Some feminists claim that the
trade union movement is no more
than an institution dominated by
men and consequently advocate
special trade unions for women.

Those who hold that viewpoint
should read a policy statement
adopted by the 11th constitutional
convention of the Canadian Labor
Congress, held in 1976. The state-
ment was published under the
heading of ‘‘Equality of Oppor-
tunity and Treatment for
Women.”’ In my opinion, that
statement is an excellent guide for
those who wish to see the trade
union movement play a larger role
in the continuing struggle for the
equality of women.

The opening paragraph sets the
tone for what follows:

“The Canadian Labor Con-
gress, as a supporter of the Univer-
sal Declaration of Human Rights,
reaffirms the principle of non-
discrimination and proclaims that
all human beings are born free and
equal in dignity and before the law,
and declares that all efforts must be
made to provide every worker
without disctinction on grounds of
sex, with equality of opportunity
and treatment in all social, cultural
economic, civic and_ political
fields.”’

Further on, the preamble
declares: ‘“We are concerned that
considerable discrimination
against women workers persists
and is incompatible with the in-
terests of the economy, the
development of social progress,
social justice, the fundamental
rights of men and women, and the
welfare of the family and society.

LABOR
COMMENT

BY JACK PHILLIPS

“We are convinced that all ef-
forts must be made to promote and
ensure equality of opportunity and
treatment of women workers in law
and practice.

““We are conscious that
women’s problems in the world of.
work can be approached and solv-
ed within the same general
framework of economic and social
development as those of men.”

Then, the statement lays down a
set of guidelines for the achieve-

ment of the declared objectives,
which can be summarized as
follows:

@ All forms of discrimination on,
grounds of sex which deny or
restrict any such equality are unac-
ceptable and must be eliminated.
Any positive, special treatment for
women aimed at correcting ine-
qualities between the sexes shall not
be regarded as discrimination in
reverse.

@ All measures shall be taken to
guarantee women’s right to work
as the inalienable right of every
human being. In this connection,
the CLC calls for the revision of all
existing laws, collective
agreements, practices or customs
which limit the integration of
women in the work force on a
footing of equality with men.

@ Recognizing that the winning

of full equality for women will re- .

quire a change in the thinking of
large sections of the people, in-
cluding women, article 4 of the
declaration calls for measures to
educate public opinion and foster
social attitudes and behavior which
encourage and ensure equality bet-
ween women and men in working,
family and social life. ”

Article 5 lays down a set of very
important principles designed to

Fight vowed on rate hike ~

Continued from page 1

company’s demand for higher
rates.

The Commission granted the
telephone company its increase in
1977 — adding it to an increase
granted only 4 year earlier — but
the excess profits generated in 1978
clearly demonstrated that the com-

pany had vastly inflated its need for’

revenue. ‘

Intervenors in the CRTC hear-
ings have repeatedly stated that
B.C. Tel and the GTE parent are
able to manipulate financial
statements because of company
policy of purchasing. new equip-

ment only from companies which -

are part of the GTE empire.

That issue was dramatized a year
ago when B.C. Tel abruptly
cancelled a multi-million dollar
order with a GTE competitor,
Northern-Telecom, only two
weeks before a deal was arranged
between B.C. Tel and its GTE

parent to re-arrange the sub-—

sidiaries.

The deal reorganized the empire
by placing two companies, GTE
Automatic Electric and Lenkurt
Electric, under direct B.C. Tel con-
trol in return for which GTE in-
creased its share holdings in B.C.
Tel.

CIA ‘Bogota Group’
operating in Colombia

Continued from page 1

Military Institutes, a so-called
“group of journalists’? were given
authority to occupy a house
situated ‘‘in the back of the
building occupied by M-19.”’

The police had previously forced
the house to be abandoned ‘“‘to
avoid guerrillas shooting at it.”’

The mass media in Colombia
contained these reports, but the
Colombian government than im-
posed a strict censorship of radio
and TV, causing popular indigna-
tion.

Now all journalists in the area
must show a special card issued by

‘the military. To acquire this card,
the military. requires journalists to
give their name, address, telephone
number and press affiliation, to be
used ‘‘for later control’’.

According to a military
spokesperson, the military wants to
have a record of all people with ac-
cess to the area since the time of the
takeover. People living in the area
must also show passes issued by the

Coinciding with the takeover,
the military has committed bloody
acts in the capital, Voz says. In ad-

dition, several neighborhoods have
been converted into military bar-
racks.

“Our house has been converted
into a territory without an owner
since uniformed persons enter and
leave the house at any hour,”’ said

one of the women of the evacuated -

areas.

Other observers around the em-
bassy have shown concern over the
presence in Bogota of ‘‘super-
soldiers’’, the U.S. Marines and the
“Bogota Group’’, who are charged
with the rescue of the hostages.

The Communist Party of Col-
ombia has issued a series of
demands, which include:

@ A negotiated settlement
without bloodshed to the embassy
takeover;

@ Anend to terrorist and reac
tionary violence;

@ Lifting of the state of siege
and of the security statute so that
the Colombian people can respon-
sibly execute their democratic
rights; :

@ end of the military trials;

@ end of all TV and radio cen-
have taken control of the armed
forces. ;

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 28, 1980—Page 12

It had the effect of forcing B.C,
Tel to purchase inferior equipment
since Automatic Electric, whose
equipment -line is several years
out of date compared to that of
competitors, became a direct B.C.
Tel subsidiary. :

Although condoned by premier
Bennett, the deal was widely con-
demned throughout the provice as
a corporate manoeuvre which
would have the effect of saddling
B.C. Telephone users with inferior
equipment, poor service — and
higher rates. 2

B.C. Tel individual line rates —
now set at $9.25 monthly — are

already among the highest in
_ Canada, well above rates in Win-

nipeg and Calgary where the
telephone utility is publicly owned.
If the rate hike is allowed B.C. Tel’s
rate would be second to none.

Butservice is among the worst in
Canada, in part as a result of B.C.
Tel’s policy of in-house purchasing
of inferior equipment.

The Consumers Association of
Canada conducted a survey of 700
subscribers last September and
found that three-quarters of them
were unhappy with B.C. Tel’s ser-
vice.

The Telecommunications
Workers Union also’ warned in
December that customers would
face cutbacks in service as a result
of the company being forced to pay
back $7 million in excess profits. .

Customers already face waits for
telephone installation and must
pay for all information requests,
usually involving new listings, over
and above three per month.

Also this week, TWU Local 8
president Bob Ashton told the
Kamloops and District Labor
Council that customers in

‘Kamloops would suffer further
losses in service as a result of B.C..-

Tel’s plans to centralize long
distance services in Kelowna and
information services in Vancouver.
The cutback will also mean a loss of
74 TWU jobs in the area.

The labor council voiced opposi-
tion to the move and reiterated the
council’s and the B.C. Federation
of Labor’s call for nationalization
of B.C. Telephone.

CLC has program on women’s right§

help womento enter the work force

on a basis of equality:
@ Boys and girls to receive the
same basic education and to have
access to the same vocational train-
ing for all occupations .
@ Institutes of vocational training
to help girls and women to make
use of facilities that will assist them
to freely enter all occupations
hitherto restricted to men.
Measures to be taken to ensure the
placement of women who have
completed training.
@ Prohibition of stipulations
regarding sex in employment
notices.
@ Special measures to be taken to
facilitate the continuing education
and training of women on the same
basis as men, especially after per-
iods of absence from the labor
force.

The declaration also addresses
itself. constructively to the pro-

blems arising from the fact that

women in the work force have
been, in the main, restricted to’cer-
tain types of lower-paid employ-
ment: ‘‘With a view to stimulating
women’s integration in the work
force on a footing of equality with
men, all measures shall be taken to
encourage a more equitable
balance in their distribution in the

-various sectors of the economy, in

the various branches, professions
and occupations and the various
levels of skill and responsibility.”

In dealing with the question of
renumeration, the CLC calls for
equal pay for work of equal value.
The following three guidelines are
laid down:

1. Special measures to be taken
to ensure equal pay for work of

_ equal value for women in occupa-

tions n which women predominate,
measuring the value of their jobs
with full regard to the qualities
essential to performing the job.

' 2. Special measures to be taken
to raise the level of women’s wages
as compared with that of men and
to eliminate cases of women with

_lower average earnings than men

who do the same work or work of
equal value.

3. Special measures to ensure
equal treatment for workers
employed regularly on a part-time
basis, the majority of whom are
women, particularly with respect to
fringe benefits.

The role of women in the family
unit is dealt with under article 8,
which enunciates the following
principles:

@ No discrimination against
women workers on the grounds of
pregnancy and childbirth. Women
bearing children shall be protected

_from dismissal on such grounds
during the entire period of.

pregnancy and maternity leave.
They shall have the right to resume
their employment without loss of
acquired rights.

@ Because maternity is a social
function, all women workers shall
be entitled to full maternity protec-

tion, the costs of which should be ©

Address
City or town
Postal Code

NNN ANAS
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Old 0

Published weekly at Suite 101 — 1416 Commercial Drive,
Vancouver, B.C. V5L 3X9. Phone. 251-1186

Read the paper that fights for labor

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New () Foreign 1 year $12
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SASSER AEE ATEN

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borne by social security OF be |
public funds, or by means of colle |
tive arrangements. — §&
@ All couples and individ’
have the basic right to decide a
and responsibly on the number a
spacing of their children and ee
receive the necessary information
education and means to exerci?
this right. be
@ Appropriate measures 10 and
taken. to provide child care ie
education facilities to meet the
needs of children of all ages andi
needs of their parents, to be peo |
supervised by the competent Puv™
authority. Be
In terms of protection of womel .
at work, two basic principles
advanced: ' ad
@ Women to be protected |
risks inherent in their employm®™
on the same basis as men. i
@ Measures to be adopted to
tend special protection to WO!
for types of work proved t0 © -
harmful for them from the, ‘
point of their social function =
reproduction. calls -
The CLC declaration also @
for the elimination of discrimin®
tion against women in respect of
retirement pensions anda rev
the taxation system wherever Su a
system constitutes an obstacle ©
women’s employment. Pe
An interesting and logical pe :
posal to improve the status =
women calls for special efforts ©
that women in rural areas WAS
employment opportunities
limited will be guaranteed @
equitable share of all resource
available for development.” 7
The CLC program of action B™
cludes setting an example in its © :
organization, by avoiding
discrimination and by giVile
women access to all posts. It ast
establishes a CLC department OF
the status of women workers
direct the action aimed at PIV
moting equality of opportunity a0”
treatment for women in econom™
and social life. i
It would be wrong to downgrag™
the policy statement by contrast
what the CLC leadership has do
or has not done following its a@0}
tion. While the leadership rolé id
the CLC executive is importanh ™
should not be forgotten that |
CLC is basically a voluntary ©
sociation of autonomous unlol:
The practical implementation ©
such a program must be fought f
in every local union, in every 104
labor council; in every provinc®
federation of labor and at ev@
convention of the CLC. =
It means paying special attentiog
to the needs of women workers ¥
negotiating collective agreemet

fa
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¥ (pony

-~aeaemnrnmeiewn @& Swe Ww ee 2 e”©6~ Cee

-and through pressing for protec

legislation at every level of gover
ment. It also means joint action
organized labor at the communi)
provincial and national level #
popularizing the program.
kind of support for the progré
will move the leadership of tht
CLC to play amore aggressive role