CANADA——— ——— ‘Whipping boy’ in election campaign Public service Tory victim TORONTO — The imminent provincial election may spell bad news for thousands of public sector workers who are set to bargain: for new contracts with the government. Undoubtedly the Tories will make restraint a major plank in their platform and the public service unions fear they will be made the victims. The Davis government tore up the contracts it had signed with its 600,000 public sector workers in December, 1982, and passed legislation limiting wage increases to 5 per cent for a full year. Most public sector unions are no longer bound by that legislation and are now entering new contract negotiations. However last November the Davis government passed new restraint legislation that governs most of the bargaining now getting under way. Under the new legislation the right to strike has been restored to most public sector workers and formal wage restraints have been removed. But at the same time the Tories have made pro- visions to ensure that municipalities, school boards and hospitals are tied to the government’s restraint policies. They have done this by limiting financial transfers to a maximum ceiling of 5 per cent for wage costs. Thus, if the school board were to grant teachers an increase above 5 per cent they could be forced to raise property taxes in order to do so. In the same vein the legislation instructed arbi- trators who rule on the contracts of those denied the right to strike, such as the police, firefighters _ and nurses, to take into account the “‘ability of the government to pay’’. The restrictions placed upon the transfer payments amounts to an economic blackmail of the bargaining rights of the Ontario public employees. But with so many contracts coming up for negotiation, union leaders are determined to get the best possible results for their members. Ten thousand hospital workers represented by the Service Employees Union are set to go to arbi- tration seeking a wage increase of around 8 per cent. As well, the Toronto Teachers Federation are currently seeking.an 8 per cent increase while the school board is only offering 2 per cent. Ontario Treasurer Larry Grossman has hinted that new restraint legislation may be introduced if the contracts under negotiation produced ‘unreasonable settlements’’. In addition Premier Davis recently told an economic conference in To- ronto that the * ‘government must follow, not lead, the private sector in setting wage increases for public employees.” All this suggests the public sector workers will again be used as scapegoats by a Tory government intent on implementing restraint programs and about to embark on an election campaign. Leaders of the public sector unions have stated that if the Davis government is intent on destroying the collective bargaining process then the public sector workers will be intent on defeating the Tory government. — P.O. Environment clean-up needs REMIND REMeEn Ger ONLY ONE OUT oeae TWO VOTED FoR HIM. HIM . VAS-.9. 84. world effort says scientists OTTAWA — Soviet scientists now attending the International Council of Scientific Unions, tak- ing place in Ottawa from Sept. 19 to Oct 1, believe that humankind can preserve. both world peace and world ecology. “There are sceptics in the world who claim that nuclear war is inevitable and that even if it does not break out, mankind will perish anyway if only because of the pernicious effect of man’s ac- tivity on the environment,’” said Vladimir Belousov, corres- ponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, before his departure from Moscow. But he contended that such be- liefs are ‘“‘nonsense”’. “By consolidating trust and cooperation, people can avoid a new world war,” he said, ‘*whereas the rational utilization of natural resources of the earth and careful attitude toward the environment will lead to progress and flourishing development.” “Of course, optimism should not hamper a sound appraisal of the situation. Man’s activity brings about certain changes in nature. So, it is the scientist's duty to study these changes and teach people how to preserve the ecological balance on the earth. Largely conducive to this is the international co-operation of sci- entists,’ he said. Belousov noted that the Ottawa agenda included discussions of an international program on global change concerning all the aspects of life on earth.*‘We are aware, for instance, that the burning of large quantities of fuel, radio- active waste, the cultivation of land, the digging of new re- servoirs and drainage of marshes affect the climate of our planet. However, the measure of this in- fluence has not yet been fully un- covered. ~ ‘*We, for instance, are worried about the fact that in the suburbs of Moscow with its eight million inhabitants, an ideally pure atmo- sphere has been discovered only at adistance of 50 kilometres from the city. And Moscow, by the way, is considered to be the cleanest city in the world, in terms of ecology. Soviet scientists have already found answers to many questions connected with urban- ization, but for solving relevant global problems, international scientific co-operation is in- dispensable.” Belousov charged that “certain Western governments are trying to impede such co-operation. In the beginning of his tenure, Presi- dent Reagan attempted to hamper an exchange -of information be- tween American and Soviet geo- physicists”’, he said, **while now the U.S. administration is stand- ing in the way of normal contacts between scientists of the two countries.” As he contemplated his e trip to Canada, Belousov said: * shall be delighted to meet Sit my Canadian colleagues some of whom I’ve known since the 50s. Our latest meeting took place in Moscow this summer at the International Geological Con- gress. We widened slightly the framework of our bilateral co- operation at that time and con- 6 ¢ PACIFIC TRIBUNE, SEPTEMBER 26, 1984 cluded agreements on joint work in the Arctic.” The Soviet scientist said he hoped that the session in Ottawa ‘will still further promote our bi- lateral contacts.” Canadians fill boat with aid for Managua The Coalition for Aid to Nica- ragua is hard at work organizing the Canada-wide Tools for Peace ~ campaign with the goal of sending another boat full of supplies to Nicaragua. Four years ago the first boat left for Nicaragua with a $25,000 donation from B.C. trade unions. Last year a cross-Canada campaign raised over $1 million in cash and donations while the fed- an allocation of $13.5 millionfora dairy production program. The Coalition for Aid to Nica- — ragua is composed of a broad-— based group of labor, solidarity and religious organizations. As — was the case last year the Tools for _ Peace campaign has some impor- _ tant political objects including; — urging our government to take a _ stand against U.S. policy in Central America, increasing government — eral government followed suit with Faulty chips used in weapons system The Reuter News Agency reports that International Business Machines (IBM) of Armonk, New York had brought 15 million possibly faulty Texas Instrument microchips **for weapons, in- cluding computers on B-52 bombers’’. The Reuters story followed a BBC World Service report which was carried on radio station CJRT-FM in Toronto, which said the same chips had been used in Cruise missiles and Trident submarines. The Globe and Mail, which buried the Reuters story in their Report on Business section, Sept. 13, also reported that a compu- ter failure from the same batch of microchips aboard the U.S. space shuttle Discovery had delayed the craft’s launching. The chips were manufactured in a Texas instrument plant in Taiwan but by-passed quality control at its Midland, Texas oper- ations. The faulty chips were found during a routine survey by IBM, but millions of the chips had already found their way into various Pentagon weapon systems. The huge build up of the U.S. arsenal has led to serious concerns from scientists and peace activists of the danger of ‘accidental’ nuclear war. “This whole terrifying disclosure shows how foolish it is to rely on sophisticated weapons systems for international security,” said Jane Zavitz of the Canadian Friends Service Committee ina press release. ‘*More weapons bring more tensions and a greater probability of a failure of something like a microchip which could lead to an accidental war’’, she added. The microchip affair and Zavitz’’ warning echo an early state- ment by Retired U.S. Admiral Gene LaRoque of the Wash- ington, D.C. based Centre for Defence Information. ‘*We must expect to have a nuclear accident of a very severe nature in the not-too-distant future,’ LaRoque warned. ‘As the numbers of nuclear weapons increase, then so will the accidents.” aid to Nicaragua, and establish- — ment of an embassy in Managua. — The boat project is a chance for — Canadians to show their solidarity — with the people of Nicaragua by — making material or cash dona- tions. The list of items needed des- — - perately by the Nicaraguans is very varied due to virtual blockade by the U.S. Just a sampling of the — things needed are; sewing machines, tools, agricultural supplies, photo- graphic equipment, video equip- ment, office supplies and furniture, — medical supplies and toys ant crafts for children. oF | With the increasing attacks on Nicaragua’s sovereignty and the — constant threat of a U.S. invasion — this year’s boat plan takes ona new — significance. The people of Nicara- gua not only need the aid the boats" will bring but also the support and — solidarity this gesture will display. — Those in the Vancouver. and — Victoria areas interested in helping _ the coalition can contact the Coali- tion for Aid to Nicaragua in Van couver at 733-1021, and Victoria, | 386-5695. A slide show about the _ 4 Canadian boat project will soon be available to interested groups across Canada. As well tax-deductible cheques : to help purchase the supplies — needed can be sent. The cheques should be made payable to: Coali- _ tion for Aid to Nicaragua, 2524 Cypress St., Vancouver, B.C. vom 3N2. ; a