Stanfield selects a police club

By SAM WALSH

Conservative Party leader Mr.
Robert Stanfield, has offered a
candidacy in the coming federal
elections to Judge Claude
Wagner, former Minister of
Justice in the Quebec Lesage
Liberal government.

This move can have very
great significance for the direc-
tion that politics will take not
only in Quebec but in Canada
as a whole, and hence merits
serious analysis.

It appears that some Conser-
vatives engaged an American
polling company to ascertain
the political popularity of
Claude Wagner should he be-
come Quebec Conservative lead-
er, as against the support for
the “three musketeers” — Pel-
letier, Marchand and Trudeau,
who are running the show in the
federal Liberal government.

The interested parties reveal-
ed to the press that according
to this poll, if Mr. Wagner were
chosen Quebec Conservative
leader, this party would win 30
seats in Quebec in the next
federal elections instead of the
four they now hold. Further-
more, Mr. Wagner is more po-
pular than Pelletier, Marchand
and even Trudeau.

Thus, if the results of the
poll are reliable, and if Mr.
Wagner becomes the official or
unofficial leader of, the Quebec
wing of the Conservative Party,
coupled with the growing po-

by Bruce Magnuson

The International Longshore-
men’s Association members at
three Quebec ports — Montreal,
Three Rivers and Quebec City—
have voted to accept a new labor
agreement to cover a period of
three years, i.e. to December 31,
1974. The new contract covers
over -3,200 longshoremen em-
ployed by 32 cargo-moving com-
panies along the St. Lawrence
River Ports in Quebec, and who
are members of the Maritime
Employers Association. Of the
2,200 votes reported cast in the
ratification vote only six were
reported as voting against ac-
ceptance, That leaves one-third
of the longshoremen as abstain-
ing in the vote.

What is unique in this settle-

ment is the laudatory language
used by the bourgeois press in
describing the settlement. One
paper carried the story under the
caption: “Big pensions, end to
featherbedding bring peace to
Quebec ports.” Another paper
carried an editorial under the
heading “A common-sense labor
settlement” in which it describ-
ed the new contract as ‘“‘a good
deal for the workers” and “a
good deal for the bosses.” The
same paper also.asked: “Can this
common-sense settlement be ex-
tended to Toronto and Hamilton,
giving the entire Canadian sea-
way a new edge of efficiency and
zip?”

The agreement has been hailed
by the press as triumph for the
federal Labor Department’s pre-
yventive mediation program which
“began working toward (this)
pact three years ago, immediate-
ly after signing of the contract
that expired last Dec. 31,” under
the leadership of the federal de-
parment’s chief in Quebec, Mr.
Charles Poirier. :

The longshoremen in Hamilton
and Toronto are reported to pre-
fer $1.50 in wages to a 50 cent

pular discontent in Ontario,
especially with the. economic
and tax policies of the Trudeau
government, there could be
some surprises in the elections.

Well, then, who is Claude
Wagner?

You will recall that the for-
mer Liberal prime minister of
Quebec, Jean Lesage, asked him
to become a member of his
cabinet in 1964, when St. James
Street let it be known that the
“Quiet Revolution” had already
accomplished its assigned task
of clearing away the obstacles
to the development of modern
capitalism planted by the ob-
scurantist government of Dup-
lessis and his Union Nationale
successors, and that the time
had come to curb the most
zealous prophets of this “quiet
revolution” within the cabinet.

Claude Wagner already gained
the reputation of a hard man.

As soon as he was co-opted
to the cabinet he lost no time
in demonstrating that this repu-
tation was richly deserved. It
was he who organized the noto-
rious “Saturday of the police
truncheon,” without any provo-
cation, during the ill-fated visit
of Queen Elizabeth to Quebec.

When St. James Street decid-
ed that the continued presence
of petty bourgeois, nationalist
elements in the cabinet was en-
couraging popular movements
that went far beyond the limits
desired by the big bourgeoisie,

they ordered Jean Lesage to
clean house. Lesage then used
Eric Kierans as his verbal whip,
and Claude Wagner as trunch-
eon-wielder, in reverse.

St. James Street, was not
satisfied. Lesage himself had to
resign, in return naturally for
lucrative directorships in many
big. companies. But when it
came to replacing him. St.
James Street did not let the
mantle fall on the shoulders of
the ambitious truncheon-wield-
er, but rather on a member of
their own “family” of million-
aires, Robert Bourassa. Bitter,
Wagner renounced politics and
the Union Nationale government
made him a judge.

As a judge he continued with
his hard policy, campaigning
against the repeal of the death
.penalty, even to advocating
shooting without trial in certain

cases — a veritable Quebec
George Wallace!
. Stanfield’s strategy appears

to be to outflank Trudeau on-

the right, basing himself on the
discontent. of that section of
the population which is seeking
for solutions in an even tougher
policy towards trade unions
and the movement for national
self-determination, and is op-
posed to the rapid development
of economic and cultural rela-
tions with the Soviet Union
which could strengthen some-
what Canada’s independent pos-
ture vis-a-vis U.S. imperialism.

‘SUDO EEUU AOU EEA UTNE

where they will march to t
Gregor Street. The delegates from the Montreal Central
Council: of the CNTU will be there. The Montreal Labor
Council(QFL) is encouraging its members to take part.
Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. a mass rally will be
held at the Main Auditorium of Sir George Williams
University, 1455 Maisonneuve Blvd. East. Speakers will
be Rev. Ralph Abernathy, president of the Southert
Christian Leadership Conference, Al Hubbard, president —
of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Michel Chat-
trand, president of the Montreal Central Council of the
CNTU, Fernand Daoust, secretary-general of the FL,
and Raymond Laliberte, president of the Quebec NDP.

Montreal protests Nixon crimes

On the occasion of Nixon's visit to Canada, the Viet
nam Moratorium Committee of Montreal with the pat
ticipation of trade unions and student groups appeals
to the citizens of Montreal to demonstrate their revul-
sion at the crimes Nixon is responsible for.

The Committee is planning a demonstration on Satul-
day, April 15 beginning at 1.30 p.m. at Dominion Square %
he U.S. Consulate on Mc- 3

SM

Well then, who better than
Wagner as right-hand man in
both meaning of the term?

This development demonst-
rates once again the danger of
the simplistic slogans, “Trudeau
Must Go.” This slogan would be
fine if there were a real pos-
sibility of replacing him with
a democratic government. But
the continual repetition of this
slogan could have the effect of
causing those who justifiably
detest his policies to select the

person who has the best chance .

of defeating the Liberal can-
didate, whether he is Conser-
vative (of Wagnerian cast) or

Social Credit and, more oft
than not, would tend to es
the vote for the Commu
and the New Democrats.

The slogan chosen by
2lst Convention of the q
munist Party of Canada —
the biggest possible blo?
progressives, including
munists and New Democt@
has proven correct for
elections. Whether its adv"
want it or not, the attra
slogan “Trudeau Must |
could very well give us not | we |
another “Saturday of the ad
truncheon,” but the dirty ©
the stick all year round.

LABOR SCENE B ehin cd

longshoremen’s contract

raise and $1 on pension. (The
Quebec stevedore gets only 50
cents extra in wages over the
next three years, but every hour
he works adds an extra dollar to
his pension) .

“But says The Toronto Star
editorial referred to above.
“their dickering can go forward
in the same sensible fashion be-
cause the labor departments
Bruce McRae operates here on
the same continuing principles
as colleague Poirier in Mont-
real.” :

* * ®

Technological change and the
introduction of containers, and
the threat this poses to present
and future jobs has been the
largest hurdle to overcome in all
negotiations in this industry in
recent times. This issue has
loomed large in strike struggles
of longshoremen both in Canada
and the U.S., as well as other
captialist countries. Bitter strikes
have been fought recently both
on the east and west coasts of
the United States. The recent
strikes on the U.S. west coast
lasted 134 days, and may be
renewed over President Nixon’s
Pay Board veto over wage in-
creases negotiated to bring about
a settlement; an action which
also precipitated the walkout
from the Pay Board of AFL-CIO

members, and of UAW President -

Leonard Woodcock,

These same issues also loomed
large in the minds of dock work-
ers in Quebec. Under the old
agreement they had been guar-
anteed a minimum of 37 weeks’
pay during the shipping season.
But that guarantee rested on the
solvency of a special fund financ-
ed by the employers, and based
on 29 cents an hour for each
hour worked. When the money
in this fund ran out there was no
more job security.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1972—PAGE 6

With preset pensions too mea-
gre to live on, and in the absence
of'a compulsory retirement age,
many dockworkers in their 70’s
and even 80’s continue to work
on the docks. The present aver-
age age of all stevedores in Que-
bec is stated to be 47.3 years.

This year, those who are 70
and over will be retired under
the old pension plan. But their
pensions, under the new agree-
ment, will be augmented by con-
tributions from a fund of $475,-
000 and established for this pur-
pose by the employers. Next year
stevedores 68 years and over
will be retired and on July l,
1974, retirement will begin at 65,
and will be compulsory at that
age from then on.

The current wage rate is $4.60
per hour. Under the new con-
tract, this rate will be increased
by 10 cents this year, and 20
cents in each of the two succeed-
ing years for a total of $5.1 per
hour by the end of 1974. In ad-
dition to so-called “iron-clad

guarantees” of job security, the

employers have also agreed to
provide over $4 million in pen-
sion funds over the three-year
pact. The workers will pay $1 in
the form of what amounts to
deferred wages (forced savings)
into the registered pension fund
for every hour worked.

While the old pension rate has
averaged $75 per month, with a
high of $125, the precise amount
of pension to be paid to the
longshoremen who retire in the
future has not as yet been work-
ed out actuarially. But according
to reports by union officials, a
longshoreman now 35 and retir-
ing in 20 years at the age of 55
is supposed to be able to draw

-a pension of up ot 100% of his

1972 wages. A man now 45, who
works until compulsory retire-
ment age of 65, would allegedly

be able to draw about 120% of
his 1972 earnings, This promise
of “pie-in-the-sky’”’ retirement in-
come was undoubtedly the “car-
rot-on-the-stick” that made the
stevedores who voted on the new
contract, cast their vote in the
affirmative for ratification.

In return for the new job se-
curity and pension agreement,
the bosses gained complete con-
trol of job assignments. Scrap-
ped is the old system of fixed
gangs of 16 men in each, includ-
ing a foreman. Under the new
agreement employers will assign
as many men as ‘they consider
necessary according to skills re-
quired. Each group will consist
of a nucleus of six men, supple-
mented according to commodi-
ties to be handled on the docks.

A computerized system will
come into effect from September
of this year for the assignment
of men to jobs. This will give
the employers a free hand for
speed-up and more productivity.
The union’s demand for royal-
ties on the handling of contain-
ers, aS now practiced in the
United States, was dropped.

* 3 %*

What is the lesson and the
warning that emerges here for
all organized labor? Clearly a
pattern of government-employer
collusion is emerging here to put
the squeeze on labor, call it “‘pre-
ventive mediation” or whatever
else. It is government-boss col-
laboration which seeks to inte-
grate unions into the machinery
of monopoly capitalism, making
workers pay for the new techno-
logy and their own retirement
through speed-up, lower wages,
mass unemployment and _infla-
tion.

State monopoly capitalism is
largely liberated from competi-
tive pressures to keep prices

down. In fact, monopoly
price structures and inflati
become a built-in feature :
system. At the same Uf
workers, who are the me
tims of this policy, af© im
for high monopoly-rigge@ Fol
Under the cover of this er
umbrella-scheme the af]
power of wages is forced
ward. : git
To stifle the fight-back .
this policy, the right ©
is coming under attac ae
sort of conspiracy again at ’
“public interest.” wher 60
tactics of persuasion a” goes 1
ed preventive mediation i.
work, the bosses and yt
ernment seek compuls0’ ck
tration, or use the DIB 7
a ban on the right to S¥
a ban will make coll
gaining meaningless.
It is not labor that
strikes. It is the employ ith
ure to bargain in good |
forces strike situation> :
mass struggles, such as :

Q

me

are inseparable from den"
in action. BE
What governments a

$|
ployers fear most is that:
in which large numbers poll
ers take part stimulaté
understanding, confi ned
organization, because rind
through shams an 0
sonficting forces face i ‘
The lessons that this
millions in our society" ajtfly
character of human © wwital
under our. system »
bosses fear, For worker
other hand, mass strUeeye
included strikes, 3° , a¢
weapon to defend 41” giv
common interests. y at
this weapon, under 4
pretexts, means surt
creased exploitation
system of state-mon
talism.

LULUUUALLLL TEEN