A

Congress convention policy contravened

CLC stand on exchanges blasted |

Dennis McDermott, president of
the Canadian Labor Congress,
announced recently that the CLC
had indefinitely suspended its
exchange program with the Soviet
All Union Central Council of Trade
unions. This was contrary to CLC
policy as set down in convention.
- We must ask who gave Mc-
Dermott (or the executive council
for that matter) the right to
reverse CLC policy in this ar-
bitrary manner. Speaking of
McDermott, he is conducting
himself like an emperor who has
assumed the divine right to set
aside any legislation enacted by his
parliament. For example, soon
after this year’s convention of the
CLC went on record to press the

fight for the 32-hour week, Mc- «

Dermott made it very clear during
an interview that he had no in-
tention of carrying out that
mandate. He Said that it would be
“impractical’’ to do so and used
the same arguments about foreign
competition that the employers of
the capitalist world once used
against the eight-hour day and the
40-hour week. :

Differences in ideology and
social systems should not be placed
in the way of good relations bet-
ween the workers of our country
and the workers of the Soviet
Union.

To achieve a qualitatively higher
and more meaningful defence of
the interests of working people,
there should be a free exchange of
experiences and opinions between
the workers of the capitalist and
socialist worlds. _

In 1974, McDermott, then the
Canadian director of the United
Auto Workers, headed a_ trade
union delegation to the . Soviet
Union made up of representatives
from his union in Canada.

In the main, McDermott’s report
to the Canadian UAW council was a
good one. A few quotations are in
order:

© “Upon arrival in Moscow we
were met by a delegation from the
central committee of the
Engineering Union, including

Nikolai Dragunov, the president.

Before leaving Moscow’ we
established the ground rules.
Dragunov said, and I quote: ‘Tam

not going to make Communists out
of you and you are not going to
make a Social Democrat out of me;
you are entitled to your system. I
am entitled to mine. Let’s put aside
the ideological nonsense. Let’s
attempt to be friends and let’s have
a worthwhile exchange of in-
formation.’ This we readily agreed
to.” a

o ‘The plants we visited were up
to date, modern, automated and,
with one exception, appeared to be
much cleaner than ours. The
automobiles, while smaller than
ours, were larger than the British,
appeared to be well made and
certainly handled well on the road.
The system of highways were as
good as anywhere. Likewise,

LABOR
COMMENT

BY JACK PHILLIPS

trucks and mobile equipment
seemed to be well constructed and
the aircraft we flew on for the most
part were modern and efficiently
run. The Moskovich automobile
plant was very impressive and it is
interesting to note that 60 percent
of the _Moskovich production is for
export to other countries.”’

o “The role of the trade unions
in the Soviet Union is vastly .dif-
ferent to ours. They do not play the

adversary role that we play, but

the sometimes myth that Soviet
trade unions are paper
organizations simply isn’t true.
They are extremely well organized
on an industrial basis, one union
for one plant and office in the same
fashion as we are constructed.”’
o “The trade unions own im-
pressive buildings. and facilities
and they play a prominent role in
Soviet society. Each enterprise is
responsible for the total welfare of
its workers, including housing,
health, safety, preventive
medicine, recreational facilities,
academic studies, cultural
training, vacation facilities,
medical and health facilities. In
each case, the trade union plays a
very prominent role in these en-

deavors and in some instances are
completely in charge of the
program.”

o “If we are entitled to our
system, which incidentally we are
not completly enraptured about,
they are equally entitled to theirs.
Intelligent compulsion dictates
that we have to learn to live
together.”

o “All of the wishful thinking in
the western world is not going to
replace the Communist system.
The system itself may change from
time to time as indeed it has, but it
will change only by its own internal
dynamics and not by any self-
righteous preaching on our part.”

Yes, McDermott spoke well in
1974. All the self-righteous
preaching and slander against the
Soviet Union will not replace the
socialist system in that country.
However, his words in 1974 stand
in sharp contrast to his words in
1978, as quoted in the July 28, 1978
issue of Canadian Labor Com-
ment:

“We call upon you (Soviet All
Union Central Council of Trade
Unions) as an organization en-
trusted with defence of the rights of
Soviet workers to put pressure’ on
the Soviet authorities to allow
Anatoly Shcharansky, Ginsburg
and other people prosecuted for
their opinions to emigrate to the
countries of their choice.....

“We earnestly hope you will do
so and succeed in your appeal.
Failure to do so would seriously
endanger the spirit of detente
between the workers of our two
countries and could force the CLC
executive council to seriously
reconsider the decision made by
the delegates to our last convention
to continue the exchange between
Canadian and Soviet workers.”’

This is a classical case of the
self-righteous preaching Mc-
Dermott so sharply criticized in
1974.

Let us take the example of four of
the Soviet ‘‘dissidents’’, Sh-
charansky, Filatov, Pyatkus and
Ginzberg. They were convicted of
actions ranging from expionage,
assistance to a foreign state in acts,
hostile to the USSR and of con-
ducting anti-Soviet activity and
propaganda. All of these activities

CLC PRESIDENT DENNIS MCDERMO
vention policy. ;

are serious crimes under the Soviet
criminal code. ‘

Newsweek Magazine disclosed
recently that Shcharansky had
supplied Robert Toth, a former
‘correspondent in Moscow of the
Los Angeles Tinies, with the names
of secret Soviet defence plants and
research institutions. Toth, in
turn, had passed these names
along to U.S. officials. As one
Washington source said: ‘‘In
Soviet eyes, Shcharansky is guilty
as hell.” ;

Let us reverse'the situation and
pose a question for McDermott: If
four Canadians were convicted of
unlawfully handing over classified
information to foreign agents of
another country ope ‘ating in
Canada, what would McDermott
say if the trade union movement of
the other country demanded that
the CLC put pressure on the

Canadian government, in order to ~

obtain the release of those who
were convicted? Frankly, I believe
McDermott would tell them to go
and jump into the Rideau Canal.

One of the most vicious cam-
paigns being carried on against the
Soviet trade union movement is
that of the AFL-CIO in the U.S.A.

UFAWU warns of renewed Combines attack

Continued from pg. 1

records, just as if they had not been
convicted.

Hume did state that he did not
find fault with the UFAWU
demand that the Combines
hearings to be held in public, but he
argued that the actions of Robinson
and McIntosh were aimed “‘at
preventing the hearings from
being held at all.”

Peltier march
set for Oct. 12

The Leonard Peltier Defense
Committee has urged a big turnout
for a march October 12, 11:00 a.m.,

fromthe Vancouver courthouse to -

the U.S. consulate to demand a new
trial for the convicted native
leader.

In spite of overwhelming
evidence that Peltier was framed
of the murder charges of two FBI
agents, a St. Louis court last month
denied Peltier a new trial.

“Support for Leonard is more
crucial than ever,’’ the committee
said this week.

Crown prosecutor MacLennan
had pressed for stiffer penalties,
pointing out that Parliament, in
drafting the Combines _ In-
vestigation Act, clearly considered
impeding an inquiry to be a serious
offence or it would not have
specified maximum penalties of
fines up to $5,000 and/or two years’
imprisonment.

MacLennan also suggested that
“chaos and anarchy”’ would result
if “this sort of activity’? were
allowed to continue.

Although most of judge Hume’s
comments in passing sentence
were a reiteration of his remarks
at the time he delivered his ver-
dict, one of his statements had
more ominous overtones in light of
the appeal launched by the Crown.

Hume commented that Robin-
son’s and MclIntosh’s actions in
allegedly impeding the hearing
were part of ‘‘a well-planned and
organized” effort over a two-day
period. He also noted that the two
had been involved in a “persistent
undertaking.”’

In its appeal, filed Sept. 14 in

county court on behalf of federal -

justice minister and attorney-
general Ron Basford, the Crown

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 6, 1978—Page 12

contended that judge Hume erred
in acquitting five of the UFAWU
defendants on the grounds that
they did not remain in the hearing
room.

By their actions and words, the
Crown said, all seven had taken
part “in the furtherance of a
common design to empede a
Combines inquiry.” :

MacLennan had stressed heavily
the ‘‘common design”’ argument in
his trial presentation and sought
throughout the proceedings to
buttress that arguments with
evidence that the UFAWU had
“planned” and ‘“‘organized’’ its
protest over the Combines
hearings. ae

The Crown appeal and the clear
indication that the federal
government intends to press the
Combines investigation into the
union has given impetus to ‘the
defence campaign launched
several months ago by the union.

In a letter issued this week, Jim
Rushton, national co-ordinator for
the UFAWU defence committee,
noted that, with the sentencing of
Robinson and Mcintosh, ‘‘the
battle against the Combines has
entered a new phase.

“We can expect renewed attacks

by the Combines branch in its
quest to strip fishermen of the few

rights which have established to

act collectively in their own in-
terests,’’ he said.

Rushton urged unionists to press
the campaign to win collective
bargaining rights for fishermen
and to exert ‘“‘maximum pressure
on the federal government” to
compel it to live up to former labor
minister John Munro’s pledge to
enact legislation giving fishermen
bargaining rights. :

Shameful repudiation of offi

. . overriding CLC ¢

They have gone so far as to clall?
that there is no legitimate trade
union movement in the Soviél
Union and to call for the setting UP
of another trade union movemé!
in the country. McDermott has
gone that far, but he and
executive council are now peddl
the same “‘dissident”’ garbage
the AFL-CIO leadership. Unl
affiliates protest against t

CLC policy, CLC officers will
tempted to go all the way down
anti-Soviet road. 4

Recently, a six-man delegatid
from the Western Canadia
Regional Council of the
ternational Woodworkers tou!
the Soviet Union as guests. of t
Timber, Paper and Woodworkeé
Union of that country.

In their extensive reports
published in the Western Canadi
Lumberworker of  Augush
September of this year, I found
very good statement: ;

“All disagreements betwee”
industry and unions are arbitrate®
by the central committee and
unions have the final say.” (T!
central committee is the #
committee of the union. — J.P.)
would suggest that the workers
our forestry industry should 1”
McDermott and his supporters
be more concerned over the 14
that there is no such freedom f
the workers in Canada.

The CLC leadership should als
be told, in no uncertain terms, thé"
the affiliates do not favor
suspension of fraternal relatio
between the labor movements |
Canada and the Soviet Union.
CLC leadership should get on Ww!
the job of giving bold and decisi¥
leadership to Canadian worké!
around their most vital nee@
instead of joining with the wor
enemies of organized labor in
slander campaign against
Soviet Union. :

asa

PAC

* Enclosed

_ Address

Back the paper that fights for labor :
SUBSCRIBE NOW —

‘
Ciip aud mail to:

101 - 1416 COMMERCIAL DR., VANCOUVER, B.C. V5L 3X9

~ Tyr.