Editorials

Discrimination

HE Social Credit Government’s move to deprive 5000 B.C.

Electric employees of bargaining rights can only be described

as gross discrimination against a key group of workers. Still worse,

it is a deadly blow at the stability of industrial relations in British Columbia.

There is no logic in a situation which exempts a Crown Corpora- tion from the law which governs employer-employee relations in the industrial community. Trade unionists rightly interpret the action of the Labour Relations Board as further evidence of the Govern- ment’s intention to weaken and destroy collective bargaining.

Opposition Leader, Robert Strachan, MLA, is to be commended for his firm stand on the issue. Formerly, he fought for the rights of the civil servants when Bill 123 was before the Legislature. At that time the Act which muzzled the B.C. Provincial Government Em- ployees’ Association made exceptions for the employees of the B.C. Power Commission, the Liquor Control Board, and the P.G.E.—all Crown Corporations. Subsequently, the Leader of the Opposition asked in vain for clarification for the rights of employees of the BCE and the Black Ball Ferry system.

Premier Bennett’s evasions on all occasions now disclose a de- liberate plan to rob a large trade union segment of established rights. To carry out his intention, the next logical step would be to impose compulsory arbitrataion on all trade unions.

Crown Corporation employees, and civil servants are now offered something less than compulsory arbitration or the status of com- pany unions. Their right to organize, gain certification as a legal bargaining agency, submit disputes to conciliation, and secure exe- cution of a negotiated agreement have been brushed aside. Either they submit to an economic dictatorship in all aspects of wages and working conditions or risk an illegal protest on the picket lines.

The Government, as an employer, has set an example which will be followed by other employers. The closed shop, negotiated by the Electrical Workers, is a special target. Under cover of this attack, the union shop may easily be the next feature of union agreements to be removed by law. If the Government has its way, collective bar- gaining will become a mockery.

Since the Government has once again declared war on the trade unions and exempted itself from the Jaw, who can marvel if the

trade unions choose to fight with their own weapons. In such cir- cumstances, what price industrial peace?

Don't Be Confused

OLITICAL confusion over Canada’s trading relations should not

confuse IWA members intent upon successful negotiations

this year. Export trade in B.C. lumber will continue to flourish.

Economic observers agree that, whatever the developments in trans-

Atlantic trading relations, a primary industry such as lumber pro-

duction does not stand to lose. Both the United States and Europe will remain a buyers’ market for B.C. lumber.

Only the protected secondary industries are fearful of being sacri- ficed. If industry stands pat on nineteenth century commercial poli- cies with out-moded protectionist devices, Canada will deny itself the advantages of a major trading nation and invite stagnation and eventual decline.

Ig Canada remains aloof from any trading bloc, an expanding European economy, now likely to include Britain, will require more B.C. forest products. If negotiations lead to freer trade, lumber exports will find a better trans-Atlantic market.

The demand of Pacific Northwest American lumber producers for increased tariffs against Canadian lumber will find a deaf ear in Congress, upon approval of President Kennedy’s intention to use new trade instruments. Lumber tariffs are more likely to go down than up in American plans to increase the volume of world trade.

Management is being told by its own economic advisors that Canada is in the squeeze between the Common Market and the United States. Canadian industry must concentrate on those things which it can produce best and most cheaply that the consumer may enjoy reduced living costs.

Industry has been admonished by these same economic aides for spending too much time on haggling over wage increases and attempting to cripple trade unions, while productivity could be in- creased three-fold through greater efficiency.

Mismanagement is so great, executive rewards are so high, that increased wages could easily be paid without increasing competitive costs, states a noted economist.

A survey of the situation leads to obvious conclusions.

The growth of the Common Market, with Britain a member, will not damage our forest products, base metal and other primary industries.

The trade union political pressures, which must now accompany economic action, must be aimed at freer trade.

The British Columbia forest products industry can be made to produce lumber with efficiency and at competitive prices which can still provide for better wage standards.

Publication date of the next issue of the WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER is January 18. Deadline for ad copy is January 4,

and for news copy January 5.

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WOMEN AT

Although more Canudian women than ever are How iob-holders, the proportion is higher still

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DuPont Head Predicts

25% Unemployment

Fifteen per cent of the Canadian work force unemployed within three years and possibly 25% within five years was the prediction of Frank Capon, Vice-President of Du Pont of Canada Ltd. speaking to a meet- ing of the Toronto Branch of the Controllers Institute of America.

Mr. Capon said that technological advances have made it possible for machines to produce most Canadian needs and more changes are in store. The speaker added that the answers to the main economic problems lie with government.

Strikers

Win New Contract

About 780 workers in three Southern Ontario textile plants voted to end their 17-day strike against Hamilton Cotton Co. Ltd. after winning an 81-cent-an- hour package in a new 20-month contract.

The agreement affects Hamil-

ton Cotton workers in Hamilton, Dundas and Trenton. The em- ployees are members of the Tex- tile Workers Union of America.

The employees, who’ were being paid below the national average of $1.41 an hour for the cotton industry, will get a 6-cent wage boost in three 2-cent stages plus a Physicians Services Inc. medical care plan worth another 2% cents. The agreement matched a conciliation board recommendation. Hamilton Cot- ton had offered 5 cents over 18 months.

New Nuclear Member?

Any doubt that Canada is getting nuclear arms was dispelled with re- cent reports of exercises by the RCAF.

The air force is using its new, U.S.-built F101 Voodoo interceptors as though they carried rockets with nuclear warheads.

Practices with conventional arma- ments are also being programmed. The Voodoo, an expensive super- sonic two-seater, carries armament racks capable of carrying both con- ventional and nuclear weapons.

Different types of practice exer- cises are required for the different types of weapons, however.

The government is pretending it has not yet decided the issue of nuclear arms, but the evidence in terms of BOMARC bases and other preparations point to one inescapable conclusion.

5.4% Out

Meanwhile the Dominion Bureau of Statistics show that 5.4% of the working force was out of work com- pared with 6.6% last year. This con- tinued to trend to a slight better-

* ment in the employment picture over last year which started in August.

The improvement was due largely to the manufacturing industry. Con-

struction and transportation showed seasonal declines.

The 349,000 jobless included 291,000 men and 58,000 women. Thirty per cent of unemployed men were under 25 years of age, more than half of whom were married.

PIONEER SAWS Lp.

PEYERBOROUGH, CANADA

The issue centres around of so-called “postmark advertise- ments”—those little slogans often accompanied by illustrations of ships, hypodermic needles, Mount Rushmore or storks that are im- printed on envelopes by the users of postage meters.

For years, the “meter ads” have appeared on envelopes alongside the imprinted postmark and postage pro- moting good causes (‘Give the United Way”) or selling a variety of items including worms (“Catch the gran‘daddies with Tenn-Tucky Lake worms”). Not a single protest came from the public.

But recently, more meter users have been turning to politically tinged slogans and therein lies the problem.

For example, early last year the Post Office department asked meter users to stop imprinting the slogan of the John Birch Society: “This is a republic, not a democracy. Let's keep it that way.”

Unfortunately either the Post Office is not pressing the issue or the John Birch Society has good friends in the meter firm as the slogan is still appearing on their envelopes.

The Philadelphia AFL-CIO Hu- man Rights Committee have not been so fortunate. When they applied to Pitney-Bowes, Inc., the Company that makes the meters, for permis- sion to use the slogan: “Labour

fights for civil rights”, they were turned down cold.

Here in Canada postage meter slogans bear no political overtones. But they do have boners like the one a few years ago which saw printed in big bold type on Family Allowance cheques the words: “Recreation Pays Dividends”,

Sheffield in England has been famous for its manufactures of cut- lery since the 14th century.

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