FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1969

Three ‘unities’ needed

BIG CONTRACTORS DECLARE
WAR ON BUILDIN

I
ee much-bombed Port of Haiphong, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, big Soviet
Ps unloading food, medicines and other goods to the people of Vietnam. Photo

sh

Cargo,

os old friends, boatswain of the Soviet ship ‘PULA’ from Odessa and Vietnamese
8shoreman Chan Gui Chuk warmly greeting each other prepatory to unloading

U.S.-Canada joint effort to
end the war in Vietnam

peat eon should Americans
Canadian
= in Viet <8 pane to end the
ay e Was the theme of a two-
sr eacrence of some 250 U.S.
anadian people who
laateted at Totem Park, U.B.C.
soso Sponsored by the
ae Women, who were also
isti Sible for bringing three
Nguished Vietnamese
Ric Canada this month,
ence was a lively and
Ovin ined gathering of peace-
the © Citizens on both sides of
3 Rc Madames Vo Thi
Thi’ 8uyen Ngoc Dung, and Le
Were and their interpreters
Quiet] Pecial guests who listened
Quest, and answered many
a ns when the need arose.
the = California, Oregon and
dele ate of Washington, the U.S.
q cation comprised young and
’ Students and parents, while

e

the Canadian participants
included university professors,
concerned women and some
young people.

The conference suffered an
almost total blackout from local
press and T.V. which gives
weight to the supposition that the
powers-that-be are terrified of
joint action for peace on the part
of U.S.-Canadian people. Here,
for for the first time,
representatives of a cruelly
beseiged country gathered with
representatives of the aggressor
country with only one thing in
mind — to put an end to the
bloody haulocaust.

On the second day of the
conference, the delegates of the
two countries split into separate
groups to discuss tactics.

“We must get across to the
Canadian people that there is a
direct relation between the high

cost of living in Canada and the
war in Viet Nam,” said one

speaker. ‘“‘When prices rise in ~

the U.S. it is inevitably reflected
in our cost of living.”’

At the U.S. session, speakers
stressed that a reason for the
repressive moves against labor,
students and peace forces was
that the military-industrial
complex well know that a
cessation of the war would bring
nothing but unemployment for
returning soldiers. “The young
men who are dying in Viet Nam
are the sons of the working class,
and that is being understood by
growing numbers of trade
unionists, and we see them in the
struggle to stop the war.”’

When asked if recognition of
the provisional revolutionary
government was of utmost
importance, Madame Ngoc

See CONFERENCE, Pg. 7

Tribune

VOL. 30. NO. 29

By OBSERVER

There is a new employer’s

organization in British

Columbia, the Construction’

Labor Relations Association
(C.L.R.). According to all
indications, R. K. Gervin, ex-
R.C.M.P., ex-Trades Council
Secretary, ex-Non-Partisan
alderman and an_ influential
member of the Liberal Party
will be Mr. Big on _ the
operational side.

As reported in the May 26 issue
of the Journal of Commerce,
C.L.R. was officially born on
April 21 and has five primary
objectives:

1. Negotiating contracts with
unions;

2. Preparation and _ presen-
tation of briefs to all levels of
government;

3. Interpreting existing
agreements and giving advice to
members;

4. Collecting, collating and
disseminating information and
statistics;

5. Initiating and maintaining
liaison with other industries and
employer groups.

The minutes of the founding
meeting describe the long-range
objective in the following terms:

“The secondary objective is to
create the environment for a
single, provincial agreement
covering all trades and
employers within the
construction industry being
multi-union and multi com

pany.”

Examined in the abstract,
this long-term goal may seem to
be in the best interest of
construction workers. But life is
made up of reality, not
abstractions. For example, there
is nothing abstract about the
sharp class divisions between
construction workers and the
major contractors. Neither is
there anything abstract about
the divisions between the
smaller contractors and those
who are most closely linked to
monopoly capital. C.L.R.
represents an attempt by
monopoly capital to create a
solid, united front of big business
against the construction union—
and to whip the smaller firms
into line. This makes _ it
necessary for the unions to
reassess their bargaining
methods, and to achieve a higher
degree of co-ordination and
unity.

On the union side there are 17

10¢

G TRADES

internationals with jurisdiction
in 54 trades. With two
exceptions, the unions have from
two to 46 locals in the province,
based on craft or geographic
divisions.

Negotiations in many cases
have been conducted’ by
individual locals, with little or no
reference to other neighboring
locals in their crafts, or to other
internationals. In some cases,
like the Carpenters and
Ironworkers, negotiations have
been conducted on a provincial
basis, but here, too, with
insufficient co-ordination with
the building trades as a whole.

The emergence of C.L.R.
opens a new chapter. Despite
serious divisions within their
own ranks, the unions have been
able to take advantage of the
divisions on the employers’ side,
in their struggle to win higher
pay, a shorter work week and
improved fringe benefits. Now,
with a tightly-knit organization
in mind, closely linked to the top
circles of big business, and with
the blessing of the Socred
government, the major
contractors can be expected to
emulate the big oil corporations,
the supermarket chains and the
B.C. Telephone Company in the
current strikes and lockouts.

Two encouraging develop-
ments in recent years were the
establishment of the Provincial
Council of Carpenters and the

Provincial Building Trades
Council.
The Carpenters’ Council

negotiates on a province-wide
basis, representing some 8,000
members in construction.

The Provincial Building
Trades, established in 1967, has
laid the basis for the co-
ordination and unity in
negotiations of all unions in the
construction industry.

Recently, the Provincial
Building Trades Council adopted
a program of organizing the
unorganized and improving
camp conditions. They are now
trying to take over control of the
hydro projects from the Allied
Hydro Council. The Hydro
Council became notorious for its
10-year no-strike contracts,
negotiated between top level
international officers and top
level contractors. without
participation by the member
ship.

See CONTRACTORS, Pg. 8 °

A Ne Rac ES