SUR Wht ‘ly f FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1968 ' Tribune VOL. 29, NO 8 E> | Oc AVE LABOR’ STATUS C. CIVIL SERVANTS WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14: Four hundred mothers, members of the PTA, and building trades workers, lobbied the Legislature to demand lifting of the school freeze. Photo shows jobless carpenters welcoming mothers as they arrived | by bus at the Legislative buildings. (See story by a marching mother, page 12). Must be granted bargaining rights The fight by more than 24,000 civil servants to end their present ‘‘slave labor’’ status and win full collective bargaining rights was joined last Friday when 1,100 ferry workers went on strike over the arbitrary dismissal of 160 ferry workers by the government. Denied any rights by the Socred government, the ferry workers, most of whom are permanent civil servants who are not covered by unemployment insurance, were dismissed without notice. Under existing legislation these workers, along with thousands of their fellow civil servants, have no collective bargaining rights and are completely at the mercy of the employer, who in this case is the government. Despite ultimatums issued by Highways Minister Gaglardi and Premier Bennett to return to work by Tuesday morning ‘‘or else’’—and threats of compulsory legislation and government scab herding, the ferry workers, at meetings Monday night and Tuesday morning, voted unanimously to continue the strike. Their struggle has aroused all B.C. civil servants and the entire labor movement. The fight by B.C.’s civil servants to win collective bargaining and signed agreements has gone on for years with no avail. They see this fight as their own fight to end their second class citizenship. Many locals are demanding strike action to back up the fight for union rights. While the Federal government and some provincial governments have in recent months extended collective bargaining rights to cover civil servants, the B.C. government has moved in the opposite direction. Expressing its overwhelming solidarity with the striking ferry workers the Vancouver Labor Council Tuesday night gave a standing ovation to Bob Cook, Canadian president of the Canadian Merchant Service Guild, and Norm Thornber, business agent of the Marine Branch, and adopted a motion pledging the full support of organized labor. Ray Haynes, secretary of the B.C. Federation of Labor, told the VLC meeting that 40 local unions met Tuesday afternoon and decided to launch an immediate appeal for funds to back up the striking ferry workers. The B.C. Federation is also issuing a pamphlet outlining the issues involved. Wires are being sent to all affiliates asking for contribu- tions to the BCFL Defence Fund. ‘‘Labor can’t allow the government to ride roughshod over these people who are in the forefront of labor’s fight,’ said Haynes. See FERRY, pg. 12 Ottawa crisis The minority Liberal government was thrown into a crisis Monday when it was defeated 84-82 on third reading of its controversial five percent surtax measure. The opposition parties joined forces to defeat the government in what is considered a want-of-confidence vote. Rushing back from a holiday in the Bahamas, Prime Minister Lester Pearson tried to restore the situation by presenting a confidence motion which in effect asks support for the government to continue. . THURSDAY, FEB. 15: Two hundred delegates of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union lobbied MLAs and met with Labor Minister Peterson to demand abolition of injunctions in labor disputes and release of their imprisoned officers. They are seen here on the steps of the Legislature. (See story on page 223, -Fisherman photo —— eee NDP leader Tommy Douglas has charged in the Commons that the motion implies endorsation of~the government's unpopular tax measure. Widespread speculation is that a new federal election cannot be far off regardless of the outcome of the debate on the government's motion which opens Friday. The five percent surtax was roundly condemned by labor when it was first introduced in Finance Minister Sharp’s mini-budget.