tei dicate

be

b UNITED - STEEUWDRKERS

“ON STRIKE

FOR

“WAGES © CONDITONS —

Some 430 workers at Hayes Trucks in Vancouver, members of Local 3523 USWA, returned to work Monday after winning some key demands in their two-month strike, including a cost of living escalator clause and wage increases over 23 months of $1.25 and $1.41 for

helper and journeymen.

- - Richard Morgan photo

WOODWORKERS

Cont'd from pg. 1

© a clause in the contract to com- pel the employer to pay one week's

_ severance pay for each year of ser- . vice when a plant closes down”

permanently.

¢ elimination of the 30 day probationary period.

e a 50 cent additional increase for tradesmen, as well as a 50 cent revision for graders and inspectors, tallymen, offbearers and chipper crews.

Elsewhere in contract talks, the failure to include a cost-of-living escalator clause and insufficient wage increases were cited as the main reason for 4300 members of the Teamsters Union overwhelmingly rejecting a con- tract offer presented to them by Transport Labor Relations

representing more than 100 employers.

As well as the dominant issue of wage increases and the escalator clause the truckers want increased vacations, improvements in the dental plan and reduced hours of work.

In Sparwood, members of the United Mine Workers went on strike Monday night against Kaiser Resources Ltd. and. were followed later by the afternoon shift to back up their demands for an increase of $1.25 an hour ina one year contract with an additional 50 cents for un- derground miners.

The 1300 men, members of Local 7292 UAW, have been working since the beginning of the year without a contract.

ANNUAL BURNS NIGHT Saturday January 19th

RUSSIAN PEOPLE’S HOME 600 Campbell Ave. Supper 6:30 PM Dance 9 PM

Speaker: HARRY RANKIN Entertainment incl. Scottish Dancers Admission $4.00 Students & Pens. $3.00 Tickets avail. Co-op Books or phone

939-0245 or 936-4467

By JOHN WILLIAMSON Britain’s economy is in deep

crisis — massive increases in

balance of payments deficit; wild inflation and an 18% increase in prices during the last year; decline of the pound; a 13% ‘usurers state’ bank rate; oil crisis, etc. In their ef- fort to unload all its consequences on the working people through its Phase 3 so-called ‘counter infla- tion’ legislation, the Tory Govern- ment arrogantly refuses to make any concessions to the coal miners, train drivers and’ electric power supply engineers, the first two of which are operating an overtime

TAX LOAD

Con’t from pg. 1

there are no direct sales of giant pulp mills and other industries. “Further,”’ he said, “‘the practise of determining assessed value for homes and businesses, now based on market values, tends to rapidly shift the tax burden from big in-

dustries to the rest of the com- -

munity because of inflation. “There should be one method for determining value for assessment

and it should be equally applied to

all types of property.”

McKnight said that the cost of education, welfare and similar items should be lifted from homes. These are not proper taxes to be imposed on homeowners. ‘‘they must become provincial respon- sibilities and be a charge against provincial revenues. Money to pay for such services should come from increased revenues from natural resource industries who are not yet paying their fair share.”

The- Port Alberni alderman pointed out that the provincial government has been boasting of its huge surpluses. These surpluses along with more revenue from resource industries should make it possible for Premier Barrett to begin at the coming session to remove the~-provincial sales tax,

gasoline and other consumer taxes.-

“Such legislation would be real positive steps in the fight to mitigate the effects of inflation on the public, and would be a major step to give consumers relief from rising prices.

“This is one way the NDP

government could help lessen the effects of inflation on the working people,” he said.

St. 02873-74 incl.

and others. All records $5.95

JUST ARRIVED FROM USSR

- 3 RECENT RECORDS BY INCOMPARABLE RED ARMY CHORUS

St. 01829-30 LP $5.95 incl. John Reed Walks in Petrograd I Shall Never Forget You Submariner’s Waltz Celestial Brothers (6 more) St. 01971-72 LP $5.95 incl. Song of The Poplar Old Soldiers Song Silent & Peaceful Town I am again a Soldier (6-more)

Russian Field

Ballad of the Trumpet Players The Old Ural

Cranes (6 more) ©

Vocalists featured include: E. Belaev, A. Sergeyev, V. Ruslanov

order from:

PEOPLE’S CO-OP BOOKSTORE

341 West Pender Vancouver 3 685-5836 Get all 3 for $15.00 plus tax and 50¢ postage.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 1974—PAGE 12

OIL CRISIS

Con’t from pg. 2 public it would face no oil dif- ficulties.” ”

The Oregonian concludes with the following:

“There is an energy crisis in this country. It has been aggravated by the Arab oil boycott, but before the Arabs turned off their spigot, it was fomented by the oil cor- porations and compounded by the bungling of the Administration. That is a large share of the truth, and it’s about time the U.S. public was let in on it, instead of being made to feel guilty for the nation’s gasoline shortage.”

The truth seems to be dawning on the American people that the Nixon government and the oil monopolies are the culprits in the energy crisis. The latest develop- ment this week in the U.S. was the charge, still to be aired, that oil companies in the U.S. are hoarding and stock-piling petroleum products.

Tory crisis offensive

ban and a work to rule respective- ly. In the case of the miners — where 600 leave the industry week- ly because of poor wages — the overtime ban has resulted in a decrease in production af 30%; while on the railways no suburban trains are running in London and growing dislocations in other urban centres and in long-distance runs.

In a desperate anti-union panic move, Tory Prime Minister Heath has ordered a three-day week for most industries and shops which will mean a 40% loss in most wages and much unemployment. He also

ordered across-the-board power . - cuts, reduced heating, cut off of all

TV at 10:30 p.m., and a reduction in the growth of industry.

On December 17, Chancellor of the Exchequer Barber introduced his’ so-called ‘mini-budget. He declared Britain faced the gravest crisis since the war and said, “In- dustrial action, not oil, is responsi- ble for the three-day week.” This direct attack on miners and railmen was followed by reiterating that there would be no wage settlements outside Phase 3

. limits. He. then outlined proposals

to take £1,200-million out of cir- culation saying there would be a “significant drop in the standard of living” and that “unemployment was bound to rise.”

“Three days shalt thou labor. . . ’’

The Sunday Times admitted that ~

Heath's three-day week was an in- citement against the miners and train drivers, and not an economic policy. Editorially it said, “Its desired effect, if not its primary purpose, is to get the miners and railmen to submit to an accumula- tion of pressure from fellow workers, faced with the dole.” Showing its class teeth, it con- cludes, ‘‘the country must support the government it elected, however questionable some of its methods and unlikeable some of. its philosophies.”

The attack on the miners is fierce because of ‘‘the five-million strong queue behind the miners” to quote Business News, who ‘‘are poised to surge through any hole the miners blast in Phrase 3 policy.”

The Left, and the Communists in the first place, have answered the government firmly. They point out it is Tory policy that is responsible for inflation and economic crisis. They helped their monopoly masters by cutting taxes to the tune of £4,000-million since they came into office. They increased expenditures by hundreds of millions by joining the Common Market. They continue to pour huge sums of money down the arms drain and continually in-

crease’ overseas capital in vestments.

Michael McGahey, miner’s union — national vice-president and Com | munist Party leader, put the im mediate issue concisely: “the na~ tion has to make up its mind. YO can have Phase 3 and no coal. YO can have coal_and no Phase 3.

He also dealt with the wider im= plications of the miners’ action when he said, “If the mine stopped in their tracks now, there} would be little possibility of amyy other workers penetrating Phas¢) 3... While dismissing alleged) revolutionary implicationS:) — McGahey put sharply the impohy tant political developments. Ci the increased influence of the Le among the miners, he said, “the are many miners now whose thin ing transcends short-term) economic gains, who hav@) recognized the futility of trying control the capitalist treadmill staying on it’ and that. “‘neith Heath nor anyone else wil halt t movement which is going forwa for radical change in Britain.

A solidarity pact as, be cemented between miners a train drivers. Engineers, who ha just rejected a derisory offer from the employers, are also preparill for struggle. While the Communi) demand for a recall of the Trade Union Congress to organize funy mobilization of the 10 million UB ionists to compel the governmeh — to drop Phase 3 grant increase)” wages, establish price controls ai increase old age pensions, is $4 ing support, the right wing T majority is still resisting this.

In fact, the more strident righ) wingers in the Labor Party and UB) TUC are making their voice; heard. Mr. Reg. Prentice,” Shadow Cabinet member, called® his supporters ‘‘to fight’ agallhy the ‘‘Marxists, who are hell-bent @ nationalizing everything” and he is ‘‘fed up with the sillier fo of trade union militancy.”

Basically, Harold Wilson foill the same line as this group. does it in a more clever way- has tried and failed to get the t drivers to call off their “wor rule’ and made a_nation- appeal for “‘concilliation, not frontation.”’

Miners leader McGa answered him, saying, “You make all the pleas’’ for uniting nation, but “I do not want unl with Heath, Longhro, Jellicoe 4 these types. I will remain loya!™ my class.” “7

Fortunately, in the miners un! the overwhelming majority of Hi Executive — Communists, ™ Laborites, Right Laborites ~~ stand united against Phas because of the splendid unity 0

- rank and file. In many other

the same situation exists.

The Executive Committee © Communist Party Great B has issued a widely distrib statement stating clearly wi” responsible for the crisis, ou an immediate program of act settle the crisis. It reiterates © appeal of its recent Congres “all on the Left, to the TUC:

_Labor Party, to unite and figh ‘for a Left program to bea

crisis and open the way socialism.” cs