranquility by dropping the condition that teachers make up the three days in order to keep strike savings in local board budgets. Nor was there any indication that if the labor movement eases up on its plans to mobilizemembers that the government will be more willing to resolve However, Kube told reporters that the next stage ~ in the fight over the issue of teachers’ three days “+will be solely based on the action the government will take. _ *\We have a number of options,’’ he added. Those options presumably include the recom- mendations of the expanded public sector commit- ~ tee of the B.C. Fed which was instructed to bringina plan of action following the adoption of the emergency resolution backing teachers by delegates to the B.C. Fed convention Dec. 1. That resolution declared that forcing teachers to make up the three _ days would be declared a reprisal and pledged sup- port of Operation Solidarity. Those recommendations were not made public but whatever action may be taken will be determined by a restructured Operation Solidarity when it meets Jan. 10. < The Dec. 13 meeting voted to set up a new struc- ture made up of the executive council of the B.C. Federation of Labor together with representatives of Bargain, LRB __ B.C. Hydro was forced back to the bargaining table last week following a decision by a Labor Rela- tions Board panel Dec. 15 instructing the corpora- tion to resume bargaining and to refrain from its in- sistance that backhoe operators’ wages be set through public tender. In an unanimous decision, the LRB panel miled that Hydro’s demand that it be allowed to put all backhoe work to public tender — and set wage rates ~ individually with each operator — was ‘‘fundamen- tally inconsistent with the collective bargaining pro- cess’? since Local 213 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers had already been established as the bargaining agent for the It added that Hydro’s refusal to bargain with the IBEW for an agreement covering the operators “strikes at the very heart of the union’s status of ex-" clusive bargaining agent.”’ - Although the IBEW won the right to represent the - 6Q-odd backhoe operators who work with B.C. __ Hydro gas crews in April, 1983, no collective agree- ‘ment covering them has ever been reached with Hydro. The issue has stymied negotiations since Hydro continued to insist on its right to put all backhoe > > > &] & & BH K}] &] K\} ~2~ 2~ 2~ ~~ ~ 2 ~ 2~ 2~ 2~ 2 Season’s Greetings to the labor, peace and Solidarity movements May you grow : in your endeavors in 1984 = ~~ =~ 8. -~ &~ f~ TRIBUNE—DECEMBER 21, 1983—Page 20 ; eE_" _ Solidarity waits on gov't = on issue of teachers’ days TRADE UNION RESEARCH BUREAU a Gs 2S SS SS SS SSS wa SS SS non-affiliates which are members of Operation Solidarity, including the Hospital Employees Union, the B.C. Teachers Federation and the Building Trades. The question whether teachers will be compelled to make up the three days lost during the strike if the savings are to remain with local boards — and how boards will use the money — is still very much upin the air. The meeting of government representative Nor- man Spector, Labor Relations Board chairman Stephen Kelleher, B.C. Fed secretary Mike Kramer and IWA president Jack Munro reportedly found **no disagreement’’ over how each viewed the truce agreement proposals which ended the public sector strike and specifically, the proposal on education funding. But so far there has been nothing from Education Minister Jack Heinrich changing his earlier position that the days must be made up if the savings are to remain with the board. He initially gave boards until last week — Dec. 15 — to file proposals with the ministry as to how those lost days could be recouped. That deadline was later extended one week. At least one board, Kamloops, refused to go along with Heinrich’s request but many other boards have submitted various proposals which range from tacking an extra few minutes on to each school day or requiring teachers to work on profes- sional days. Either would be considered a reprisal against teachers. ‘Heinrich is still away in West Germany and any statement from the ministry may not come until the new year. The B.C. Teachers’ Federation has suggested that students be given extra assignments to make up for the lost time. In any event, the BCTF stated, the - decisions to how the money should be spent should be made by the school board and the local teachers’ association. tells Hydro work out to public tender as part of any new collec- tive agreement with the local. The IBEW submitted extensive proposals to Hydro which would have given operators some but not all of the benefits of other IBEW gas workers. Hydro gas workers launched strike action Oct. 5 and began a campaign of escalation, picketing other Hydro operations on a selective basis. On Nov. 25, members of the Office and Technical Workers and members of IBEW Local 258 in Hydro’s electrical division joined them on the picket lines for a full scale strike. Even with the LRB ruling, however, the issues in the Hydro strike are far from resolved. The issue of exemptions from Bill 3, particularly, is still in contention and IBEW Local 213 business manager Cliff Rundgren noted earlier this month that the. union had been confronted earlier in negotiations with Hydro’s own version of Bill 3 — even before the bill was tabled in the legislature. B.C Federation of Labor delegates also voted Dec. 1 to back Hydro workers in their efforts to ob- ‘tain a Bill 3 exemption although federation secretary-treasurer Mike Kramer indicated Dec. 13 that support would be reviewed since negotiations had resumed. 2 SP) WSS 6 << Postal Code.........- Py Re Regen sae Sone 1 am-enclosing: tyr. $140 2yrs.$250 6mo.$8C0) Foreign 1 year $15 oO READ THE PAPER THAT FIGHTS FOR LABOR aT LT LT TT LL A A 1 te awe 8 Les wee i : united transportation union | Season's Breetings —, from © | : Dancouver Local 701 i P.O. BOX 683 Port Coquitlam V3B 6H9_ Season’s Greetings from the - : Marine Workers i and: Boilermakers — Industrial Union © Local 1 | ESSE EEE of * See SRE PI EOE IE HER BEE MEI BOIS BEE NEE SE EE NESE NIE SSO SPSL my eason’s Gree | » from the brothers and sisters < + of the are 2# Carpenters Union Local 452 May our quest for friendship | cooperation, world peace: and good will toward all mankind continue undaunted. SAA SG SS ee We extend our hand — in friendship to all working people Y of the world | and wish happy holidays, peace and a future of full employment. — NANAIMO, DUNCAN AND DISTRICT "LABOR COUNCIL 7 | Published weekly at 2681 East Hastings St., ‘Vancouver, B.C. V5K 125. Phone 251-1186 Bill me later 1) Donation 6............