So eas

Build workers’ political power

By WILLIAM KASHTAN Leader, Communist Party of Canada

A conspiracy is afoot. The target is working class stan- nights jobs and trade union

The weapon of unemployment is being used to achieve these

The Eemment could, if it

_ Wished, bring about a drop in

unemployment by expanding the economy and undertaking other Measures to create employment. The Turner Budget has not done this: Inistead its aim was the achievement of “neutrality,” that is, don’t let the economy expand, and don’t allow it to drop too far down.

What this means is that mass unemployment is being used ac- cording to the Government, to ‘fight” inflation. In reality, how- €ver, unemployment is being used to attack wages and living Standards.

Through high unemployment “the Government and monopoly hope to force the workers and Wage -demands, or at least, to limit these demands to cost of living escalator clauses. This

Would suit monopoly well and . assure it high profits through in- ,

creased exploitation of the work- ing class. WAGE FREEZE THREATS

The attack on living standards through high unemployment is

Coupled with threats of a man- ,

datory incomes policy if the workers do not limit their wage demands to cost of living esca- lators..

Prime Minister Trudeau, who up to recently opposed an “in- comes” policy seems to have opened the door for such ‘a pol- icy when he declared recently, “wages and prices are pricing

Canadian products out of the |

market, at home and abroad.” It is a clear threat against col- lective bargaining and the right to strike. An incomes policy di- rected against wages means to freeze the present unequal dis- tribution cf wealth and ensure it is weighted against the working

class and working people. Con- | sidering that the present distri- |

bution of income has favored

monopoly and the rich, there can.

be only one sound “incomes”

pelicy the working class can |

support, and that is one which

controls prices so as to eliminate |

profiteering and. assuring rising incomes corresponding with an increase of the national product.

PERMANENT UNEMPLOYMENT

The weapon of unemployment and the threat of an incomes pol- icy is coupled with a third line of attack by Government. and monopoly, that of maintaining permanent unemployment and

_ eliminating the pretence of a pol-

icy of full employment. As the Communist Party has warned more than once, Government ~ economic policy has moved away from che oneeet of full employ-

ment to a policy of maintaining unemployment at the level of 6 to 7%. Such an economic -policy has as its aim.the weakening of the working class and trade union movement. The capitalist media makes no bones as to what is behind such a policy —

pressure to compel the working class to forego its just demands.

i |

i

‘WILLIAM KASHTAN

The conspiracy extends to col- , lective bargaining. Governments and moncpoly are out to over- haul labor legislation, not with the aim of enabling the working class to have a say over produc- tion, technological change, acci- dent, safety and health. The

contrary / is the case. The pur- pose of this overhauling of col- lective bargaining is to weaken the ability of the workers to de- fend themselves against increas-

ed capitalist exploitation in con- ditions of inter imperialist trade wars.’

THE LAY-OFFS CONSPIRACY

The conspiracy extends to lay- _offs. The recession is increasing- ly being used. as.a reason for so doing. In actual fact, however, many of these layoffs have noth- ing to do with recession. But they do have to do with a mon- opoly: drive to discipline the workers, weed out the militants and undermine militancy in the ranks of the working class.

Unfortunately, instead of giv- ing a lead to the workers and the trade unions of how to cope with this conspiracy, right wing trade unions leaders and the

' right wing in the NDP tend to

conciliate, ‘to retreat, to capitu- late. Some recent. settlements are far. from satisfactory. The right wing in the NDP is still clamoring for mandatory wage and price ‘controls, which in the given situation means wage con- trols. Their line is directed to help capitalism resolve its con- tradiction at..the expense of ‘working class standards, rather than taking a course of consist- ant class struggle, of united ac- tion for new economic policies, for a new direction for Canada. THE WAY FORWARD

The way forwafd for the | working class and working peo- ‘

ple is not through retreats but through the development of stra- tegy and tactics that will lead to advance and the curbing of the power of monopoly.

, The working class-and trade

The struggle to preserve the

_ Sains won in, Portugal’s 1974

break from fascism continued amid planted rumor, right-wing Violence; and a boast by. former President, de Spinola (operating in Brazil and Europe) that he has “outside” funds to aid the Counter-revolution.

~ While the capitalist media per- sists in distortions of the situa-

’ tion as Ss the playing

seportuguese workers crid democrats S emgnvinah inister Vasco Goncalves, and defiance of CIA-

Portuguese battle to preserve

down of the half hour strike call- ed by the Portugal’s two million- strong trade union federation, Intersindi¢al, in which hundreds of thousands in the Lisbon-Setu- bal .area alone downed tools) Portuguese patriots stand firm against rightist attack.

Reports at press time indicate © a set-back for those attempting ‘to oust Prime Minister Vasco Goncalves, and increasing unity of defenders of the revolution,

even to a common front of the

fe support. for the revolutionary Gimnisk ot of Prime fascist attempts to turn back the clock to fascism.

Communists’ and non-commun- ists.

The facts emerging from a welter .of contradictory news stories suggest that President Costa Gomes and the Revolu-

tionary Council of the Armed

‘Forces Movement have, despite threats of armed violence, con- tinued to back Prime Minister Goncalves, while the nine dissi- dent officers were, at that mo- ment at least, unable to force the PM’s ouster.

union movement cannot defend standards, jobs and trade union rights without fighting for new economic. policies including a policy of full employment and the extension of trade with the socialist and newly liberated countries. They cannot defend their standards without combat- ting inflation and inflation can-

not be combatted without com- ing to grips with the arms drive. Peace, detente and disarmament are inseparable. from the battle for full employment and rising standards.

The workers and their trade unions should not allow them- selyes to be taken in by the mass media which speaks, about recovery around the corner. This is aimed at weakening the strug- gle for reduced. hours df ‘work with no reduction in take home pay. and for earlier voluntary re- tirement based on substantial inereaseg in pension. eytants. including hew écoriomic. policies based on full ‘employment.

UNITY AND ACTION.

The conspiracy of Big Busi- ness can be defeated through united trade union and working ‘class action, and _ through united political-action. These are vital ingredients. of a victori- ous strategy for the working class.-

What is needed today. 8 to shift the balance of power in favor of the working class and

democratic forces. As long as the parties of monopoly are in the driver’s seat, they will re- flect the aims of monopoly and its drive for maximum profits. Right wing NDP policy however will not change this. Indeed it is ‘not calculated to change this situation. When Stephen Lewis can be quoted as saying in the Globe and Mail that “Ontario sees us as a much more integrat- ed part of the whole system,” it is clear that not much can be expected from the right wing in the way of a genuinely alterna- tive program to the parties of monopoly. The aim of united political action is not to inte- grate the working class and its democratic allies in the (capi- talist) system but to advance a program which will challenge capitalism and curb monopoly power. The strongest and most effective form of working class _unity at this stage’ lies in politi-_ cal action by labor around a basically anti-monopoly pro- gram.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

These are important questions for the working class this Labor ~ Day. The trade union movement has grown in strength. Its econo- mic power has increased in nego- tiations. But its, gains are being undermined every day because it has not yet used its political power effectively and well. This

is the challenge this Labor Day. And it needs to be combined with the struggle it wages for a plan of economic development, for an investment policy aimed at achieving full employment and for public ownership of energy and’ natural resources. This must be combined with its effective leadership of a consist- ent and many-sided struggle -against racism, and for the ex- tension of democracy, and a ceaseless battle to implement the promise of the European Con- ference on Security and Coop- eration, a peaceful Europe in a peaceful world; based on poli- cies of disarmament, equality of security, and peaceful coexist- ence.

Every trade unionist will wel- come the visit of the CLC dele- gation to the USSR, headed by its president, Mr.° Morris... It marks an important: break with cold war attitudes which. have done great. harm. to: the trade union movement in Canada. It opens up new prospects of strengthening cooperation be- tween the Canadian and Soviet trade union movement and of stimulating further the trend to. unity of the trade-union move- ‘ment on a world scale. It opens up better conditions for strength- ening the battle to achieve a united, sovereign and indepen- dent trade union movement ih Canada, having equal fraternal relations with all trade unions throughout the world..

Labor Day this year has the promise for new and greater ad- vances for the working people of our country.

LABOR

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—AUGUST 29, 1975—Page 5