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KAMLOOPS

THE WESTERN CANADJAN LUMBER WORKER

LFEL.R.A.S OFFER REJECTED

Negotiating committees for the I.W.A.
and the Southern Interior Forest Industry
were brought together on February 19,
1968 by the Provincial Government under
Section 44 of the Labour Relations Act
with Conciliation Officer Jack Sherlock
acting as mediator.

Talks broke off February 27 when the
Southern Inferior |.W.A. negotiating Com-
mittee rejected the Industry's offer of a
three-year agreement with wage in-
creases of 34c effective March 1, 1968;
12c effective March 1, 1969; 16c effec-
tive March 1, 1970 and a contract expiry
date of August 31, 1970.

Officers of Locals 1-405, 1-417 and
1-423 of the l.W.A. immediately arranged
for mass meetings of their striking mem-
bership to discuss the full details of the
Industry's offer.

At all meetings the 1.W.A. members
passed a motion of confidence in their

Union Negotiating Committee and sent
telegrams to Mr. Horace Simpson, spokes-
man for the I.F.L.R.A. indicating their
determination to stay out on strike until
their just demand for “equal pay for
equal work” will be met.

In comparing the Industry's offer of
February 18 with the Munroe report —
which report had been rejected by over
90% of the Southern Interior 1.W.A.
membership prior to the beginning of the
strike back in October 1967 — it must
be pointed out that while the Industry's
latest offer adds 2c per hour for the next
18 months to Munroe’s recommendations,
it also delays the implementation of cer-
tain aspects of his report and does NOT
contain the terms for a sawmill job evalu-
ation plan, which terms had formerly
been agreed to by the Southern Interior
lumber operators and were part of the
Northern Interior strike settlement.

SALMON ARM

PRINCETON

‘ae Shes

CLEARWATER

KELOWNA

PENTICTON