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More than 600 delegates to the B.C. Federation of Labor convention marched through downtown Van-
couver streets Tuesday to press the demand for a boycott of the U.S. textile giant J. P. Stevens which
has repeatedly flouted U.S. labor law in maintaining non-union plants. The demonstrators marched to
Eaton's which continues to-handle Stevens’ sheets and towels.

—Sean Griffin photo

Industrial

A very significant policy paper
on industrial democracy was
adopted by the delegates of this
week’s convention of the British
Columbia Federation of Labor by
the executive council.

That document was prepared as
a result of last year’s convention
which instructed the council to
prepare it for this year’s con-
vention.

The first paragraph makes this
appropriate remark: “In light of
the increasing amount of
discussion on the subject, both in
the trade union movement and the
community as a whole, the need for
a formal position on industrial
democracy is clear.”’

In the main, the paper comes out
for the sound concept that- ‘the
interests of the working class are
not and never can be parallel to the
interests of the employer.’

Pointing out that industrial
democracy means many things to
many people, it examines two,
basic ideological approaches.

First, that most workers believe :

they have a right to some say in the
decisions that affect their jobs and
working environment. ‘Virtually

all trade union movements, in all.

countries, accept this premise and
have therefore accepted in varying
degrees the principle if industrial
democracy.”

Second, there is the approach of
employers’ representatives who
want to involve workers in the
' process of the management of the
enterprises so that they become
part of the system. ‘‘The hope then
is that once the workers are part of
the system, they will abandon any
goals to bring fundamental change
to the power structure in Canada.”

This clear endorsement of class
struggle policies is a rebuff to those
right wing leaders who have been
advocating policies of class
collaboration, under the slogans of
tripartism and bi-partism. The
Statement admits that those em-
ployers who advocate that the
adversary system is out of date
have won some support in the
ranks of labor.

The Federation statement
declares that the purpose of those
promoting the employers’ version
of industrial democracy is to co-opt
workers into supporting a slightly
modified version of the existing
economic system, which would still
remain in the hands of the em-
ployers. ‘‘For this reason, the B.C.
on of Labor rejects the view that
industrial democracy can provide
an alternative to the present ad-
versary system.”

However, the statement goes on
to say that this does not mean that
workers should not take part in the
fight for democracy in industry.
“For the question is not if workers

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 24, 1978— Page 12

democracy
as alternative to bar

will participate in the management
of enterprise, but how and to what
extent. =

As examples, the pglicy
statement cites the issues of job
security, technological changes
and pensions as fit subject for
collective bargaining. ‘“‘We will
continue to pursue these and other
issues at the bargaining table, and
where appropriate will also seek |
political and legislative solutions.”’
Then, there is this significant
statement: “To further assist in
expanding the scope of collective
bargaining we will seek by both
industrial and legislative means to
eliminate the concept of residual
management rights.’ (Under the
residual. rights concept,

LABOR
COMMENT

BY JACK PHILLIPS |

management has the sole right to
make decisions on problems
arising out of work relationships
that are not covered by the
collective agreement or an ap-
plicable law.)

. The executive council reiterates
the Federation’s position that
unions should: have access to
corporate information, without
being dependent on worker
representatives on the boards of
directors.

The report states quite
categorically that the Federation
opposes the west European con-
cept of works councils. It brands
them as a weak substitute for the
system of union stewards and local
or plant committees. That concept
embodies the open shop and
replaces the role of the union on the
shop floor with the works council,
which is elected by all the em-
ployees, union and non-union.

It could have been added that the
works councils ina number of West
European countries have tended,
in the main, to place loyalty to the
employer above loyalty to their
fellow workers. However, it is
pointed out that in the past five
years there has been a trend in
some of these countries to create a
shop steward system that will
replace works councils which, in
too many cases, have too little
contact with the workers at the
point of production.

The policy paper sharply op-
poses the idea of co-management
of private enterprise as a final goal
or ultimate reform of the economic
system. “Rather we seek through
variois means to change the
ownership of enterprise. Therefore
the nomination or election of

or

a

gainin 7

orker representatives on boards
of directors should be considered
an extension of the process of
collective bargaining.”

The proposals in the report can
be summarized as follows:

That while not now practical as
a means of reforming the private
sector, the concept of worker
representatives on the boards of
Crown corporations does have
validity, provided certain con-
ditions are met.

1) . Worker representatives on
the board of directors should make
up 50 percent of the total.

2) They should be _ held
responsible to the union rather
than to the corporation.

3) The trade union or unions
concerned must select the worker
representatives to the board.

4) The worker representatives-

should continue to receive the rate
of pay for the work they were doing
prior to serving on the board.

5) The worker representatives
must be free to operate in con-
junction with the union and to pass

-on all information they deem

appropriate.

The report rejects the concept of
co-management in private en-.
terprise as an end goal of economic
reform, “since it fails to meet our
basic objective of creating a
socialized economy.”

In that connection, it is in-
teresting to note that the report:
also calls for an in-depth study by
the labor movement on ‘how to
transform the economy from its
present state into a democratic
socialist economy.”

It is a fact that too many social
democratic leaders including the
dominant leaders of the New.
Democratic Party in Canada,
equate democratic socialism with
a “mixed economy’? where the
dominant sectors of the economy
remain under private ownership.

With such a “mixed economy”’,
there is no centralized planning in
the true sense of the term and the
working people are subject to all
the effects of capitalist crisis, as in
Britain and West Germany.

However, irrespective of what
the authors meant when they used
the term ‘‘democratic socialism’’,
their statement is a rebuff to those
who preach that the fundamental
interests of the workers and the
employers are parallel and who
also maintain that there is no such
thing as class struggle. In that
respect, the statement is a very
positive development and should
be welcomed as such.

Policy clash seen

Continued from pg. 1

at weakening the trade union
movement and undermining the
wages and conditions of B.C.
workers,”’ the executive statement
declared in opening a detailed
report on the Federation’s many
campaigns over tfie past year.

“The interests of working
people, whether they are union
members or not, can be protected
and promoted only through
collective action....,’’ it said.
“Now as we face increased
hostility from our employers and
their political allies, your council
believes the need for collective
action has never been greater.’’

In affirming the Federation’s
policy ‘‘of putting the interests of
the trade union movement...
ahead of the concerns of in-
dividuals”, the statement also
pointed directly to the policy clash
that has marked Federation
conventions since the NDP
government passed back-to-work
legislation in 1975.

“We have been determined to
carry out the policies and
programs even though many
around us have counselled us to
seek a softer, shinier, slicker
image,” it declared. ‘‘We have put
the interests of our membership

and the trade union movement.

ahead of other political con-
siderations. We have fought to
uphold the principles of a strong
united labor movement and we
have applied those principles to the
operation of the Federation.‘And in
all these things we have been
successful.

“The most serious challenge
facing the federation in the coming
year is the challenge to carry on in
this tried and true fashion and to
pursue continued uncompromising
policy of building a strong and
united Federation based on these
well-established principles.”’

Throughout the lengthy and
wide-ranging debate on the
council’s report, delegate after
emphasized the intensity of the
attack mounted by employers and
government and stressed the need
for strong leadership.

United Fishermen and Allied -

Workers’ Union delegate George
Hewison reminded the convention
that it faced ‘‘difficult struggle
ahead” but warned “‘There are two
schools of thought as to how we
should face those struggles.

“Our school seeks _ ac-
commodation with the employers
— who would slit our throats,” he
said. “‘And the other school seeks
unity to fight the employers.

“I support the latter — and
believe we need the kind of
leadership that will take up the
challenge,” he said.

Carpenters delegate Lorne
Robson voiced his support for the
report, adding that the Federation
has been ‘‘a fighting, militant
trade union movement — and
that’s been the tradition of workers
in this province.”

He noted that the focus in

collective bargaining had shifted
towards the public service which,
he said, has borne the brunt of the
employers’ offensive.

.be around unemployment,” he

Executive council member anq
Electrical Workers’ delegate Doug”
Cronk echoed Robson’s comments, |
reminding the convention of the
protracted dispute his union had)
had with B.C. Hydro over pensions
and the need throughout for the full
support of the Federation.

“There can be no lessening, no
equivocation on policy, he
declared. “‘We’re in a fight and we
need Federation leadership which .
will carry on that fight.” =

The debate also brought on to the |
convention floor the two con
tenders for the post of president
whose respective speeches”
reflected the policy positions going |
into Friday’s election. i

IBEW delegate Jim Kinnaird,
following opening remarky
praising the newly-formed join’
‘bargaining council of the building
trades, opened the issue which has’
simmered in conventions for thres
years and criticized the executive
council for its “unrelenting attack
against the NDP government.” _

Kinnaird, a former associate
deputy minister of labor under the
NDP told delegates that the NDP
had introduced «the best labor
code in the country, the best
‘-human rights code’ and other
progressive legislation. ;

“If the Federation wants to be
effective,” he warned, ‘it had
better recognize who its friends
are.” '

Telecommunications | Workers
Union delegate Bob Donnelly,
advanced by the administration as |
the candidate for president, echoed
the comments made by delegates
earlier in the debate and warned
the convention that there were
“many battles ahead.”

“One of the main ones is going to

said, “and only with a_ strong
militant trade union movement are _
we going to get the kind of program
of action that will force govern-
ments to move.” ;

He was critical of the CLC for its
failure to back the postal workers
and warned, ‘‘If CUPW goes down
today, the rest of us will go down
tomorrow.”

Donnelly also issued a statement
to the convention outlining the
policy on which his candidacy for
presidency was based and calling
on delegates-to continue the

, tradition of a trade union
| movement which ‘‘was born out of —

struggle and has won all its major —
gains through determined militant —
industrial and political action. j
“We believe the B.C. Federation —
of Labor must be more than a
forum for debate and discussion —
between unions,’”’ the statement —
affirmed. At every opportunity the
Federation must protect, defend or —
advance the interests of trade
unions and the working class in —
general. To accomplish this ob-
jective the past leadership of the —
Federation has promoted policies
and programs designed to put the
interests of the labor movement as —
a whole ahead of the interests of
any particular individual, union or —
political party. We believe this —
approach should be continued and
strengthened.” t

NNN NS ODA NCES

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