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The provincial government’s latest attack on welfare recipients S$ been condemned in’ all quar- ters as being a totally unworkable, redneck approach to the problems of the poor and jobless. Human Tésources minister Bill Vander Zalm confirmed reports this week at social assistance would be

denied to welfare recipients who .

failed to conform to what he called

“suitable” dress. and grooming requirements.

Norm Levi, the former minister of human resources in the NDP government, said that Vander Zalm’s dress code typified his “redneck attitude toward welfare recipients.’’ He said that instead of concerning himself as to how people dress, Vander Zalm should

VANDER ZALM EDICT TO JOBLESS:

provide some practical programs to provide employment.

Vander Zalm’s new regulations were seen by many as a further smokescreen designed to leave the impression that there are jobs available in B.C., but that they were going unfilled. February’s unemployment figures show that there were 108,000 jobless in British Columbia.

Bruce Eriksen, president of the Downtown Eastside Residents Association labelled the new regulations ‘‘totally ridiculous. All of these statements that he’s (Vander Zalm) been making are being made to leave the impression that there is work in this province but people are too lazy to take it. That simply is not true.

“They’re trying to divert at-

tention away from the fact that there are not any jobs available.”

Ericksen said that it was the height of hypocrisy for the Socreds to go around “‘telling people to get a job, while with the other hand they’re laying off thousands of people and putting them on the unemployment rolls.”’

The Vancouver and District

See SOCRED, pg. 12

Story).

SKYWAY LUGGAGE

ne Major luggage manufacturing si Pany forced its workers out on = xe this week after years of ae Wages scarcely higher than minimum wage. Uncmbers of the Upholsterers Dicker Local 1 began setting up ‘ €t lines outside the Skyway &8age plant in Vancouver

=) ednesday, preparing for what the

or movement expects will b i nt expects will be a meeey battle with the multi- a corporation, . Tike notice was served last —VYember while the union sought

RODUGTS

Skyway may provide luggage for the jet set, but for these women workers at the company’s manufacturing ‘Plant in Vancouver, the name has meant wages of $2.75 an hour. They struck the operation Wednesday. (See

’ Portugal,

Wt

mediation in its stalemated negotiations but the company refused to alter substantially its wage offer.

The work force of 95 is predominantly women, most of them new immigrants from Bangladesh. or Hong Kong, and Skyway has ,exploited language barriers and lack of familiarity with labor standards to maintain wages at levels varying from $2.75 an hour to $4.00. Few qualify for the top rate, with most

Tabling of Congress ‘Gmendments sought

, COnt

table

M

Dee of the Vancouver and eee Labor Council who will be Sates to next month’s con-

S35 ition of the Canadian Labor

hgress have pledged themselves Con: port a position calling for the €ntious amendments proposed SO Nae @ j a Const ngress’ Committee on

ae Proposed amendments have rough considerable fears " Out the labor movement demo adopted, they would restrict ~'Cracy and rank-and-file

itution and Structure to be. d-to a Subsequent convention.

participation in the convention. (See Labor Scene, March 19 issue. )

Fishermen's delegate Homer Stevens gave voice to that concern, emphasizing that, in his opinion, the amendments ‘would go a long way towards destroying the rank- and-file democracy that has existed in the CLC over the years.”

He suggested that tabling the amendments would give unionists time to consider the implications of the proposed change.

“We need maximum unity in the Congress,” he stated. ‘“‘This is no time to reduce democracy.”

“LOCAL |

| ATARIUF

seal! |

—Sean Griffin photo

of the women earning between $2.75 and $3.00 an hour.

Upholsterers’ business agent, Penny Gronuk told the Tribune that a major additional factor in the low wages is the company’s Seattle plant where the base rate is worse yet — only $1.95 an hour.

Gronuk told delegates to the Vancouver and District Labor Council Tuesday night that the Skyway workers were in for a difficult struggle since the local union was small and lacked strike funds and the company has already threatened to close the plant permanently.

Canadian Labor Congress repre- sentative Art Kube echoed her

-appeal for support, emphasizing

that most of the women at Skyway “take home only $82 or $83 a week”’ while the company does not pay for a single fringe benefit.

“Jt would be tragic,’’ he added, ‘Gf we let a corporation like Skyway get away with wages and conditions like this.”’

Delegates endorsed UFAWU president Homer Stevens’ motion calling fora donation of $100 — the largest amount permitted without prior notice of motion — to be given to the local union and asking that the council secretary send out an

‘appeal to affiliated unions.

The B.C. Federation of Labor was also asked to provide ad-

‘ditional assistance.

Unions in Quebec fight repression

Quebec’s common front of 175,000 public service workers planned a second 24-hour walkout this week in face of growing threats by the provincial govern- ment to take legislative action against the workers who have been demanding a _ speedup in negotiations for a new contract.

Public service workers have

_.been negotiating with the govern- _

ment for the past 10 months with very little result. This week the Quebec government again stalled when it withdrew its negotiators from the central bargaining table.

Montreal teachers were carrying out unlit torch demonstrations this week to symbolize the “‘light which has been put out for education in Quebec”’ by the government’s tough line on negotiations with teachers.

Last Monday more than 120,000 public service workers walkedd off the job for a 24-hour period. The walkout was called by the common front of Quebec: workers which includes the Quebec Federation of Labor, the Confederation of National Trade Unions and the Quebec Teachers Corporation.

The April 5 province-wide one day strike shut down most schools in the province as teachers walked out. It also closed most hospitals, except for essential services, when hospital workers joined the strike. The Monday strike was the 10th major work stoppage since

January when the common front began its campaign to press the provincial government to speed up negotiations for a new contract.

On March 22 more than 100,000 Quebec workers walked off the job in schools, hospitals and social services. centres in support of the Canadian Labor Congress march on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. On that day about 10,000 Quebec union members joined the demonstration in front of the parliament buildings in support of the CLC’s fight

against. the federal government’s

wage guidelines.

Recently about 500 English and French Catholic teachers demonstrated in front of the Protestant. school board office to support Protestant teachers and protest the board’s repressive tactics against them.. The police riot squad which was called out by the school board, brutally clubbed the teachers, injuring 10 of them. The incident has further inflamed the labor movement in Quebec.

The second major 24-hour walkout planned for this week came as Premier Robert Bourassa hinted in Quebec City that legislative action is being prepared against teachers and _ public workers. The-Quebec cabinet met Tuesday amid reports that op- pressive measures against the unions were considered.

Montreal teachers association president Don Peacock said that “with solid support the govern- ment can’t continue to ignore our demands”’ and called on English, French, Catholic and Protestant teachers as well as parents and students to join this week’s walkouts planned by the union.

Montreal police are shown beating up teachers who demonstrated

recently in front of the Protestant School Board offices. Ten teachers were injured by the club-swinging police riot squad.

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