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CANADA

anada Post rejects overtures

from GUPW, forces strike

By KERRY McCUAIG

Canada Post walked out of talks with the union representing its 23,000 inside workers, demonstrat- ing clearly its intention to force a confrontation with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, no mat- ter what the costs.

The union approached the cor- poration Sept. 30, the first day of rotating strike action, with what it called a ‘serious offer’ which showed a willingness on its part to move on every major item. How- ever, Canada Post refused to budge.

Indeed the corporation has invested so much in strike prepara- tion that it would be reluctant to

throw in the towel before being |,

assured it could proceed, unham- pered by union restraints, with its plans to franchise postal outlets. Many of the country’s 20 major postal sorting plants now resemble armed fortresses, surrounded by heavy mesh fencing, topped with barbed wire. Helicopter pads have been set up in major centres to ferry management personnel in and out of the plants. Inside cots have been set up and cafeterias stocked to provide for replacement

workers. : The corporation has invested

millions of dollars advertising for, hiring and training a force of 12,000 strikebreakers, plus millions more in a public relations cam- paign.

Other postal employees are being coerced to take part in break- ing the strike. About 600 members of the communications division of the Public Service Alliance were threatened with layoffs if they refused temporary placement in strikebound plants. PSAC is ap- pealing to the Public Service Commission to intervene.

The Letter Carriers Union, which has an accord with CUPW allowing workers to cross each other’s picket lines, reports its members would “only be doing their jobs.” But letter carriers vice- president Mike Villemaire, told the Tribune the corporation may try to force its members to do CUPW work.

To avoid giving the Tories an excuse to order them back to work, CUPW has undertaken rotating strikes. However the Montreal local, with 3,000 members, bucked the national executive and is on a permanent walkout.

While things have been rela- tively quiet in Montreal, two Hamilton pickets were hospital- ized for injuries received during an early morning confrontation with police, last Thursday. Local presi- dent Bill Dalgleish told the Tribune he was “stunned” by the force used against strikers.

It was mainly women on the line when the police moved in pushing, shoving and throwing people to the ground. A truck managed to leave the postal sta- tion and a bus load of about 40 scabs were brought in.

The incident was a departure in police-labour relations in the highly industrialized city. Hamil- ton police have traditionally re- fused to get involved in labour

disputes. Dalgleish said the union has met with the labour relations officer for the department and has been assured the scene would not be repeated.

Ontario Federation of Labour president Gord Wilson has ap- pealed to police not to do the “dirty work”’ of postal minister, Harvie Andre and escort re- placement workers through lines.

Both CUPW and labour rela- tions experts have predicted that using strikebreakers to move the mails is a recipe for bloodshed.

The labour movement has issued an appeal to all its affiliates to stop using the mails, whether or . not the local union is out.

A telegram sent by the OFL to all labour council presidents calls for the immediate convening of strike support committees. Mass picket line solidarity is urged along with the video monitoring, especially during the overnight hours when the Post Office is most likely to move the mails and scabs in and out of the plants.

Local areas are also being asked to line up neutral citizens committees made up of religious leaders and others to monitor police activity.

PHOTO — COMBAT

Members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers stand outside a substation in downtown Montreal on the first day of rotating strikes against Canada Post. The labour movement has called for a total boycott of the mails, whether or not focal unions are out.

In Hamilton the union has

“*Such a committee is essential given the obvious bias of police forces in favour of the corpora- tion,”’ the labour leader said, ac- cusing the postal minister of pro- voking violence in order to turn public opinion away from the union.

However, it is a formula which could backfire on the govern- ment. The sight of police bashing up trade unionists on-picket lines does not curry the same favour it once did. The public was largely appalled by the scenes it wit- nessed on TV during the letter carriers’s strike and the naked show of force by riot-equipped police attacking the Gainers’ line was instrumental in turning Peter

violent confrontations on the Gainers picket line in 1986, Canada Post has hired a fleet of buses to take scabs across lines at strike-bound sorting stations.

In Toronto and Montreal, where 85 per cent of the country’s mail passes, the corporation, in an effort to avoid the difficulties en- countered during the letter car- riers strike, this time chartered school buses equipped with wire mesh from a numbered Montreal firm.

During June’s LCUC strike, Toronto transit buses were used, nearly sparking a walkout by the drivers, members of the Amalga- mated Transit workers. The driv- ers had refused to take the vehi-

learned the corporation paid

$80,000 to a local truck servicing firm to bullet proof and provide slash proof tires for the buses.

Public support for the union is high. Labour, womens, anti- poverty and unemployed groups held a press conference on the eve of the strike condemning the government for cuts and services and creating cheap labour through its franchising agenda.

Solidarity demonstrations were held in many centres. About 150 people gathered in front of the Edmonton postal station as barbed wire fences were erected around the facility.

““We’re here to show the cor-

Pocklington’s name into a dirty word across the country. Obviously learning from the

cles across picket lines and kept the letter carriers’ union informed of the whereabouts of the scabs.

poration we have the support, even though we aren’t out on strike here yet,’’ a member said.

CP addresses women’s, Native groups

Unity to foil Meech Lake

TORONTO — The Communist Party of Canada has sent a letter to women’s and national people’s organizations and movements across the country informing them of the party’s opposition to the Meech Lake Accord.

Under the signature of party leader William Kashtan, the Sept. 24 letter points out that the Meech Lake Accord fails to face up to the reality of the French-Canadian nation in Quebec and its right to self-determination. It denies full equality to women. It “denies the rights of Native peoples to regional self-government’’ and to resources on their lands. The accord ‘‘opens the door to decen- tralization,”” weakening federal ability to deal with economic issues and further develop social pro- grams like child care.

(The Communist Party’s full position is outlined in the joint statement on the Accord drafted with the Parti communiste du Quebec earlier this sum- mer, and enclosed with the letter.)

Kashtan praises women’s movements for fighting *‘for the right to equality to be spelled out

6 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, OCTOBER 7, 1987

in the Constitution.” However, he decried the Tory government’s attempt to play off women’s rights against national rights as ‘‘calculated to divide the forces which should be united.”’

The issue at stake, the Communist Party points out, is the uniting of both struggles into one power- ful movement. This can be done only “‘if the right to self-determination of the French-Canadian people is supported.”

The party calls for the building of alliances be- tween the democratic women’s movements in English-speaking Canada and Quebec ‘‘in the fight for their common interests.”’

The Communist Party said the same unity is needed to win the rights of the Native peoples. ‘“They must support the democratic right of equal- ity of women, and women must support (the Na- tive people’s) right to regional self-government

_ Only with this kind of unity, the letter concludes, is there hope of victory.

Law school discriminates

TORONTO — A group c 124 women students, profe: sors and legal researchers file a complaint with the Ontari Human Rights Commissio Sept. 28 claiming systemati sex discrimination at Yor University’s Osgoode Ha law school.

Prompting the action we the passing over of associat dean Mary Jane Mossman fe the position of dean. She wa the. best candidate say th complainants, but was nc named because she is woman.

The group says this was tt “straw that broke the camel back.’ The 124 charge th school with failing to ensur women’s full and equal parti cipation in academic life, an that sexist attitudes toward women students and acade mics are prevalent.

CSIS spies on peace groups

OTTAWA — The CSIS i again looking for reds unde the beds. This time it is pu suing what it claims to b “Soviet agents or peopl under Soviet influence”’ in th Canadian peace movement.

The story was broken Sept 29 by NDP MP Sven Robin son, who released copies 0 CSIS’s internal job posting for a manager to direc analysts ‘‘looking at Sovie

‘influence in the peace move

ment.”’

The job, based at CSI headquarters, involves direct ing three ‘‘analysts’’. In Eng lish, it was described as Uni Head, Peace and _ Part Fronts, Counter-subversion.

Harney resigns as NDP leader

QUEBEC CITY — Quebe! NDP leader Jean-Paul Har ney, 56, said Sept. 29 that tht is resigning as provincial NDI leader after three years at hi! post. He cited persona

financial and health reasons a:

factors.

Tories nix Meech changes

OTTAWA — Final debate on the Meech Lake constitu- tional accord began in the Commons Sept. 29 with thé government asserting it wil allow no changes whatsoever:

Despite charges across the country that the accord denies the rights of the French-Canadian nation 1 Quebec, Native peoples; women, northern residents and others, all three political parties have said they will vote for it.