PASS the demerol, I feei some acute labor pains coming on. Unpleasant, yes, bur, in this province, unavoidable. A hast of issues have torqued up the discomfort level acrass the land, but some are more unsetiling than others. True, there have been recent labor relations suc- cesses spearheaded by Victoria, but their costs are still being tabulated. The bill for the B.C. gov- ernment employees, the hos- pital employees and B.C. teachers contract settlements was last scen heading beyond $300 million. But costs aside, the relentless push to unionize the province continues apace. Even before they hit the streets, the NDP's farest pro- posed changes to the province’s Labor Code were being roundly assailed by the business community as more pro-labor, anti- -business bunk. Target for today for the NDPers is the construction industry, where the newly minted Bill 26 Labor Code amendments will impose master collective agreements in the industry’s industrial, commercial and institutional sectors. “The amendments, in effect, force all cmplovers and employees to abide by the terms of said master agreements whether they can atford them or not. “The changes water down the more extreme aspects of last year’s mothballed Bill 44, but they are the first steps on the road to realizing its original goals. _. ~. Bill 44, among other things, aimed to hit the province’s vital construction industry between the eyes -with a legislative qwo- by-four _ by'imposing master agree-- ments for all unionized firms | _ina given industry sector ——- yarns thereby subverting the col- lective agreemeni process for workers and individual busi- Nesses, But the roar of outraged business grew too much, even for the hard of hearing folk in Victoria. Bill 44 was shelved. Two labor relations review committees were then appointed by Victoria to address labor relations con- cerns. Much earnest discussion took place; little earnest fis- tening resulted. Despite business pleas to retool the Labor Code to balance the interests of unions and business, nothing of real value made i itto the review committecs’ recom- mendation stage. According to the law firm of Heenan Blaikie, the com- mittees’ proposals missed the mark, Their overall result, the faw firm cancluded, would be richer and less flex- ible collective agreements that “further erode employer and employee control over - the terms and conditions under which (a) business will operate.” And, according to the law firm’s assessment, the com- Mittees “ignored the real problem with labor relations in British Columbia ... col- lective bargaining is not responsive to the needs and circumstances of individual businesses.” The rationale behind more labor-friendly legislation escapes me. Atter all Bill 84, the NDP’s 1992 benchmark pay- off to Big Labor, basically laid the groundwork for the WEST YORK CONSTRUCTION LTD “B.C. Homebuilders Association " Georgie Winner” Experience ‘what WEST YORK has to offer in new and "decorative ways of rejuvenating and changing the appearance of your home or business. We are “Professional Renovators” We carry liability and WCB insurance We have excellent references . We offer free : quotation: Call 684-2721 PS, | Ask for our free copy of “How to pick a renovator” S.Laursen & Son Draperies and Blinds Ltd. Serving the x Lower Mainland since 197. co Te Sole ~ “Another 0 one of our designs, For Free Estimate call 922-4975 of 987-2966 (Ask about our Seniors Discount} Labour $12.50 per panel unlined, $13.50 fined. Custom Rods, Upholstery & Bedspreads nS GFOW! unionization of B.C. by, among other things, remov- ing sceret ballot voting in union certification drives and automatically certifying trade unions within a company if 55% or more of the compa- nv’s workers sign union cards. The labor relations review committees chose to disre- gard the fundamental anti- democratic nature of both issues and left them untouched. And they remain thus in the most recent changes to the Labor Code. Little surprise then to learn in the daily press of a credibility crisis at the Labor Relations Board. The board is under attack ina Pair of recent lawsuits that allege board bias in favor of labor and against employers. But perhaps more dis- turbing than all the expected government manipulation and backroom chicanery on behalf of its aber fupporters is the issue of the Lower Mainland's evo major dailies and the BCTV strike. Both publications have refused to run ads from BCTV outlining the compa- ny’s side in its current labor dispute with unionized news- room staff. Included in that side are such statements as “our employees are at the top of the industry’s payseale in B.C., exceeding the marker average by 10% to 15%. We have reporters — not anchors — who are making $100,000 a vear.” Other issues in the ad, which ran in the June L4 News, included claims by the company that the pay package offered would raise the salaries of BCTV’s recently unionized newsroom staff by an average of 21% from the day they jained the union in May 1997 until the expiry of the proposed con- tract. It makes for interesting a fanny Caw reading. One side of the dis- pute, of course, but one side that Pacific Press readers have been denied. Pacitic Press is reportedly bound by the terms of a col- lective agreement thar allows iis emplovees to refuse to handie advertisements from emplovers deemed by the union to be “unfair.” No where in the agree- ment apparently is any sub- section outlining the need for the newspapers to be fair in allowing both sides in a - labor dispure equal access to its pages. Were the BCTV union to approach the Vancouver dailies with ads espousing its side in the dispute. would the newspapers refuse to publish those ads? It’s doubrtul that union. ized newspaper employees would find their union brethren “unfair.” The Vancouver Sun is cur- rently waging a court baule against NDP legislation con- tained in the province's Election Act that limits to $5,000 election advertising by any individual or group. Iris a worthy fight to keep the channels of discus- sion wide open during a most critica time in the life of a democracy. But the newspaper's stand on the BCTV issue runs counter to that fight and counter to the principles upon which that fight is based. Far be it trom me to pro- fess pureness of character or bulletproof soundness of principle, Lord knows the News has hit enough land mines over the years, but the idea of a privately-owned newspaper restricting the tree flow of information to the public because its workers have a union axe to grind is disheartening. Labor pains in the extreme. Gor thar demerol yet? Better make it morphine. Separation and Divorce * Effective Client - Lawyer Communication ¢ Determined Pursuit of Client’s Interest ¢ Results Oriented * Lengthy Trial Experience ALDWIN OMPANY Law Office LYNN VALLEY CENTRE 985-8000. Is THIS the Man thai. Drank all your wine? Mention this Ad to receive special Park & Tilford Centre 990-RACK (7225) ALES AER avy, St Cae ea er ee Sunday, June 21, 1998 — North Shore News — 7 . ericeiibens yw North Van District manager defended Dear Editor: I was very surprised and dismayed to read the allegations against the North Vancouver District environmental manag- er Mel Kotyk. While seeking environmental permits in the same area | have found Met Koryk and his statt"s professional conduct to be nothing less than exemplary. His willingness to explain the environmental regulations and polite referrals to other departments makes him one of the few | have encountered to be accessible and accountable The district’s environmental department is an example of how a department of a public corporation should operate. So he owns property in the large area he manages — is that a conflict of interest? The problem should not be one of work starting while applications are processed but the intransigence of other public corporations in issuing the permits for that work. In my experience Mel Koryk has set a high standard tor himself and others to follow. The Indian Arm is one of the most difficult places to get permits in Canada. It is casy to find faule with any applica- - tion as complex and difficult as developing a property can be. At some point a frivolous complaint and sour grapes’ should be dealt with for what it is, before undue cost to tax- payers, and not be allowed to wear dowz the morale or remove someone who is doing his job. Bs Ralph Greene North Vancouver rgreene@iSTAR.ca DESTINATION SUMMER .. . 1550 MARINE OR.. N.VAN. { 984-4394 + 984-7191. 1362 Marine Drive 98soc-9N5. 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