Many trade union members in
British Columbia and many
active members of the New
Democratic Party are disturbed
over the slowness with which
the provincial government is
honoring its pre-election
pledges to the trade union move-
ment. Let us have a look at those
commitments.

In the Democrat of Sep-
tember, 1972, the following plat-
form was published :

Protection For Workers: An
NDP government will provide
effective safeguards for work-
ers seeking trade organization.
It will:

e Eliminate the negative and
discriminatory provisions of
the Labor Relations Act and the
Trade Unions Act.

e Repeal the Mediation Com-
mission Act (Bill 33).

e Guarantee the right of
workers to picket peacefully
and to make _ information
relating to labour-management
disputes available to the public.

e Require employers who take
action against employees dur-
ing an organizational campaign
to prove that such action is
proper and that it is unrelated to
union organizing activity.

This is a good program, but
except for sacking the Media-
tion Commission and giving bar-
gaining rights to provincial
government employees, which
was the least the government
could do under the circum-
stances, nothing has changed.
The question that thousands of
trade union and NDP members
are asking is ‘‘why the delay?”

In May, 1971. the provincial
convention of the NDP adopted

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MARCH 16; 1973—PAGE 12

Tenants rally in Vancouver last Sunday

NDP should
commitment

LABOR COMMENT

a ten-point aber program. Let
us examine some of these points
as they pertain to the current
situation:

e Beit resolved that the NDP
support the unfettered right to
peaceful assembly and picket-
ting?

Question: If this right was
guaranteed by law. could the
California owners of Denny's
restaurant on West Broadway
in Vancouver have obtained a
court injunction to ban picket-
ting in the recent dispute with
their employees. Frankly. we
doubt that they could have.:

e Be it resolved that the NDP
supports the right to obtain
certification of the bargaining
unit by a process whichexcludes
the present right of manage-
ment to intervene.

Question: How do we explain
the fact that management has
the same right to intervene as it
had under the Socreds?

Question: How do we explain
the fact that the Labor Relations
Board and the Deputy Minister
of. Labor. appointees of the anti-
labor Socred government are
still functioning in their old
capacities. under rules. regu-
lations and procedures that
favor the emplovers?

In a seven-point policy state-
ment published by the NDP
caucus in Victoria before the
election. which was subse-
quently endorsed by the Provin-
cial Council of the Party. we find

’ the following:

e Elimination of ex
injunctions.

parte

~ e@ Injunctions in labor dis-
putes on notice to the parties to
be discontinued.

carry out
to

—Sean Griffin photo

labor

e A reconstituted,
Labor Relations Board.

full-time

e The right of free dissem-
ination of ‘information, by
placards, leaflet, press, radio,
television and peaceful picket-
ting, thus setting aside the
restrictive provisions of the
Trade Unions Act.

If we go back to 1961, we will
find the following in the provin-
cial program of the NDP: *Anti-
labor legislation such as Bills 42
and 43 will be repealed. A Trade
Union Act and other new legis-
lation will provide fair treat-
ment for all workers .

There is no need for Royal
Commissions or _ high-priced
advisory boards to tell the
government what to do in the
field of labor legislation. All
that is required is that they
honor their commitments.
Organized labor has every right
to protest the slowness with
which the government is
moving. If it fails to doso. it will
betray the working class.

The Socreds. Liberals and Con-
servatives ‘speaking for big
business) are going all out to
turn politics to the right in Brit-
ish Columbia.

By honoring its commitments
to organized labor. the govern-
ment will greatly strengthenthe
potential of the working class.
the most consistent anti-mono-
poly force-in our class-divided
society. A stronger working
class. in alliance with other
democratic strata in our
society, is the best guarantee
that the drive to the right will be
stopped thus making it possible
to gain far-reaching reforms in
the interest of the people.

By SEAN GRIFFIN

NDP MLA Rosemary Brown
faced a stiff barrage of ques-
tions aimed at government in-
action Sunday at a meeting
where some 200 tenants en-
dorsed a four point. program of
action and launched a massive
petition campaign to get govern-
ment legislation to stabilize
rents and provide public hous-
ing.

The meeting, which had to be
moved from the Ironworkers
Hall to the Fishermen’s Hall
because no one came to open the
building, applauded the govern-
ment’s proposed Land Commis-
sion Act (Bill 42) and called for
its speedy enactment to ‘
the greedy appetites’’
real estate brokers.

Continuing until April 15, the
petition calls for immediate
provincial legislation calling
for the level of rents to be justi-
fied before rent review boards
and for allocation of massive
amounts of provincial money
for construction of all types of
housing.

““Let’s be very clear,”’ B.C.
Tenant’s Organization pres-
ident Bruce Yorke said, ‘‘weare
not calling for rent freezes. We
are calling for legislation that
will force landlords to justify
rent increases on the basis of
their costs.”’

The tenant’s program also
calls for tenant’s councils in var-
ious municipalities to organize
lobbies wherever possible to
bring pressure to bear for the
establishment. of rent review
boards and for the federal
government to impose rent
freezes on all apartments which
have been affected by changesin
federal income tax legislation.

In addressing the meeting,
Rosemary Brown said that her
own feeling was that ‘‘housing
is a right.”’ ‘‘Our responsibility
as the government is to provide
good, clean decent housing.”’

“Our government has ac-
cepted this responsibility,”’
she declared, ‘‘and it goes
beyond rent deposits, eviction
notices, etc. We’re going in the
business of supplying housing
— quality housing.”

_ Several tenants at the meet-
Ing expressed concern as to
what had happened to welfare

of the

“minister Norman Levi’s pro-

mise to act on rent controls if so

“curb.

‘tenants demanding ©

enants fight housing squeez@

many as 12 rent increase
sulted from the gover
pension increase. eh
Harry Rankin pointed out that

personally had sent We
complaints.

a5

Mrs. Brown stated vl)
was.unaware of so many ©
but that she would raise”
matter in the caucus. d

“There is going to be#,
landlord and tenant |
we're going to ensure
one- will be evicted ft
’ she said in respoms

reason,’

a number of tenants wh? A
plained of unjustifie?
tions. é

She urged the tenants jy
many more such meeulby
order to make their de@
well known to the govell’
When she was offered the OP
unity to leave after ansWe
host of questions, she said: 4
going to stay.”

Many people emphast
need to mobilize suppor
government on the oa
sial Land Act. John Motil
the Burnaby Tenant s
told the meeting that’ ‘we
to see that this Act 1%
moved or emasculate®
worst elements in our s
and the vicious camp@
are waging.”

Alderman Harry Rankit
also addressed the tena
ing, reiterated the need
cipal rent boards. “Peopl
want to be told that they
to court; they want some ff
ment organization that c#
direction and impose he
tion,”’ he said.

He noted that VancoUy),
got a_ rental grieve
“because we launché
sive campaign.’ “Evel ‘
the life of one of the M0.
ward governments this Fi
seen for 30 years,” he ad

‘The rental grievance ? of
has been given to t iW a
services committee — evil Sf
I am chairman — to Fé
expect to see delegatio”® os!

that we can change it. si)

“Tt will be the action yy yu
that will bring change>:
ees,

‘Vancouver Tim Bue

~ memorial

The memoria
_ March 23 at eight

: of Hastin

March <

_ Hundreds of comrades and friends il
co ver, will pay tribute to Communist Par )
man Tim Buck who died Sunday in Cu mn
Mexico from a series of severe strokes. He wa
1eeting will be hel
.m, at Templeton High
Auditorium, 717 Templeton Drive, one bloc