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Teachers holding firm on arbitration awards

B.C. teachers intend to press for the full salary increase awarded by arbitration boards despite suggestions from education minister Pat McGeer, echoed by the B.C. School Trustees Association, that teachers accept only the increase allowed under the federal guidelines, leaving the balance unpaid until the question of applicability of the guidelines has been clarified.

The BCSTA had made the suggestions to teachers this week after McGeer insisted that if teachers took the full arbitration award, they might be forced to return some of the increase in the

future when legislation is ‘in--

troduced forcing conformity with the guidelines.

A spokesman for the trustees, contacted Tuesday, pointed out that teachers were being asked to accept voluntarily only the allowable increase and that this was being done because McGeer had warned of a future rollback which would be made retroactive to January 1, 1976.

“Our association is not willing to go along with ‘the request for a deferment of the arbitration award.’’ M. Alan Paterson, president of the Vancouver Elementary Teachers Association, told the Tribune Tuesday in response to the request from McGeer and_ the trustees association.

“We expect to be paid the full amount of the award,’ he declared.

Doris Hahn, president of the Surrey Teachers Association

stated that her association was taking the same position in in- sisting that the Surrey school board ‘‘follow the law”’ and pay the increase awarded by the ar- bitration board.

She said the board and teachers had discussed briefly the question of deferring the increase, but added: ‘‘as far as we’re concerned, the arbitration award stands.”

The B.C. Teachers Federation has also called on boards to pay the increase stipulated in arbitration awards.

The various arbitration boards brought down salary increases

‘varying from 10.2 percent to 12.7

percent. Federal guidelines specify that increases be held to 10 percent in most cases.

All but two of the more than 70 B.C. school districts have had salary agreements settled by arbitration and under the terms of the Public Schools Act, such awards are final and binding. Only a change in provincial legislation would enable the federal controls program to supersede the Act.

McGeer has suggested, however, that just such a “‘big stick” policy can be expected.

Ina statement issued January 2 he said that he was asking all school boards affected by the arbitration awards as well as those that settled salary agreements earlier ‘‘to ensure that payrolls are

adjusted in accordance with the ©

federal guidelines. “The government will be taking

further steps shortly to ensure that _

the anti-inflation program will work in the education sector and

ICBC protest mounting

Cont'd from pg. 1

phasized that motorists would face “financial hardship” if forced to pay the proposed increases.

Federation secretary Len Guy has also been invited to participate in a meeting Sunday called to protest the increases in Autoplan rates. :

Scheduled for Sunday January 18 at 1:30 p.m. in the White Rock Secondary School Auditorium, the meeting has been called by the White Rock and Surrey Concerned Citizens for Fair ICBC Rates.

A demonstration has also been scheduled for this Thursday, January 15 in Victoria as various

formed the Community Action Groups to press for a rollback in 1976 premiums.

Participants will be gathering at 10 a.m. in Victoria’s Centennial Square.

Thousands of signatures have already been collected on various other petitions circulating in the province and actions are being planned where the petition will be turned over to government ministers.

Most of the petitions are calling on the Bennett government to follow the lead of the NDP government and use revenue collected through gasoline taxes to subsidize ICBC and thus provide

necessary adjustments will be retroactive to January 1, 1976,’ he warned.

McGeer’s hardnosed position, scarcely modified by his ironic comment that “‘B.C.’s educational venture can look forward to much brighter days,” is similar to that of the previous Social Credit government of W. A. C. Bennett under which teachers’ salaries were a prime target of government

; cutbacks.

It was also the subject of some sharp remarks from Vancouver teachers’ spokesman, Paterson, who noted that the Socreds, during their short time in office, have established ‘‘quite a reputation” for stating something one day and changing it completely a few days later.

He pointed out that any future attempt by McGeer to roll back increases granted by arbitration boards would likely spark protest by teachers and denounced as “reprehensible” the government’s intention to make any salary ad- justments retroactive.

“Tf the government can change this law and make it retroactive,” he asked, ‘‘what other laws will be changed retroactively?”

Price freeze out, wage controls in).

Cont’d from pg. 1 movement support the govern- ment’s program. Last week the federal. govern-

-ment’s attack on worker’s living

standards got added support from B.C.’s new Social Credit govern- ment when Evan Wolfe, finance minister, made an announcement that the Socred government will support a program of wage restrictions ‘‘at least’”’ as tough as the federal. program. The im- plication of that is that B.C. labor can expect the right-wing Socred government to attempt to go even further in attacking living stan- dards than the federal program.

Meanwhile, a report released in

' B.C. this week by the B.C. Food — Advisory Council on factors af-

fecting the cost of food in the province, which is the highest in

North America, whitewashed the

food chains and put the major onus for high food prices on wages. It claimed that profits were not a big factor, but that wages, packaging and other administrative costs were the major reasons, and that food prices will continue to rise.

This report must certainly be one of the most shallow ever produced in B.C, and an insult to the in- telligence of the public. It turns out that the report failed to include in its study of food prices to what extent profits were a significant factor. Chairman of the Council, Barry Brown, explained this by saying the Council had a ‘‘limited budget” and therefore the study could not go into detailed research on the importance of profits.

B.C. Federation of Labor president George Johnston, a member of the council which conducted the study, told a press conference Monday that he had urged that the study “‘go beyond the farm gate’’ and investigate profits, and that because it did not

do so, Johnston said, the con-—

clusions are ‘‘not valid.”’

The 14-member B.C. Food Ad- visory Council was appointed in March, 1973 to advise former agriculture minister Dave Stupich on the food industry.

The report makes the charge that labor costs are the largest single identifiable factor in the retail price of food. But the report does not bother to explain that most food workers in B.C. from the Safeway and Supervalu (Weston)

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chains have been involved fol = months in negotiations for a wag increase after living under a two year agreement, and have still no received an increase. Since thert was no wage increase during thit period for the bulk of retail stort outlets, how could their wage i creases have had a major effect 0! the sharp food prices which havt occurred over the last two years

n t The study does not make al & attempt to disclose how monopol} 1 control of the food industry enable t the giant chains, such as Safewa! V

‘and Supervalu, who dominate th

retail food outlet in B.C., from e concealing their real profits all tht s way up the food ladder. They ow! ¢ and control bakeries, dairies yn packaging plants, fool y manufacturers, etc., and take the j, profit rakeoff at every step of tht food chain right up to the cas register in the supermarkets.

c tl gc With the federal and provincia governments’ freezing wagé A while at the same time cuttin A back on such programs I

_ children’s allowances, and

creasing the cost of importa! — services such as ICBC, ete s working people in B.C. face a yed ~ of severe attacks on their li

standards. United and mili a action is the only way workil people will be able to defend the interests from the attacks of D) business and their governments # 1976. :

=

MINING

Cont'd from pg: 1

imposed, the giant Comin@ operation in B.C. would still bene to the extent of another $8 millid to its net profits in 1976. Is it any wonder that president of the B.C. Chamber % Mines, R. F. Sheldon, told ¢ gathering of mining big sho Tuesday that “the pendulum hi SI swung around?”’ - The big concessions made to t mine companies stands in shal contrast to the attack on people welfare represented by-the ICB rate boost. After less than a mot in office the Socred governmeé has left no doubt that it is an ail People’s big business 4 ministration. be

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Cartoonist Linda Chobotuck whose work has frequently a Peak, prepared this humorous portrait of Fred Wilson w position in Toronto. Along with several other satirical sket Papers, it was presented to Fred last Saturday at a farewel

ppeared in the SFU student newspaper, The | ig this week to assume his new

ches, grouped under the title of The Wilson | yy; | party int Vancouver where more than 15 =

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organizations and individuals have lower premiums for motorists.

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people gathered to wish him well. — Peete ee A ex pe a Se MEE, ee Ree ae . —

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