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Cadbury closes Quebec plant

Special to the Tribune

MONTREAL — Some 10,000 people responded to a call from the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CNTU-CSN) Nov. 1, to demonstrate in protest of unemployment, plant closures and to demand the right to a job. The demonstration was led by union members from Fry Cad-

“bury, Dupies Freres (a depart-

ment store in Montreal) ‘and Commonwealth Plywood, and took place outside the Cadbury plant.

Hector Aubin, president of the Cadbury Workers Union, a CSN affiliate, with great emotion thanked the demonstrators for their solidarity in the Cadbury workers’ struggle. He also thanked the public at large for re- specting the boycott of Cadbury, Welsh and Schweppes products.

Cadbury’s announced last Nov. 15, they would close their Montreal plant this year on the same date, and move their opera- tion to Ontario, leaving its 500 Montreal workers jobless. The company timed its announcement

and move to coincide with the

** .. Ifthe government had not found a way to make the order Stick the entire structure of its re- straint program would have col-

“From that point of view, the postal dispute was of crucial im- portance. Now that the govern- ment has confirmed its deter- mination to practise restraint in the public sector and has de- monstrated that it has the muscle to enforce compliance, other pub- lic service unions may avoid pur- suing confrontation tactics to the point of disobeying the law.’’ — Ronald Anderson, Toronto Globe and Mail, October 27, 1978. (Em- phasis added) : :

A leading editorial on the pre- vious day in the same paper did refer to the right to strike in the public services as not a right at all but a weapon, an awesome weapon, that must be done away with.

Unfortunately, this same edito- rial article was able at the same time to quote Dennis McDermott, president of the Canadian Labor Congress, as saying the indict- ments of Canadian Union of Postal Workers’ leaders were *‘a natural consequence of the government's reaction to de-

. fiance of the law,”’ and that ‘‘any-

one who takes that on expects such action.”

All of the above clearly illus- trates the inescapable truth of the position adopted by the Com- munist Party of Canada, when it Stated:

** |... The parliamentary major- ity of Liberals and Conservatives is hiding behind the excuse ‘it is the law’ to smash the postal workers union and if they can’t do that, behead it by putting its leadership in jail. The working class must not allow them to get away with it. There are just and unjust laws. Parliament adopted an unjust law to take away the democratic rights of workers.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—DECEMBER 1, 1978—

first and second anniversaries of the election in 1976 of the Parti Quebecois government.

CSN president Norbert Rod- rigue spoke to the demonstrators and denounced run-away multi- national corporations who close their doors to the workers and their families, in Quebec and around the world, in their greedy search for maximum profits.

Some 20 busloads of de- monstrators participated in a sol- idarity celebration at the Paul Sauve cultural centre following the protest.

The various speakers reflected the number of conflicts in which Quebec workers are currently in- volved. Robert Gaulin president of the Quebec Teachers Central (CEQ), Marcel Perreult, presi- dent of the Montreal local of the Canadian Union of Postal Work- ers, Andre Lauzon, president of the CSN’s central council, and Marc Gilbert, president of the union at the strike-bound radio stations CJMS, all reported on the struggles and various contribu- tions of different workers in the fights for job security, union rec-

ognition, better ‘working con-

ditions and decent wages. Montreal CUPW president

Marcel Perrault denounced the

federal government for adopting -

laws stripping workers of their democratic and trade union

rights. Perrault also -criticized 4 Canadian Labor Congress presi- 4 dent Dennis McDermott and the 4 New Democratic Party for failing # to back the postal workers. The & ~CUPW leader stressed that a¥

trade unionist, particularly a labor leader, above all should defend

the interests of those who gave #

him the right to represent them. Perrault also said such a leader should place the interests of the working class above the interests of the government or whatever political party he supports.

The experience of the postal workers linked with the experi- ences of workers throughout Canada demonstrates the need for a government made up of people who will represent the in- terests of working people. It calls

for the election to parliament this -

spring, of a progressive majority which would include com- munists.

Should workers

obey unjust laws?

The workers have not only the right but the duty to oppose unjust laws. This was made Clear at the Nuremburg trial of Nazi war crim- inals.

“‘Unfortunately the right wing in the trade union movement and in the New Democratic Party have also been hiding behind ‘it is the law’ to undermine solidarity support for the postal workers ... It is not too late to correct this situation. It is all the more neces- sary to do so because not only postal employees, not only employees in the public service, but workers and their unions in the private sector are also under attack. Monopoly is out to undermine collective bargaining if it can. :

‘‘Nor must workers lose sight of the fact that it was a parliamen- tary majority of Liberals and Conservatives which opened up this attack on the rights of work- ers. These parties speak for monopoly, they act for monopo- ly, they defend monopoly. As long as they constitute the majori- ty, the working people will be fighting with one hand behind their backs. It’s time to change this and shift the balance of power in parliament as part of the strug- gle to defend and advance the standards, rights and conditions of working people ...”

The. Communist Party state-

ment then called on the trade unions, the NDP, the working farmers, youth and women, all

who value democratic freedom to

beat back the attack on the postal

workers, whose fight is the fight of

the entire working class for job

security, for rising standards, and

for getting the benefits of automa-

tion instead of being its victims. 2 : * * *

It is indeed to be regretted that Edward Broadbent, leader of the New Democratic Party, still seems unable to see the forest for the trees. His advocacy of Page 8

submission and capitulation to arbitrary and unjust measures be- cause “it is the law’’ may gain respectability in the eyes of the corporate establishment and its kept mass media and politicians. But it will not win the hearts and minds of the working people who constitute the great majority of the people of this country, whom the press is always referring to as that mystical entity ‘‘the general public’.

It is all very well for Tom Jackson, the chairman of the British Trade Union Congress, to criticize the decision of his col- leagues not to back Mr. Cal- laghan’s 5% ceiling on pay de- mands, by claiming the trade union movement ‘‘has lost its way.’ It may sound brave when

‘the U.K. Labor government

dares to ‘‘kiss the unions good- bye.” But its “‘love affair,” if there ever was one with the work- ing class in Britain, now appears to be over. The parliamentary Labor Party cannot win the battle alone.

Fifty-seven thousand Ford workers have won a 17% wage increase after a tenacious and hard-fought strike. And other workers are demanding from 20 to 40%, because since 1975 the an- nual inflation rate has been re- duced from 25% to 7.8% at the sole expense of the working class. Mr. Callaghan may raise the in- terest rate by two-and-one-half per cent, and declare it a ‘‘make or break time”’ for Britain. But the monetary weapon cuts both ways, as Mr. Callaghan and his colleagues will soon discover.

The final outcome will be de- termined, not by parliamentary maneuvering, but by the struggle

_ of the British working people. Let

those in Canada who harbor doubts about that, pay particular attention to developments there

and elsewhere, this coming wint-—

er.

ral Executive

Rejecting a Quebec government offer to keep their Montreal pla i

open, Cadbury’s went ahead and moved to Ontario leaving 500 joble> behind. “Bar Cadbury”, the slogan on the sign, is the theme of a boy©? : campaign by Quebec labor which retail distributors here say cut Ca bury products sales by as much as 50%. a

CUPW sends letter of thanks to CPC

TORONTO — Responding to the Communist Party’s Oct. 26 statement calling for all out sup- port for the postal workers in their valliant fight for justice, the Canadian Union of Postal Work- ers has expressed its “‘sincere thanks”’ for-the party’s support.

* In a letter to the party’s Cent-

Committee, (CEC), signed by CUPW Na- tional Secretary-Treasurer Le Roy Hiltz, Nov. 9, the union stressed the need for total sup- ‘port by the labor movement for the postal workers to win their fight.

“On behalf of the members

and officers of the Canadian ~

Union of Postal Workers, I wish to express our sincere thanks for your support in our struggle.” Hiltz wrote. : ‘*Keeping in mind the events that have occured over the past few weeks, it is absolutely neces- sary that we have the full support of the trade union movement in

order for us to overcome the rep- —

ressive anti-union legislation that

‘has been brought forward by our

employer. , :

‘‘We are in a battle to restore the free collective bargaining process and with the support of the trade union movement we will succeed’’, the CUPW letter concluded.

The Oct. 26 CEC statement is- sued as a’press release by the Communist Party of Canada, came the day following the RCMP raids on CUPW head- quarters and regional offices. The raids were part of the gov- ernment’s blitzkrieg assault against CUPW to force postal

workers to end their 10-day -

strike. - The CEC charged the federal government with trying to smash CUPW in the same way a previ- ous Liberal Party government had crushed the Canadian Sea- man’s Union. ‘‘Their aim is to compel all workers to accept the

Price $5.00

1979 CALENDAR

The calendar consists of a 17’’x27’’, 100% linen, silkscreen print. The single sketch, let- tering, and calendar portion is in black print. The print‘is ideal for framing.

Se semscte:

Mail to: ANC (SA), Box 302, Adelaide Postal Station - ss Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 2J4 aie

lowering of living standards (and) take away collective bat gaining rights from all workers ! the public service, including 4@ certification.” 4 Instead of coming to grips with the problems facing Canadi working people, the governmell in its bankruptcy, was trying " cover its trail-of guilt by looki® for scapegoats — Communis! —,the CEC charged. |, The statement called for totd support behind the postal work ers. ‘‘Now more than ever, ? postal workers need the bac of the entire trade union mov’ ment, of working people all ove

the country, of all democrat!

minded Canadians’, the pat said. ° : % $ Referring to the CUPW 4 mands, the CEC continued: ‘they demand they be consult on technological change. Thé) demand job security. They 4¢ mand wage increases to maint living standards. They demand! solution to their grievances wil respect to their working cond! tions. They must be helped @ win.” eta

The party called for the gov

‘ernment to drop all charge

against the union and its officef “If charges are to be laid’, th! statement declared, ‘‘it should b' against those in government all parliament responsible for th! present debacle.”’

The Canadian Labor Congres was also called upon to “‘live J to its responsibility to the spirit unity and solidarity which is th! basis of strength of the trad union movement, and undertak a country-wide campaign in sup port of those demands and th dropping of all charges agains the union and its leaders.

‘‘Most importantly’, th! Communist Party said, ‘‘th workers must unite in politicé action to achieve a progressi¥ majority, including communists in parliament.”’