Communists to run

KITCHENER — “This elec-
tion won’t be any ordinary elec-
tion . . . it will be an opportun-
ity to dump the Tories after 31
years in office,” said 27-year-old
Evelina Pan, Communist Party
candidate in Kitchener to a
public nomination meeting April
23:

Ms. Pan pointed out that the
Tories know they’re in trouble.
“The recent. provincial budget
proves it,” she said, “In it they
take off, temporarily, the 2%
sales tax they imposed 4 years
ago. They provide a $1,500 re-
bate for new home buyers.

“Do the Tories really think
that the people of Ontario will
fall for these gimmicks? Do they
think we will forget by election

day that they gave $100-million ~

of our tax dollars to Syncrude?”

Examples of Tory sell-out of
Ontario’s natural resources were
given, as were examples foreign
control of the province’s manu-
facturing and heavy industry.
“Eighty percent of ‘Canada’s
manufactured goods are pro-
duced here,” Ms. Pan said, ‘‘and
the last available figure shows
that 75% of the taxable income
earned from this source went to
foreign-owned or _ controlled
firms.”

The crisis in the auto indus+"

try, with 8,000 auto parts work-
ers currently on indefinite layoff
and a $2.5-billion trade deficit in
that industry was shown as an-
other example of the results of
multi-national control of Cana-
dian economic life. “The con-

Last March we were told by
‘the mass media that Canadian

manufacturing workers had
reached top pay position —
“Canadians exceed U.S. worker
earnings first time; devaluation
possibility cited” — headline,
Toronto Globe and Mail, March
7, 1975. This has now turned
out to be an over-simplification
of the real situation — in other
words it’s not true.

The latest U.S. Bureau of
Labor statistics tell us that
while labor costs in Canadian
manufacturing rose faster than
similar costs in U.S. -manufac-
turing, nevertheless 1974 Cana-
dian labor costs were only 82%
of the U.S. level.

Average hourly wages (in U.S.
dollars) for all workers in U.S.
manufacturing in 1974 was
$6.55, compared with $5.40 in
Canada.

The average Canadian manu-
facturing worker, therefore, is
still $1.15 behind his U.S. coun-
terpart, as far as hourly com-
pensation is concerned.

But this is not all. We must
-also add the fact that the Cana-
dian dollar has been devalued to
the extent of 4% since the mid-
dle of last year. This means a

further 4% reduction in Cana- ’

dian wage rates as compared
with U.S. rates.
Cancelled Out

Another factor to be consider-
ed is, that Canadian statistics
do not include manufacturing
establishments with fewer than
20 workers, while the U.S.
Bureau of Labor statistics do
include all establishments. Since
the smaller establishments do,
as a rule, pay lower wages, this

tends to make the Canadian '

average higher than it normally
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY

BY BRUCE MAGNUSON

, MAY 9, 1975—Page 8

EVELINA PAN

struction industry’ is another
hard hit area,” she continued.
“Housing starts in Ontario went
down 24,000 in 1974.”

Other issues facing the voters
in Kitchener area, such as those
affecting women workers—equal
pay for work of equal value and
daycare — were also raised by

_ the candidate.

She outlined several Commun-
ist Party proposals to meet the
crisis facing Ontario people:

@ Development of our resour-

ces in a planned and systema-

tic way, under public owner-

‘ship and control, including

development of secondary

manufacturing at the resource
point.

@ Legislation to prevent work-

ers from becoming victims of

in Kitchener

technological change through
layoffs and plant shutdowns.
@ Democratic tax reforms,
with the main emphasis on
taxing corporate wealth and
large incomes, and removal of
all sales taxes on consume
items. :
@ A massive government pro-
gram of low-cost, low-rental
public housing. Rent control
and guaranteed access to
housing accommodation for
families with children.

e@ And in this International

Women’s Year, we proposé

laws, with the power of en-

forcement, to make equal pay

for work of equal. value a

reality at last.

Greeting Evelina Pan as the
27th Communist candidate so
far nominated, Ontario leader
William Stewart exposed the
current Tory government’s com-
mission to study violence and
permissiveness as a “study to
attract votes.”

“Is it not violence that people
can’t feed their families, or that
25%of Ontario’s population lives
in poverty?” Stewart asked.
“How about a commission to

study violence in the factories? .

There’s all kinds of class viol-
ence—but we don’t see govern-
ment proposals to deal with it.”

Stewart pointed to the good
possibilities to get rid of Tory
rule in the next election, “but it
would be a sad day if Davis is
replaced with~Bob Nixon. On
basic issues there’s no: differ-
ence,” he said.

Wl ksh se Canadian wages still

below American levels

ought to be, both in real terms,
and in terms of the U.S. average
wage.

Based on these and other fac-
tors. one can safely state that,
while statistics show earnings
in Canadian manufacturing as
having risen by 16%, compared
to 10% in the U.S., the above
mentioned factors have more
than cancelled out this apparent
6% differential.

In spite of claims that labor
costs in Canadian manufactur-
ing have been rising faster than
in the U.S., Canadian labor costs
are still a long way below the
average U.S. level, while labor
costs in Italy, Britain and Japan
have been rising faster than
here in Canada.

At the same time Canadian
productivity has risen faster
than in the U.S. When we take
note of a 19.8% increase in the
industrial price index last year,
as compared to a 12.1% rise in
wage costs per unit of output,
it is easy to understand why

corpcration profits rose more

than 30%.
' Disposable Income
The gains in money wages
paid to labor do not in any way
reflect real gains for the work-
ers. Quite the contrary, since
real disposable income per capi-
ta (including family allowance
and transfer payments by gov-
ernment to individuals) declined
by almost 2% during the last
half of 1974, and real disposable
income per worker employed
declined over 4% in the last
three quarters of last year.
As a consequence of this,

labor’s share of gross national

product, dropped sharply to
53.7% last year from 55.1% in
1972. The share of corporate
profits rose to 13.1% last year,

the highest in more than 20
years, from 10.2% in 1972.

The fact of the matter is that
Canadian workers are still try-
ing to catch up with inflation.
Why then the hue and cry
about wage settlements being so

the United States and per unit
labor costs escalating much fast-
er in this country?

This is something which has
nothing whatever to do with the
crisis we. are in economically,
except insofar as the big multi-
naticnal corporations based in
the United States dominate and

control the commanding heights.

of the Canadian economy.
Political Action
The problem is _ corporate
monopoly structures that must
be curbed and placed under pub-
lic ownership and democratic

control so as to make possible

proper planning for full employ-
ment without inflation. By doing
away with monopoly price-fix-
ing and profiteering based upon
a stop-and-go economy in the
interest of private monopoly
profits, we can have full em-
ployment and rising standards
in a growing economy.

The time has come. when
Canadian workers will have to
give priority consideration to
mass participation in political
action to put an end to mono-
poly domination and to open up
the road for fundamental
changes in our economic, social
and political system in the dir-
ection of socialism. Failure to
develop this one and only alter-
native toward progress, could
result in temporary, but costly
and painful, set-backs for the
people of this country and, in-
deed, the North-American con-
tinent.

and

AFRICAN TRADE UNION
PLAN BOYCOTT!

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania’

— African labor union’ leaders
plan to urge a boycott of ships
and aircraft passing through in-
dependent African countries on
their way to and: from South
Africa. The move is aimed at
complementing a recent decision
by the Organization of African
Unity to intensify South Africa’s
isolation.

BRITAIN REACHES
NEW HIGH IN
UNEMPLOYMENT

.LONDON — Unemployment
in Britain is at its highest for
three years and is moving to-
wards the one-million mark,
government figures showed.
Four per cent of the usual work-
ing population were registered
for unemployment benefits when
the latest statistics were gather-
ed on April 14.

The total
939,767 — an increase of
137,076 from March and the
highest since April, 1972. Eighty
per cent of the increase was ac-
counted for by adult students
recent school graduates
who usually move off the job-
less rolls by May.

TENTATIVE AGREEMENT
REACHED FOR SEAMEN

Ottawa. — A tentative con-
tract agreement has been reach-
ed between the Public Service
Alliance and the government
applying to 2,1000 crewmen on
federal ships. :

The two-year settlement,
which would provide an average
18% raise retroactive to Jan. 27,
and a further 10.4%. next Jan.
26, must still be ratified by the
union members.

The pay increase in the first
year would not be less than
$112 a month for any of the em-
ployees.

TEACHERS "MAY" GET

. RIGHT TO STRIKE

much higher in Canada than in °

“TORONTO — The proposed
provincial law to govern teacher
contract negotiations will include
a requirement for good faith
bargaining and, according to
some sources, it also might give

‘teachers the right to strike.

Education Minister Thomas
Wells said in the legislature a
good faith bargaining provision
will be in the bill to establish
negotiating procedures for teach-
ers and school boards. He said
the bill will be submitted to the
legislature ‘in a short time.”

‘Mr. Wells would not deny or
confirm that his bill .will offer
teachers the right to strike. If

ee

calling for “Jobs not war’,

"Affairs Minister Saul Millet,

of jobless was.

_clined to predict how much hig)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — These marchers were among 75,000 tr@)_
unionists who took part in a demonstration in the U.S. capital 4
April 26. Large contingents of workers carried placards and bann®

so, it would represent a revels
of government policy whic it
favored arbitration for setllll)

unresolved contract disputes: —

WAGE OFFER
CALLED "PEANUTS"
WINNIPEG — Manitoba
servants araget a Preece fs ;
ly in front of- the a
building last week to protest |
government wage offer they

scribed as “peanuts.”
They repeatedly booed yee

chief government negotiate |
he urged them not to Cl)
public demonstrations with ia
gitimate negotiations at the ™ |
gaining table. © ,
William Ridgeway (MG

president of the 12,000-m i
Manitoba Government Wf ;
ployees Association, replied ih
threatening the government ¥
strike action if a reasonable
tract offer is not made.

UNEMPLOYMENT
TO GO HIGHER | ye |
OTTAWA — Unemploy™,
rates will po higher this ve
and there is little prospect ©
significant improvement ®
year, Andre Raynauld, chair
of the Economic Council of
ada, said last week.
Mr. Raynauld said a retur |
economic growth is expe)
late this year or early next J”)
and that will stabilize the uit,
ployment rate. Mr. Raynauld &

coy

er the rate would go. It
7.2% in March.

GUILD APPLIES
AT LA PRESSE
MONTREAL — Provincial 9
vestigators earlier this m0)
were processing the Guild’s a
plication to become the bare?)
ing agent for about 100 adv!
tising employees of La Pre
the city’s largest French-}@)
uage newspaper. a
More than 80% of the 7%
ployees in the outside classi
sections, inside and outside
tional and retail sections sig”
up.
If certification is granted, )
ganizers say, the local will |
the first at a French-langue)
newspaper organized by |
Guild in Canada. ib
The application was ™
March 10, after a weekend %
cruiting drive by a committee)”
La Presse employees, helped 3
Guild members from the M
real Star. :
La Presse, with a week@
circulation of 178,500 is party
the six paper Trans-Cana)
chain, owned by Power Cot)
ration of Canada.

4