“FEDERATION OUTLINES DEMANDS —

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1973

Vol. 34, No. 44

LABOR AFFIRMS STAND

FOR CHAN

BCFL presid united streng

_ officers’ choice

ent George Jo th. Photo b

to replace Haynes as secretary-treasurer.

hnston is shown delivering his opening address calling for labor to stand on its own elow shows BCFL vice presidents and Haynes. Next to Haynes is Len Guy who is

Sean Griffin photos

GES IN ACT

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By SEAN GRIFFIN

When thunderous applause greeted the introduction of NDP MLA Colin Gabelmann as one of two MLAs who opposed certain sections of the proposed labor code, it sounded the note of the B.C. Federation of Labor’s 18th an- nual convention.

For twenty years, trade unionists fought for the election of an NDP government to shake off the shackles of Socred rule but even after the election of the new government the Federation was determined to maintain its in- dependence and militancy — and held to that pledge with the cam- paign to obtain amendments to Bill : Sts

Both the report of the executive council and the report of the legislative committee contained lengthy statements on the labor code, outlining the pros and cons of the legislation and affirming the Federation's opposition to the bill in its present form. Both reports were the subject of debate for the first two days of the convention.

Federation president George Johnston told delegates at the out- set in his report that ‘“‘we are not happy that the bright political prospects that I spoke so glowingly about a year ago have been badly tarnished by the insistence of this government in spurning our proposed amendments to Bill 11 and using the same old worn-out phrase parrotted by the employer: ‘Let's give it a try!”

“We haven't bought that ap- proach in the past and, if we know this Federation, we are not going to buy it in the future,” Johnston declared.

The brief presented by the Federation on its proposals for labor legislation as well as the specific amendments to Bill I were available in every delegate’s convention kit and as secretary Ray Haynes pointed out in the ex- ecutive report, they were both “the most comprehensive, detailed and specific in their recommen- dations.”

In outlining the Federation’s position Haynes noted that “we must honestly recognize the failure of many MLAs to take a stand in support of NDP policy and their lack of concern for the trade union movement which worked so hard to elect them.

‘We believe,’ Haynes said,

“that delegates to this convention must discuss the problem of the government and MLAs not up- holding the labor policies on which they campaigned.”

Delegates were asked to hold debate on Bill II, and Tuesday mor- ning, when debate was scheduled, delegates lined up at the microphones to discuss the Federations position.

Provincial council of Carpenters secretary Lorne Robson led off the debate, outlining the difficulties suffered by the construction in- dustry under the Social Credit anti- labor legislation.

‘Bill 43 — passed by the Socreds — was a plan to break the backs of the construction unions,’ Robson said. ‘‘Bill II still doesn’t give the right to information picketing and to go along with the code is to go along with the destruction of con- struction unions in British Colum- bia.””

“We plan to go ahead with infor- mation picketing labor code or no,” he declared.

Last February, the provincial council, of Carpenters presented a lengthy brief to the Barrett govern- ment which emphasized the sharp decline in union organization in the construction industry as a result of the ban on information picketing established by the Social Credit legislation.

Of particular concern to fishermen and emphasized also by

See UNIONS, pg. 11

RAY HAYNES, BCFL secretary- treasurer, announcing his resignation at the opening session of the convention.