AG - Wednesday, April 20, 1983 - North Shore News

parte

ae

fetal ts
Se SF :
SSSSSASSSGE

Smart politics?

Premier Bennett's election promises to
ban strikes by ferry workers and teachers
have been criticized as political folly because
of their negative effect on general labor-
government relations.

A closer look, however, suggests the
premier may be more astute than his critics.

o a considerable extent Vancouver
Island is presently NDP country. But the
Island is also vitally dependent upon the
ferry services — in effect, an extension of the
provincial highways system. Any shutdown
of the ferry system has immediate and
serious effects on the Island's whole
economy. Not only does its all important
tourist industry — just now gearing up for
another season — take a beating. The day-
to-day supply of essential goods and services
for Island residents themselves can also be
jeopardized.

Even in Island NDP strongholds that's a
Strong argument to think twice before en-
dorsing the ferry workers’ automatic right to
lay off tourist industry workers by the
hundreds and disrupt business activity of
every kind.

In the case of teachers’ strikes the key fact
is that half of today's mothers of school-age
children go out to work.

Particularly for mothers of younger school
children, any interruption of school services
means immediate financial loss, because
they must stay home to look after the kids
and thereby forfeit income.

In theory, Mr. Bennett's tough stand may
seem unwisely provocative. But in practice it
gets right down to the bread-and-butter
concerns of thousands of voters. It may be
questionable labor relations. But this month
it could be smart politics.

Tasteless polls

Revised provincial election rules, which
now permit publication of polls during the
election campaign, are costing fast food
outlets business. Formerly, the only opinion-
sampling allowed was the burger poll, with a
tally kept of the number of Bennettburgers
or Barrettburgers consumed.

it may well have the superior form of quiz,
too, because the results were ongoing and
cumulative — as well as combining politics
with good taste.

COCR VOEEE OF FURIE T ES A0ST WERT VANCOUVER

sunday
ri @EAVA/G Display Advertising 980-0511
north shore Classified Advertising 986-6222
n ews Newsroom 985-2131
Circulation 986-1337

1139 Lonsdale Ave . North Vancouver BC V7M 2H4

Publisher Peter Oped h
Associate Publisher Editorin-chiet Advertising Otrector
Robert Graham Noel Wright Tern b cave as

Personne! Director
Mrs Barre tilled

Circutation Otrector
Bian At fls

Production Director Office Manage:
Ginn johiason Donne Car andy

Photography Manager
Terry Peters

North Shore Nowa Jounmded ee YOU as an isceqrencent

+e PeT ARTA ated y
ew agmapor ane quaahhed under oc tecule Wo Pact a Parageaga: UW cot thre
trcame Tas Act os putthated earth Wednenday and Sunday by North
Otheore Free Press Ltd and istetuted lo every koa an the North
Shore Second Class Mad Regist ator Number: 5465 Entire contents

1982 North Shore Free Press itd All rights reserved

Subscaptiona North and Wet Vancouver $29 per yaa Madiwy

eaten availatie on renguiest
ND epee rec onat valet, WB eng rterct Ur Ese be fered erates seal w

ee pee Hea ee wel Peete Toe Derap pene teed bay

te Were ag,

nm a) a aed

CT Oe Oe ee eR

VERIFIED CIRCULATION 04.460 Wednesday. 64,770 Sunday

sm G

THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE

meee wm eae
-
Go

o>

MAINSTREAM CANADA

Public sector rates no tears

DURING A RECESSION, a great many people
suffer, yet some suffer more than others.

By ROGER W. WORTH

This time, public sector
workers claim they are not
being treated fairly, par-

Winds of chan

WHEN

ticularly since Ottawa and
most provinces have placed
restraints on their wages
and, in some cases, denied
civil servants the right to
strike.

JOHN REYNOLDS won the Socred

nomination in West Vancouver-Howe Sound last
Thursday evening, a well-dressed matron rushed
over to him, grabbed his hand and declared: “I
think you're just the man to beat Dave Barrett.”
She probably said it all for the voters of this
predominantly anti-socialist nding.

Nevertheless, there are
still a few little ifs and but's
to be tidied up before Mr.
Reynolds confirms his order
for champagne on the night
of May 5.

The first and most obvious
one, of course, 1s Dave
Barretts local banner
bearer, Claus Spickecrmann.,
&@ popular school prncipal in
North Vancouver who hves
on Bowen Island

I wouldn't bet too much of
my meagre life savings on
Mr Spickermann’s chances
of topping the poll, but |
have a hunch that he may do
measurably better than has
NDP predecessors here

At last count there were al
icast 1,000 unemployed and
up to 500 welfare cases in the
free cnterpnse heartland of
West Van itsclf

North of Lions Hay - ina
riding that stretches = to
Pemberton Meadows -— hes
quite fertile NDP ground.
especially in the recession

stricken community of
Squamash

Anyoanc who thinks cven
the most ampeccable free

cnterprse candidate ts going
to retain Allan Wilhams
1979 majority of over 10.600
undoubtedly becheves also in
faincs at the bottom of the
gardcn
HOLDING NOSES?

Then there's the tmage at

this potnt: of Joho Reynolds

himself, the six-year Tory
MP now turned instant
Socred, with the ink hardly
dry on his acw party card
taken out only a few wecks
carher
Former radi hothner.
stock promoter and super

cfficicnt) = political pro.
Reynolds has upset) more
than a few of the party

faithful by parachuting into
the mding from outside at
gust four days’ notice to
snatch the nomination from
Allan Withams’ anointed
hear apparent, young Mark
Sager

Despttc a last minute
whispering Campaign about
Sager’s “incxapernence™ the
former school board
chairman @ native son of
West and = lifclong
Socred - had packed morc
major involvement in public
affairs into his 25 ycars than
many candidates do in 90
Hhs fmends and supporters
remain smarting and angry

Van

over what the Keynolds
machinc did to him last
week

Many of them. holding

thers noses, will no doubt
fcc! constrained to vote for
Mr Reynolds in
repel the sociahst bordcs
But other may capress thew
displeasure. come May ‘by
simply sitting on thea hands

Marcoser

order lo

questions are

But is that the case? Are
the nation’s civil servants

really being treated
inequitably?

The first point to consider,
perhaps, is the fact that

there have been few layoffs
in the public sector, even
though hiring freezes are
prevalent.

Nevertheless, with 1.6
million Canadians seeking a
job (any job), it seems
obvious that the unemployed
are suffering a great deal
more than the civil servants
who continue to work and
receive a regular pay
cheque.

Then there's the matter of
salary restraint. While
Ottawa actively promotes its
6 and 5 per cent program,
the past president of the
Treasury Board openly
admits that for 40 per cent of
civil servants, restraint really
means raises of 10 per cent
and 9 per cent, certainly a
far cry from the advertised 6
and 5 program.

Meanwhile, according to a
survey questionnaire
completed by 14,171
members of the Canadian
Federation of Independent
Business, two out of three
smaller firms have been
forced to postpone wage
increases for their em-
ployees, or limit them to less
than the 6 per cent federal
guideline.

What's more, about 30

per cent of small business
owner/managers
actually

have

been forced to

Noel Wright

already being raised about
Mr Keynold’s staying powcr
as West Van's MLA Would
he - the conjecture runs
resist the) |= temptation. to
return to federal poltecs af
an altractive opening
beckoned following the Tory
leadership = convention in
June and a subscqucnt Tory
election victory”

SIPHONING OFF
The third joker tn the deck
is the presence, this time, of
two credhble minor party
candidates in| West Van
Howe Sound Liberal flag

carner: Mort) Graham = and
Conservative hopeful Neal
Thompson

Both are longtume and
well respected West Van

reduce their compensation,
while another 30 per cent
couldn't afford any increase.

Stacked against the
substantial increases
awarded to public. sector
employees, it is even more
difficult to understand why
the civil servants are
complaining.

Placing a moratorium on
the right to strike of public
sector employees, of course,
hits at the very heart of the
matter. Yet even the In-
ternational Labour
Organisation has agreed that
the government's move was
justified.

For years, civil servants
have used the strike threat to
win large salary increases,
many times leading the
private sector in wage
settlements.

By closing down the postal
system (and costing business
more than $3 billion), for
example, the postal unions
have managed to win
themselves. salaries of
$23,000 per year for jobs
that require little training.
What’s more, one postal
union leader says his
members cannot be laid off,
even though mail volume
(and work) has plummeted.

On all counts, it is hard to
support the civil servants’
claim that they are bearing
an unfair burden. As it
stands, public sector
workers are a lot better off
than their private sector
counterparts.

(CFIB Feature Service)

in WV

residents. Graham, 51. 1s a
senior advertising executive,
winner of many professional
awards and a veteran Liberal
campaign worker who has
fallen “temporanly out of
love” with the federal party
because of Trudeau.

Thompson, 56, is an in
vestment broker with a sold
record of local community
service, in particular as
founder and past president
of the Cypress) Park
Homeowners Association

Between them, they could
nibble quite a chunk out of
the undecided nght-leaning
vote And Graham could
also siphon off votes from
the left of centre

In this former Liberal
nding a vote for the Liberals
with thew forecast of SO or
more candidates = running
throughout the province
may no longer be seen as o
“wasted” ballot) In a photo
finish between Socreds and
NDP gust) three oor four
laberal MLAs might) well
hold the decisive balance of
powcr

Onc thing i certain
the 17 year reagn of
Willhams at an
provincial

With
Allan
end
pohtucs ain fad
dlycove are never going to
be quite the same again
At the moment,
Reynolds is the
frontrunner But he himscil
is too smart a pohtcal
operator to count on are run
of the smooth ride enyoyed
tor ocarly two decades by his

Jobn
apparcnt

predecessor
Around the Socred
bastions of Caulleald

Plateau Dundarave and
Martin) Mountain the winds

of change are blowing