Government betrays CUPW

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‘Bad faith’ says union

By MIKE PHILLIPS

TORONTO — Six months fol-
lowing one of the dirtiest
government-media gang-ups on a
union in the history of the Cana-
dian trade union movement, the
Canadian Union of Postal Work--
ers find that the contract which it
signed with the federal Post
Office isn’t worth the paper it was
written on. a.

Almost from the day the con-
tract was signed ending Canada’s
longest postal strike, Post Office
management has been violating
practically every clause in the
agreement in a concerted attempt
to render the agreement mean-
ingless.

According to CUPW national
vice-president Jean-Claude Par-
rot, reports from only one of the
four regions in which the union is

organized shows a total of 1,300
grievances outstanding since the
ratification of the contract in De-
cember. With three other regions
to report; Parrot estimates that
the final count eventually could
be in the neighborhood of 2,500.

‘“‘What we’ re faced with,”’ Par-
rot told the Tribune, ‘‘is a con-
certed campaign by the employer
to use legal procedures on every
contract dispute.”’

He indicated that this tactic by
the Post Office management was
designed to tie the union up in
legal battles which are both costly
and time consuming, in order to
ignore the terms of the agree-
ment.

An example of the govern-
ment’s flagrant disregard for the
agreement was expressed in its
open violation of the clause deal-

ing with Technological Change —
Article 29.
This provision in the contract
, requires that the Post Office.give
detailed notification to the union
of any technological changes, and
also requires that these changes
be negotiated with the union be-
fore they are put into effect, to
protect the livelihoods of the
workers to be affected.
In two cases heard by Public
Service Staff Relations Board

(PSSRB) Adjudicator Ed Jolliffe _

on May 18-21, involving charges
that the Post Office had violated
Article 29 in illegally implement-
ing technological changes in Lon-
don and St. John’s Nfld., the ad-
judicator ruled that management
had failed to meet its obligations
under the collective agreement,
however instead of ordering the

GDR: progress, prosperity, peace,

By FILS DELISLE
Tribune Berlin Correspondent
BERLIN — The Ninth Con-

gress of the Socialist Unity Party

(SED) has focused the attention

of the world on the fact that the
German Democratic Republic has
completed five years of dynamic
economic growth and will bring
its people even greater prosperity
and wellbeing by 1980.

The delegates to the congress,
and the people at large, took for
granted the economic, political

- and cultural advances reported to

the congress. Erich Honecker,
first secretary of the SED, was
able to say that his report to the

Congress had been accepted by .

the delegates and the people as a

whole ‘‘because the people have _

written it.”

On every street, in every vil-
lage, in es city, GDR citizens
see all arotind them the better life
that the last five years of socialist
construction have brought.

Towns and cities are changing
rapidly in a vast program of reno-
vation unknown in any capitalist
country. There are more con-
sumer goods in the stores.
Everyone is earning more. There
is more housing, with housing
construction one of the central
features of the new five year plan.

There are educational oppor-
tunities and jobs for everybody.
There are no economic disloca-
tions or crises. There is social
security for the young and the
aged. Income and pensions have
gone up in the last five years, and
will continue to do so.

Newlywed Credit

Newlyweds can get a credit of
10,000 marks with which to fur-
nish their new homes. Others can
get an astounding credit of 65,000
marks, with which to build their
own homes on a private plot if
they are ready to do the main
work themselves, and many are
prepared to do so.

Because the Eighth Party Con-
gress five years ago promised this
better life, and implemented the
promise, no one here doubts that
the call of the Ninth Congress for
a further dynamic improvement
in every field will also be carried
through.

The Congress and the country
as a whole accepted as self-

proletarian internationalism

evident the declaration of Prime
Minister Horst Sindermann to the
delegates that “‘the main objec-
tive is the further raising of the
material. and cultural standard of
living of the people’’. To that end,
he said, the national income will
rise by 27 to 30% by 1980. In-
dustrial production during the
same period will rise by 34 to 36%.
About 240 billion marks will be
invested in the economy for
modernization and expansion
until 1980, whichis an increase ofa
walloping 60 billion marks above
the last five years.

Upset by Reality

This picture of solid advance,
untouched by the paroxysms, the
ups and downs of capitalist coun-
tries, posed a dilemma for some of
the more than 500 foreign corres-
pondents. Some were upset or
disorientated by the reality they
saw here, which struck them as so
different from the picture of the
‘‘grey, drab’? GDR always pre-
sented in their publications. Some
tried to master the facts of this
socialist state that knows no

crisis, that has confirmed its posi-.

tion as one of the 10 leading in-
dustrial countries in the world,
and is now a regular member: of
the international community,
with diplomatic relations with 119
countries, instead of the 30 which
acknowledged its existence only
five years ago.
Despite the disorientation an

bafflement of many western jour-
nalists, the success story of the
German socialist state com-
manded the serious attention of
many leading publications all over
the world. That this was not often
‘the case among some Goebbels-
type journalists from the Federal
Republic of Germany was no sur-
prise to anyone. These had little

to say about the Congress, lying -

instead about the GDR itself in
their reports.
One. notable CIA-type of job
was done by Ellen Lentz in a re-
port to the New York Times.
Paralleling some of the bunk
about the GDR current in
U.S. and Canadian commercial
papers, Miss Lentz distinguished
herself by writing in the Times
that ‘‘the persisting controversies
among Europe’s Communists

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 11, 1976—Page 8

over Moscow’s claim to sole
leadership of world communism
overshadowed proceedings at the
Ninth Congress of the East Ger-
man (meaning, GDR) Party Con-
gress’’. Observers here saw three
major lies in this single sentence.
Firstly, there were no ‘‘persisting
controversies’’ here, as every-
body present could see. Second-
ly,\‘‘Moscow’s claim to sole lead-
ership of world communism”’ is a
stale and stupid myth tirelessly
circulated by the CIA and its
agents masquerading as jour-
nalists in various parts of the
world. Thirdly, the two things
which did in fact dominate the
Ninth Congress were the solid
advances recorded by the GDR,
unmatched by any capitalist

. country in the same period, and

the demonstration of interna-
tional solidarity in the communist
and workers’ movement of the
world.

One of the striking features of
this congress was the presence of
103 delegations from Communist,
Workers’, Socialist, Social
Democratic, National Liberation
and other parties from abroad.
These delegations, in the
speeches. of their leaders, made
the congress a sounding board of
internationalism, solidarity and
fraternal collaboration between
the various parties seeking pro-
gress and socialism all over the
world. ;

This tendency was so strong in
the speeches of foreign delegates
that even the New York Times
had to admit that the delegate of
the French CP, Paul Laurent, told
the Congress: ‘“‘Differences of
opinion that exist between Com-
munist Parties can under no cir-
cumstances be allowed to form an
obstacle to joint action against
imperialism and the proclaiming
of joint goals.”’

In. actual fact, Workers’ and
Communist leaders from every
continent brought the message of
internationalism and solidarity to
the Congress. And Erich Hon-
ecker drew thundering applause
from everyone present when he
declared that the slogan of his
Party and the GDR was:
‘*Socialist patriotism and proleta-
rian internationalism.”

employer to comply, Jolliffe did

nothing.

What hurt most as far as the
union was concerned, is the fact
that Article 29 came from the
Moisan Conciliation Board Re-
port. Mackassey at the time of
signing said that it was a fair basis
for settlement of the automation
dispute and signed article 29 on
behalf of the Post Office Depart-
ment, the Treasury Board, and
the government. The situation
now with Article 29 is that it is
being violated with tacit approval
of the PSSRB.

The union’s tactics at this stage
are to make as many people aware
of the situation as possible so that
pressure can be put on the Post-
master General to force the higher
officers of the Post Office Depart-
ment to comply with the agree-
ment. In this regard the union

is presently and will continue in.

the future to sponsor educational
seminars for its members to keep
them informed of these develop-
ments and to discuss ways and
means of bringing the question to
the forefront of public scrutiny.
In addition, the union held a
press conference June 3 in which
it outlined the many areas of the
contract where the employer was
not living up to the agreement. ©
Union officials are not talking

_ Office to comply with the agi

term, never coming out of #

of the possibility of direct actid
in the line of a strike at this ti
prefering to take their case to
public in the hope that in this W4
sufficient pressure can be put?
the government to force the FO

ment before it is too late.
Job security was another hot
sue in the recent negotiations, 2 —
the Post Office agreed that s#
would not be reduced arbitral)
but that whatever staff cuts wow”
occur, would take place throug!
process of attrition. Instead #
Post Office has initiated what)
calls term employment. 1
means that people are hired by?) ~
department to work for a spec!

probationary period of empld
ment, never enjoying full unl
rights, and consequently not ®
ing subject to the provisions of
contract.
Clearly the Post Office is out!
destroy the collective.agreeme
Expressing the frustration
working under those conditio®)
Parrot told the Trib: ‘*Un@
normal conditions it is ©
employer’s job to implement ®
terms of the collective agreem®
and the union’s job to police)
We are in the position now whey
we have to fight just to get")
agreement implemented.”’ ~

CP plenum prepares;
convention document

TORONTO — The Central
Committee of the Communist
Party of Canada met on May 28-
30 and worked out a major docu-
ment for the guidance of the 23rd
CP Convention scheduled for
October. |

Party leader William Kashtan
presented a draft resolution which
was then discussed and amended
to serve as the basis of discussion
by Party members across the
country during the months be-
tween now and the Convention,
as is Communist Party practice.

A number of resolutions,
passed at the meeting, dealt with
both immediate concerns and
with long-range Party policy. The
Central Committee noted the con-
solidation of many of the pro-
posals laid down at its previous
meeting in January. It sharp-
ened its directives for carrying

. forward Party policy on many

fronts, including labor, culture,
work among women, building of
the Young Communist League,
and launched new efforts toward
building an anti-monopoly coali-
tion across Canada, aimed at
changing government policy in

-the interests of the working

people. ;
One of the meeting’s fitst acts

was to pass aresolution calling for
actions to free Chilean political
prisoners held by the fascist junta.

The main document under dis-
cussion took note of promising
changes internationally, yet em-
phasized the need for continued
efforts to defend peace, such as
circulating the Stockholm Appeal
for disarmament. It reviewed the
Canadian scene, situating the
Communist Party in the rapid
events around labor’s fight-back
against controls, and opposition
to monopoly power in Canada.

It looked at New Democratic
Party policies in relation to grow-
ing labor militancy and, under
‘working-class and democratic
unity,’’ debated the Communist
role in today’s fast-moving
events.

It presented an alternative

‘program to the crisis policies |

- finish, had as one of its duties: |

‘Youth Festival, tobe heldinY 4

_ monopoly

WILLIAM KASHTAN |

monopoly, which will be P
lished for discussion in the ®
future. 4

And, on the decisive quest”,
of the building and ideolo#!)
strengthening of the Commu!)
Party, the wider disseminatio#
its press and the expansion off |
Young Communist League; |
draft resolution set out objec!)
on the basis of increasing int)
in and respect for Comml)
policies in the labor movel™
and beyond it.

This Central Committee ™}
ing, which brought together *)
ing Communists from many Pi)
of Canada, and which retaine®)
confident buoyancy from s'

+f

formulation of a document “)
Democratic People’s Cultll)
which sets forth the Commi!)
Party’s views and propos
this vital and threatened field}

In endorsing the 11th Wy

in 1978, the meeting pledg@7
help in ensuring Canadian p? f
pation reflecting the broad, ®}
imperialist youth movement
Canada. ;

In his closing remarks, Wi!)
Kashtan said that ‘‘we are €?
ing: a period when the laws |
monopoly and of capitalis™ 7
working in our favor . . .’’ Hé
that conditions are maturing f f
major counter-offensive a8* |
and monoFy)
power.” y

| rn