Labour ‘Look for the culprit in the boardroom By BILL ZANDER Isn’t it interesting that Finance Minister Michael Wilson and a chorus of finger- pointing friends, including John Crow of the Bank of Canada, are once again blam- ing labour for ruining the economy, caus- ing inflation and high interest rates. They remind me of Fagan in the musical Oliver, who after recounting his virtue, concluded: “We’ve got to pick a pocket or two boys, we’ve got to pick a pocket or two.” The so-called downsizing of govern- ment, privatization and a host of other fiscal restraints have not helped put the money where it is needed. Efforts to com- bat poverty over the years have been thwarted, particularly since Mulroney and company came upon the scene in 1984. Where then is the increased budget going and why does the national debt continue to rise? Let’s look at fair taxation. Wilson’s critics, including the trade unions, have pointed out a whole host of corporate wel- fare bums" who are riding on the backs of the Canadian people. Let’s consider a few facts: ¢ There are corporate taxes owing in excess of $36 billion as of 1988 (these figures used by the NDP are probably low). ¢ If the corporate sector’s share of taxes had matched that paid by individual tax- payers in 1988, Canada would have en- Labour Forum joyed a budget surplus of $18.5 billion instead of a deficit of $30 billion (Statistics Canada). ¢ Ninety-four thousand profitable cor- porations paid no taxes in 1987 (Statistics Canada). That was on profits in excess of $27 billion. ¢ A family of four with an income of $24,000 per year will soon be paying 60 per cent more in taxes than they did when the Conservatives were first elected in 1984 (National Council on Welfare). * The federal government loses $1 bil- lion each year because of big business entertainment expenses (Department of Finance.) ¢ The federal deficit would drop by $1.6 billion if interest rates dropped by one point (Department of Finance.) * In 1950, individuals paid 50 per cent of all income taxes collected; in 1990, that. figure will reach 79 per cent. Corporations have seen their share drop during the same period from 50 per cent to 21 per cent (Department of Finance.) ¢ In 1979-80, Victoria took $470 (in 1979 dollars) for each of us in personal income tax, equal to $847 now. For 1989- 90, its take was $1,131 per person, a jump of 33 per cent (Vancouver Sun). *¢ Over the same period, Ottawa’s per- sonal income tax take went from $1,260 per person in today’s dollars to $1,930, a hike of more than 50 per cent. e On sales taxes, Victoria took 44 per cent more in real dollars last year than it did 10 years ago; Ottawa took a whopping 83 per cent more. ¢ Corporations paid less income tax in both jurisdictions; down 28 per cent in B.C. and down one per cent federally when the amounts are calculated on a per-head of population basis (that is, when the total amount of tax paid by corporations is divided by the population of B.C., and the’ national figure). To add to the blatant hypocrisy of trying to make labour the scapegoat, the govern- ment-owned Canadian National Railway gave raises to its top five executives averaging 18.7 per cent last year. These poor chaps, who scrape through on between $246,180 and $416,000 an- nually, received these generous increases at a time when CN’s profits dropped by 27.2 per cent, services were curtailed and many workers were laid off. creases, Transport Minister Doug Lewis. argued: “You pay executives in accord- | ance with the jobs they are doing ... .” |) Does this not apply to all labour oris it only | the fat cats in the establishment? creases in salaries for executives some of dollars. But the main culprits are the cor- porations which are into the government considerably since 1980. Our purchasing power has been eroded based on costs handed on to us, many of which are the forthe crime ain’t going to work — but you In defending the CN executive in- We may go on and on about huge in- whom receive salaries in the millions of trough for many billions of dollars. But-labour’s real wages have dropped result of government taxation to cover for the pork-barrelling of those in high offices and their corporations. Sorry Mr. Wilson, blaming the victim might consider putting an end to the pork- | barrelling among your friends and con- | sider some fair taxation that is based on the ability to pay. Bill Zander is president of the B.C. Pro-— vincial. Council of Carpenters. This com- } mentary was prepared for On The Level and will appear there in an upcoming issue. Union launches ‘Pro-Canada Fleet’ to protect salmon fisheries, jobs The United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union last week launched its “Pro- Canada Fleet” campaign, calling on B.C. fishermen to maintain the sovereignty of the province’s fishing industry and to refuse to sell to U.S. buyers on the grounds. The announcement comes on the eve of the opening of the annual salmon season— the first season following a-ruling by a Free Trade Agreement panel giving American access to 20 per cent of Canadians salmon. That ruling followed an earlier decision by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade declaring that Canadian regulations govern- ing the export of salmon and herring con- stituted unfair trade, prompting Ottawa to scrap the regulations. “We're appealing to fishermen to par- ticipate in the Pro-Canada Fleet by boycot- ting U.S. buyers or any Canadian buyer that is buying on behalf of U.S. processors,” UFAWU president Jack Nichol told a news conference in Vancouver June 28. “We’re asking instead that they sell only to Canadian processors who are com- mitted—or will give a commitment—to en- sure that the fish is processed in Canada ....” he said. Nichol said the initiative was launched “Sn the long term interests of the fishing industry.” Although it is shoreworkers’ jobs in the processing industry that are immedi- ately affected, in the long mun, the $150 million a year in federal money that goes into salmon management and habitat enhan- cement would also be threatened as well as the resource itself. He also wamed that although current regulations limit the U.S. share of the Canadian catch to 20 per cent this year and 25 per cent next year, “that figure will grow in subsequent years and it will become irre- versible. 8 + Pacific Tribune, July 2, 1990 “That’s why we’re stepping in now before it happens,” he said. B.C. Federation of Labour president Ken Georgetti told reporters that the labour movement would continue to press Ottawa and Victoria for action to prevent the loss of thousands of industry jobs to the U.S. “The U.S. has the Magnuson Act to pro- tect their fish processing industry—but our government is reluctant to enact similar leg- islation to protect and enhance jobs in Bri- tish Columbia,” he said. The impact of the re-structuring of the industry under the new trade regime is al- ready being felt. B.C. Packers, owned by the multinational George Weston Ltd. chain, re- cently announced its intention to move one of its canning lines to the company’s plant in Anacortes, Wash. and plans to ship pink salmon across the border for processing there. Both MacMillan Fisheries and Canadian Fishing Company have set up subsidiaries in the U.S. In addition, Nichol noted, several com- panies have applied for “Y” licences which would allow them to operate sea-based land- ing stations where fish could be bought from fishermen and shipped directly to the U.S. Some 15 licences have so far been applied for, according toa UFAWU bulletin June 25. The Pro-Canada Fleet campaign will set as its immediate target the direct sales of fish to the U.S., but Nichol noted that the poten- tial for large-scale export of fish to the U.S. even after it has been landed underlines the threat to the industry. “We'll be taking whatever action we have to try and prevent the export of fish to the U.S.,” he said. “We’ re just beginning this campaign now but it has lots of potential.” The campaign was initially proposed at the union’s annual convention earlier this year and has since been backed by fishermen in other organizations. Decals declaring fishermen to be members of the Pro-Canada Fleet are being issued and the union has called on the provincial Agriculture Minister John Savage to assist with funds for pub- licity. ~ FRIBONE _ Published weekly at 2681 East Hastings Street Vancouver, B.C. V5K 1Z5. Phone: 251-1186 NAMOS sae ape a Address: Postal Code: . | am enclosing: 1 year: $20 L) 2 years: $35 (3 years $50 CForeign 1 year $32 C) Company — shuts down: to evade — union bid — Continued from page 1 sequently moved two truckloads of goods” from the plant, he related. “They were very large men, all dressed the same. It reminded me of Nazi Germany,’ Leclair said. Leclair told the picketers just before the rally that the union understands Levolorf plans to set up shop in Edmonton. (The Toronto-based company has denied this, claiming the plant is simply going to be closed.) : Georgetti blamed the Social Credit gov- ernment’s anti-labour Bill 19, saying it han- ded such tactics to employers “on a silver platter.” But he said the 175,000-member B.C. Fed and the 2.2-million-member Can- adian Labour Congress would be boycotting Levolor products. Collins said that company may have as- saulted workers and tried to starve them back to work, “but one thing they haven’t done is break our spirit.”