ABU galt

Gemna meee Be

Ruling by AIB branded
| as ‘cruel and unjust’

Cont'd from pg. 1

“This action by the anti-inflation
board proves finally and con-
clusively the bias of Trudeau’s
wage controls,’’*» CUPE delegate
Dave Werlin told the council
meeting. “The board has been
trying to justify itself by looking
around for a company to take
action against.

“Tt finally took action against a
company — but on a-decision that
affects the workers.”’

He told delegates that if any of
them-had any doubts, about the
purpose of the anti-inflation fight,
this should dispel them.

“It’s intended to take away the

* standard of living that workers

have fought for over the years,”’ he
emphasized. ‘‘And if this action
doesn’t begin the mobilization of
the trade union movement against
the controls, then I miss my guess.
“Before too long, the fight is
going to catch fire and inflame the
whole trade union movement.”

The Surrey Teachers Association
is considering further actions after
the Surrey School Board voted 4-3
to unilaterally abolish a four-year-
old learning and working con-
ditions contract with the STA.

The move to abolish the contract
came after the STA refused to bow
to the newly-elected board’s
demand that two sections of the
contract which call for discussions
between the board and the
teachers on major shifts in district
education policy, be eliminated
from the contract.

The board was able to move
unilaterally on the contract as it
has no expiry date, and was just
now being reopened for
negotiations. Doris Hahn,
president of the STA, said that she
was “very upset at the school
board’s action, without giving us a

%
|

chance to debate the issues with
the newly-elected trustees.”

The reason given for can-
cellation centres around the Surrey
School Board’s determination to go
ahead with the development of a
so-called ‘‘value school’’ for the
district, despite the fact that over
800 teachers voted to support the
STA’s opposition to such a concept.

The value school is a product of
the extreme right wing of the
school board, and advocates
education along the lines of “‘strict
Judeo-Christian concepts.’’
Several teachers contacted by the
Tribune expressed concern that
such a school would contravene not
only the Human Rights Code of
B.C. in that it was discriminatory
by ignoring a whole number of
other ethnic groups within the
district, but that those students
selected to attend the school would
be subject to the most severe

scrutiny in order to establish their
“moral competence to attend such
a school.”

One teacher, who wished to
remain unnamed, said that the
value school concept “‘is one of the
most dangerous, most elitist ideas
ever introduced to the school
system.’ She said that the whole
question of ‘‘just whose values will
be taught” should be a matter of
public concern and public debate,
and that so far the Surrey School
Board has not allowed that.

With the cancellation of the
learning and working conditions
contract, the Surrey School Board
will be able to make major policy
shifts with no discussion or con-
sultation with any group. Their
first two moves have been the
decision to go ahead with the value
school and to cancel the district’s
family life program.

City labor
Cont'd from pg. 2

Their disruptive role within the
NDP in British Columbia, as
elsewhere, has facilitated the
efforts of the right wing in con-
solidating its forces against the left
and progressive elements within
the party.

The meeting held in the Iron-
workers Hall on February 10 was a
continuation of the January
meeting. This meeting was chaired
by Joyce Nash, Canadian president
of the NDP. Basically, there were
four groups at the meeting: those
representing the constituency
organizations and the provincial
office; the VAC; delegates from
the Vancouver Labor Council, and
people friendly to COPE. Also in
attendance were members of the
League for Socialist Action (LSA),
a straight Trotskyite group on
friendly terms with the leadership
of the VAC. A number of the VAC
executives belong to the LSA.

It is signficant that MLA Norm
Levi, provincial secretary, Cliff
Scotton, and former TEAM
alderman, Setty Pendakur par-
ticipated in the meeting.

Ron Johnson, research director
of the B.C. Federation of Labor
spoke out -against unity. ‘The

discussion must come from within
NDP as how to throw out the right.
We’re not going to start any new
political movements from this
body.”’

Garth Brown, on the other hand,
said the VAC did not represent the
majority of the NDP members in
Vancouver. ‘“‘TEAM is bankrupt,”’
he said. “Harry Rankin is virtually
fighting alone. He and Darlene
Marzari and Mike Harcourt form
sort of a left axis, if you want to call
it that.” =

Brown called for a new electoral
organization to draw disaffected
supporters from TEAM and others
from the left.

Thus, the essence of the division
is the insistence of the Vancouver
Area Council that straight NDP
candidates be fielded under their
sponsorship, as opposed to the
concept of setting up a reform
organization that would provide a
wider base for the NDP, such as
the Burnaby Citizen’s Association.

The fact that people like Garth
Brown find it difficult to conceive
of a new form that would exclude
Harry Rankin is a tribute to his
record as an alderman and his
popularity.

The February 10 meeting

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEBRUARY 20, 1976—Page 12

key to civic unity

wrangled for half an hour on
whether or not to invite Bruce
Yorke, president of COPE in his
official capacity. The majority
closed ranks around a resolution to
invite him as an individual, but not
as a-representative of COPE. On
this score, the two main NDP
factions were united.

Then, the meeting became a
shambles for almost an hour and a
half. It failed to agree on the
agenda.

Finally, a motion advanced by
George Hewison of the United
Fishermen’s and Allied Workers’
Union was adopted. It called upon
the Vancouver Labor Council to
convene a meeting to discuss a
united civic movement to contest
the 1976 civic election.

Thus, the Labor Council has the
possibility of playing a unifying
role. Every possible attempt
should be made to unite the labor
movement, the NDP and COPE
and other civic reform groups,
around a common program and
one slate of candidates. Those who
stand in the way of a frank, open
and constructive search for a
common front in the 1976
municipal elections will be playing
the game of big business and
should be judged accordingly.

Elsewhere in council business,
delegates endorsed a motion in-
structing council secretary Paddy
Neale and president Syd Thompson
to meet with the executive bodies
of the Committee of Progressive
Electors and the Vancouver Area
Council of the New Democratic
Party.

The meetings were planned in
the hope that the two groups could
take united action in the upcoming
civic election in Vancouver,
although council _ president
Thompson held out little possibility
of the NDP coming any closer to
unity than it has in previous years.

“Tt’s like running into a brick
wall,’’ Thompson told delegates,
“trying to being about unity in the
civic field. ;
~ “The NDP is just not prepared to
unite with anyone,” he declared.

Noting his own membership in
the NDP, Thompson expressed
regret that the NDP had not
“pulled up its socks and done a job
in civic politics’ but added that
some NDP members such as Mike
Harcourt had ‘‘come in through the
back door via TEAM.”

A much earlier example was
Arnold Webster, a one time leader
of the CCF who was endorsed by
the Non Partisan Association as a
member of the Vancouver School
Board.

Despite the differences,
however, the council officers told
the meeting that they would press
the two groups to pool their
resources and run a joint slate in
the November election.

Thompson warned that if some
action were not taken to con-
solidate the reform forces, ‘‘the
NPA might make an even bigger
comeback.” :

CUPE delegate Dave Werlin also
warned of the danger of right wing
forces coalescing around a slate of
candidates and told delegates,
‘December 11 was an example of
what happens when the right wing
organizes. .

‘It is imperative that all
organizations which consider
themselves progressive and which
claim to speak for working people
look towards the possibilities of
unity,’’ he emphasized.

He reminded delegates that
COPE had consistently advocated
unity and expressed the hope that
the reform forces could put aside

~COPE has established ‘‘the firs!

their narrow party interests
order to present a united group i!
the election. :

Fishermen’s delegate Georg
Hewison echoed Werlin’s remar
and emphasized that the Vai
couver Labor Council “‘has a bas
responsibility to find the best we
to get TEAM and the NPA out
city hall.”

He noted that unity must |
based on joint action with the ND
but told the meeting, ‘I am col
vinced that the majority of ND
members in this city would like
see unity.in order to get
developers out of city hall.”

He rejected as absurd thi
suggestion that COPE~ shou
dissolve itself in order to bri
about unity, pointing out t

beachhead at city hall for working)
people’’ with the election of Harty
Rankin- :
“The two groups should g
together in this election,”
emphasized, ‘“‘not to merge, but
work together to elect represel) —
tatives at city hall.” : =

on Feb. 25.

COPE’s plans for the Novemb@
civic election will be the subject
its annual meeting to be
Wednesday February: 25 at
Ironworkers Hall, 2415 Columb
starting at 8 p.m. :

“As a result of significant
creases in its votes in 1974 CO
has emerged as the strongest of tl
reform groups in the city,’ sa
COPE president Bruce Yorke.

“This year it is possible to sc
additional electoral victori
especially if real unity among
reform minded citizens can
achieved.

‘““We intend to be very active
this regard, but at the same U
we are going to oil up our 0
election machinery starting f
our annual meeting,’ Yo
stated.

The meeting will launch a
pronged campaign aimed #
holding civic tax increases to @
absolute minimum on the 0M)
hand, and to strengthen re
controls on the other. ]

Supermarket robber

__A I71-page report commissioned by the Food Prices Review Boal®
in mid-1974 and completed last December, showing that Canadians ar’
paying an average of at least four per cent too much for food, has b
kept under wraps by-the board. Conclusions of the study were reve:
this week after the Montreal Gazette obtained a copy and broke

story. :
Prepared by Montreal marketi

ng expert Bruce Mallen, the repo
was commissioned by Mrs. Beryl Plumptre at a cost of $25,000. Ma
is a marketing professor at Concordia University, a past vi
president of the Marketing Association of Canada, and has served as:
consultant for numerous corporations.

The conclusions of the report are a damning indictment of su
market practices in Canada. The study points to the fact that lack
competition in the food industry, and domination by a few su
markets, is responsible for Canadians overpaying on food prices.

_ The report says that supermarkets handle a high concentration?

food sales everywhere in Canada, and as much as 93 per cent in
tain areas. It adds that lack of competition between the four la
food companies — Weston-Loblaw, Dominion, Safeway and St
berg’s — has resulted in higher prices, wasteful oversize opera
and a drop in customer services. The report recommends —
legislation be passed to place restrictions on the supermarket cha
The domination of the food industry in Vancouver follows the
tern outlined by the Mallen report. A study made in July, 1975 sho
that three chains in Vancouver sell 78 per cent of all food sold in ©
city. Safeway dominates the field, controlling 42 per cent; Super-
(Weston) has about 24 per cent of the pie; and Woodwards about 12
cent. The Tribune has pointed out many times that competition
ween these three is practically non-existent and a. study of
vertisements will show that out

prices are almost identical.

side of the occasional loss-lead®