‘Crisis’ in Quebec cabinet?

The socialism that wasn't

HE Lesage cabinet is taking

a two week breather be-

fore it makes any earth-
shaking statement -about

the status of Quebec’s new steel
complex (SIDBEC). It is doubt-
ful whether even then the deci-
sion will turn out to be very
earthshaking; but whatever
compromise is reached, it will
provide for more public partici-
pation than the original plan did.

Meanwhile, everyone is fairly
certain of two things. One: the
new mill will revolutionize the
village of Bécancour near Trois
Riviéres. Two: even if the steel
complex is nationalized, there
is no guarantee that it will not
be given over to private enter-
prise later, or used primarily
for the benefit of private enter-
prise.

Prime Minister Lesage an-
nounced the formation of
SIDBEC last October. In March
this year Bécancour was chosen
as the site of the $225 million
mill.

SIDBEC is expected to give a
boost to Quebec’s economy, and
to bring more than a taste of
the new Quebec to the Trois
Riviéres riding which elected
Maurice Duplessis and Léon Bal-
cer.

The October decision sprang
from an agreement between the
Quebec government and the
Societé Générale de Finance-
ment (SGF). SGF was to pro-
vide five million dollars, the
government 20 million.

It was not long before the
Financial Times was assuring
its readers this was not social-
ism as’ 200 million out of 225
million dollars would be provid-
ed by private enterprise.

It was not hard to prove. One

Office workers joining unions

HE first union agreement to

be won by professional en-

gineers in Canada was sign-
ed on May 26 by the engineers’
union and the City of Montreal.
Prior to this precedent-setting
victory, professional engineers
employed by publicly - owned
Quebec Hydro Commission
walked off their jobs to partici-
pate in “study sessions” to back
up their demands for union re-
cognition and a collective agree-
ment.

The beginnings of a turn to
collective bargaining in the
white collar field is not confined
to Quebec. In Ontario, at the end
of April, the Registered Nurses’
Association staged a picket of
1,100 nurses at the Legislative
buildings to back up their de-
mand for collective bargaining
legislation.

‘A high spot in the effort to’
unionize office employees was
the successful strike of office
employees of MacMillan & Bloe-
del in Port Alberni, B.C. last
summer. This strike set off a
general strike of woodworkers,
pulpworkers and longshoremen

JEAN LESAGE

look at the members of the cor-
poration showed: the president
of SGF, the general director of
SGF, the president of Dow brew-
ery, the president of united
Auto Parts, the president of
Power Company and one of the
three collectors of Liberal Party
election funds; and that was the
list.

The November issue of the
Communist paper Combat was
forced, in spite of this, to say:
“Everything had such a promis-
ing sound that the union lead-
ers themselves described the
project as an important step
toward democratic if not social-
ist control over the economy.”
Combat itself saw the govern-
ment position as “a pleasant
(for the monopolies) promise of
still greater domination and

_

which tied up production in the

GERARD FILION

control by the monopolies.”

It was three months after this
issue of Combat that a major
criticism of the plan came*from
a cabinet minister. In February
this. year, revenue minister,
Eric Kierans said he would ra-
ther see a crown corporation
allowing the government 51
percent control.

- Two months later Jean Mar-
chand, president of the Confe-
deration of National -Trades
Unions added his voice: “It is
equivalent to abandoning the
project to private interests.”

Then, on May 25 the Council
of Economic Orientation gave
the cabinet a report. It was
unanimously in favor of nation-
alization.

‘The fight was on. Perhaps it

percent of their hospital, medical

Alberni Valley for several weeks:— and life insurance premiums.

.. The slow,. but marked turn,

toward unionization by office,
technical and professional em-
ployees. reflects the growing
concern of the white ‘collar
worker for economic and job
security in the face of fast-
growing technological advance
and office streamlining.

White collar employees are
finding out that while they once
held the advantage over produc-
tion workers in benefits and
working conditions, this is no
longer true. In some plants office
employees have not had a gen-
eral wage increase in over four
years. Many are still paying 100

June 18, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 6

The Port Alberni strike shows
that the Office Employees Inter-
national Union (OEIU), given
the cooperation of the big indus-
trial unions, can organize the
office staffs of industrial firms.

But the biggest gains in organiz-
-ing the office, technical and pro-

fessional staffs of industrial
firms are being made by the
industrial unions already estab-
lished in manufacturing plants.

For example, the UAW holds
bargaining rights for office em-
ployees at Chrysler and Ford in
Windsor and has applied for
certification for. the office staffs
of two Chrysler subsidiaries.

-SCnisis’ == a

RENE LEVESQUE

should not be called a fight,
since when the Montreal Daily,
Le Devoir, called it a cabinet
crisis, they were drawn into a
fool’s comedy with Lesage. The
issue was not SIDBEC, but whe-
ther there was a “discussion, a
“serious disagree-
ment” or a “small crisis.” At
least that is what occupied

' Lesage in the House of Com-

mons.

Six and a half cabinet minis-
ters came out in favor of na-
tionalization. They were Gérard-
D.-Levésque, minister of indus-
try, Rene Levésque, minister of
natural resources, Eric Kierans,
minister of revenue, Lucien
Cliche, minister of lands and
forests, Paul Gerin Jajoie, min-
ister of education, and Pierre
Laporte, cultural minister.

The Steelworkers hold 45 cer-
tifications with a total of 3,50
white collar members. :

The UE has applied for certifi-
cation for the approximately
1,000 office employees of West-
inghouse in Hamilton.

_ The Textile Workers of Amer-
ica have won bargaining rights
for.the clerical, office and tech-
nical employees of Courtalds
(Canada) in Cornwall.

The question of how best to
organize office and salaried em-
ployees is occupying the atten-
tion of the trade union move-
ment. The Canadian Labor Con-
gress has a 26-man committee
working on it. Some unions have
set up special organizing com-
mittees to tackle the job. Some
have set up special divisions,
like the UAW’s Technical, Office
and Professional Division
(LOR)...

Experience so far indicates
that the idea of one industry, one
union is being favorably receiv-
ed by the white collar workers
employed by industrial firms. It
appears, therefore, that the best

The half was Bona Arsell
whose position was more #
ful, %

Gerard Filion, presidetl,
SIDBEC, has not said W ;
he will work for a stale
complex, but he has Sal
many others, such as theP
dent of Dow, will not.

Whether forces will liné
solidly as they did over
Quebec remains to be se™
though Marcel Thivierg® °
Devoir thinks they havé alt
done so. oat

Daniel Johnson, leader
Union Nationale, recently *
he might be in favor of §
ism for Quebec. He exp!
with regard to SIDBEC. #
in favor of nationalizalle
cause then there would
income tax. :

Claude Ryan replied t
point was academic,
SIDBEC would not mal d
profit for 10 years, but it
teresting to notice that
the same argument a5_
used to Prime Minister wet
wood about Labrador POY”

Sam Walsh of the ie
Communist Party saidi 4
battle is a reflection of 1
cern of the people of ‘ “Jo
that Lesage not use the ic
‘Maitres Chez Nous’ @ +
coined by the Communists
cloak while turning more ® at
bec over to the big corn
—Quebec, Anglo-Canadit
foreign. SIDBEC should Pe
trolled as a crown corp?
Its production should bs
cieved to stimulate indus yr
to serve the people of QU’

The latest development "
resolution of the St. Jeo
tiste Society that SIDE ‘
placed under government!
trol,

hat |

bs

success in organizing off
salaried employees of ind
firms can be achievé sche
industrial unions establis
the given industries unde?
this task.

In the public service fielé i
the Canadian Union ° ‘
Employees (CUPE) and th de
federation of National 1
ions (CNTU) in Quebee
been making good proer
bringing office and salam
sonnel into the union mov"

The OEIU’ is beginnltl
show signs of growth, an
up more than 700 office oo
ees in Quebec alone ovne!
past year. It could, with ‘
cooperation of the bié pf
and the CLC in the first
unionize the employees ts?
insurance companies, tS
similar institutions.

It is important that the ¥
‘take full advantage of

oa

0)

favorable climate existing ams.

office and salaried wl jd
that the present steady auf
into the unions can De® | ij

into a real movement fol ~~

ization,

if

os O
2a

dian

saenscustaitane