AlO - Friday, September 21, 1984 - North Shore News

‘"We have a lot of pent-up salary needs.

By JOANNE MacDONALD

THE RECENT transit
strike on the Lower
Mainland has brought to
a head the question of
whether public sector
unions should strike.

Dr. Ross Regan, North
Vancouver School
District trustee, says he is
against public sector
union strikes.

Rev. Roy Dungey,
chairman of the North
Vancouver School Board,
says without the right to
Strike unions, of any
kind, could lose _ their

negotiating powers.

BACKLIT BY

the setting sun. cars travelling the rain-
soaked Mount Seymour Parkway during the late after.
noon rush hour take on a dramatic glow

“The problem to me ts
if unions of any kind
don’t have the rght to
strike, then they have no
power to negotiate. Then
they will continue to have
legislated or imposed set-
tlements without having
the option to withdraw
their services.

“Right now we have a
lot of pent up salary de-
mands or needs. Teachers
have had zero increases

imposed and those needs
are building up. Inflation
is still there. By taking a
zero increase they're ac-
tually taking minus five,
when across the country
they’re getting about
three and a half.

“'What they (the
umions) ultimately need is
a way to deal with
employers. With school
boards, we have a for-
muta situation and there’s

opposing views on the issues of the day

no room for inflation or
salary demands.

‘*But I also understand
that prolonged strikes
have serious effects on
people. I’m not sure our
teachers would opt for a
long strike due to their
dedication to their work.
If they struck, it would
not be due to money, it
would be a combination
of things. Let’s face it:
they’ve been bashed over

the last few years and
such things only build up
to a public demonstration
of dissatisfaction.

‘*As for the governme-
nt being able to legislate
unions back to. work,
they probably need that
ultimate power. They
have to govern for the
people, for the society
that elected them. | just
don’t see the government
giving up that power.

‘“‘It is wrong to use people as pawns.’”’

“*When collective
bargaining in the private
sector breaks down, the
purpose of a strike is to
evoke economic hardship
on an employer. But
when it breaks down in
the public sector, the
hardship is to the public.
The public sector unions
cannot hurt politicians,
but | feel it is wrong to
use senior citizens and
other people as pawns in

_ Interior

Design

a dispute.

‘The proper place to
voice their displeasure is
in the ballot box, not
with public demonstra-
tions.

‘*As for all public sec-
tor unions being essential
services — essential ser-
vices are hard to define. ]
believe that aspect is not
used extensively by the
provincial government —
they can never win when

Ernst Hofmann
Vat Miaarieagqgert

With a new set of Fog ligh

it comes to intervening in
a dispute — but then it
depends on whose ox is
being gored. | also don't
subscribe to. arbitration
boards as a means to set-
tling disputes simply
because they're’ short-
term bodies. They sit
down one day and they're
gone.

“What I’m advocating
is a Public Sector Media-
uuon Commission. The

members of the Commis-
sion would initially be
appointed by the gov-
ernment, based on
nominations from. the
private sector.
‘*The collective
bargaining process should
have a chance only up to
the time of the end of the
contract — collective
bargaining is only real-
istic when both sides are
willing to cooperate.

Policy set to protect
West Van greenbelts

IN AN effort to preserve the
intent of the Caulfeild
Plateau greenbelt, West Van-
couver municipal staff have
formulated a policy that wall
control the terms and cond.
trons of the restrictive
covenants placed on the
greenbelt areas

The greenbelt, were
established, in part. to pro
tect the land trom water and
wind erosion as well as pro-
vide boundaries
residences

between

Duc te pressure to develop
the plateau foots gases

Capacity the  NPusirapality

Has fou cf nee essatry tee

draft prise apdes that wood

Boverh the  prescrsyatrom oof
the preenbelt

Phe pohox anchades pros
Stoms for teplacemient plan
Ciny nthe exent that cxrstiag
trees ate removed the
“preening of any imonor en

croachments. providing they
do not extend more than 10
Per went oor VO feet of the
gicenbelnwidth, whichever is
less In ade no any blasting

Hans Saely

Syern ne Maange:

ts

done near the greegbelts must
take into account the safety
of existing trees.

Ald. Dave Finlay noted
that this policy was as yet still
a staff draft pohcy and not
the recommendations of
Council

‘There's a lot of work to
be done on it,’’ he said, and
recommended that the draft
be forwarded to the Parks
and Recreation Advisory
Commission and to the
Caulfeild Property Owner’s
Association for review

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