BRITISH COLUMBIA LABOR BACKS JOBS FIGHT More than 500 unionists from the B.C. Federation of Labor convention demonstrated at Vancouver's Robson Square Nov. 28 to demand that the federal and provincial govern- ments scrap their restraint poli- cies and create jobs. ‘‘We need jobs in this province, not wel- fare,’ federation president Art Kube told the rally, held outside the provincial government ofii- ces in downtown Vancouver. He also urged delegates to assist in the work of the Unem- ployment Action Centres. “THE JOBS: MR. MULRONEY? be 5 tar ala MR Memo bares free zone plan The Socred gov- ernment already has a plan to develop “economic enter- prise zones” in Brit- ish Columbia and intends to use recent Labor Code amend- ments to strip unions of any rights in those zones, B.C. New Democratic Party leader Bob Skelly revealed Nov. 29. Skelly told the B.C. Federation of Labor convention that the NDP had obtained a copy of a July 9, 1984 confidential submis- sion to cabinet from Industry and Small Business Development Minister Don Phil- lips. It outlined various changes to provin- BOB SKELLY cial legislation and regulations to attract - business to the proposed economic zones, including designation of the zones as ‘‘eco- nomic development projects” under the new Section 73.1 of the Labor Code. Under that Section, introduced May 16 along with the other amendments to the Labor Code, the cabinet can designate pro- jects it considers of special importance as “economic development projects. ” On such projects, existing trade union rights are sus- pended and unions — if they exist at all — can only exercise them at the discre- tion of the Labor Relations Board. The memorandum revealed by Skelly _ outlined five areas for changes “to enable a suitable reduction in business costs.” They covered: © Leased industrial land and structures; © Taxation, including the corporate income tax, the corporate capital tax, the sales tax on machinery and equipment and property taxes; © Energy costs (incentive pricing); © Labor costs, including employment training and workers’ compenation premi- ums. According to the memo, “base level pro- vincial incentives will be available to every industry locating in the zone. These include low cost leases for land and buildings; reduced property taxation; designation of the zone as an economic development pro- ject for the purposes of the Labor Code and assistance in the cost of training new employees.” . The memo from Phillips, who has spoken of using economic free zones “‘to get rid of that union crap,” virtually confirms the speculation that the government intends to establish zones in B.C. to give interna- tional business a cheap tax ride and access to union-free labor. Phillips first floated the idea publicly after the Ironworkers Local 712 members voted down a sweetheart col- lective agreement with Amca International that would have provided substandard wages at an oil module fabricating plant slated for Nanaimo’s Duke Point industrial park. Last month Phillips travelled to sev- eral European countries to study economic free zones there. “Bob McClelland has promised that these zones won’t be ‘labor ghettos or cheap labor havens,’ ” Skelly told the delegates to the B.C. Fed convention. “But... .he’s not telling you the full story,” he charged. If the government is not going to create - labor ghettos, he said, it is only “because the Socreds are already on their way to turning the whole province into a labor ghetto.” Skelly gave no indication, however that the NDP would join the trade union move- ment in opposing the introduction of any legislation to establish economic free zones. He called the government’s plan “another Socred pipe dream which will do nothing to address the very real problems that our communities face.” Delegates to the convention Friday endorsed a resolution instructing the federa- tion to “commence immediately an active campaign in opposition to the establish- ment of economic free zones in B.C.” Unemployed to march Dec. 13 The Lower Mainland’s unem- ployed will march Dec. 13 to mark a growing, inter-organization campaign to raise the province’s welfare rates and put British Columbians back to work. Marchers will assemble at the B.C. Teachers Federation (home of the Unemployed Teachers Action Cen- tre) at the corner of 6th Avenue and Burrard Street in Vancouver at 10 a.m. for the Thursday action. From there, they'll proceed to the Ministry of Human Resources’ Gen- eral Inquiries office at 10th Avenue and Burrard Street. Meanwhile, the provincial Solidar- ity Coalition is set to announce a major campaign on welfare Dec. 5. involvement. heritage. The tradition of the labor press is a long and honored one, and we at the Tribune feel proud to be part of that Just as individual union and union local papers are there The Tribune — a labor tradition Traditions die hard. And just as the B.C. labor movement is a tradition, and a valid one that will last in spite of Socred government attcks, the Tribune will be around to give the necessary support and analysis needed for the fightback. Since 1935 and the depth of the relief camp days, B.C.’s labor weekly has been a part of the labor movement.. Just as the B.C. Workers’ News, as the paper was then known, was born out of the struggles of the trade union and unemployed movements to record:and analyze those struggles, so the Tribune i is here today to continue that to inform their members of labor news — with a perspective that can’t be found in the big business dailies, either in the 30s, or now — so the Tribune plays its part, providing the overall coverage for B.C.’s trade unionists. We've been at it a long time — almost 50 years, in fact. For most of those years, we’ve made an all-out effort to increase the readership of the paper, with our annual subscription drive. When we celebrate 50 years as part of labor’s struggle next year, we'd really like to have something to celebrate. : We ask all our readers to make sure their subscription is up to date. And for new readers, we make our special offer: $2 for a three-month sub. In these times, the Tribune is needed more than ever. 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