>seduced by this balanced budget silliness. They've taken positions that you >wouldn't traditionally expect from an NDP government, for instance, >legislating teachers back to work in 1993 and CUPE back to work in 2000. >Their balanced budget legislation and some of their other policies are >backward. We will continue to be critical of those policies. The job of our >union is take the agenda for public education - for teachers and for kids - >to every government and to the public, and that's what we do. > >PV: Where does this leave you in the coming provincial election? > >Chudnovsky: Our Federation has policy which requires that we not >participate in a partisan way in provincial elections. Our job is to put >our agenda before the political parties; to demand of them to come clean >and be clear about their policies; and to provide that information as >clearly as we can to our members and the public. That's what we'll do in >the provincial election. > > >*************************** > >4/ SUPERIOR POULTRY STRIKE COULD BE LENGTHY >PV Vancouver Bureau > >ALMOST TWO MONTHS into a bitter strike at Superior Poultry in Coquitlam, >the United Food & Commercial Workers have launched a consumer boycott of >the company's products. > >About 225 members of UFCW Local 1518 have been on the picket line since >July 23, fighting to win a first contract. After years of poverty-level >wages and terrible working conditions, the workers joined UFCW last year, >achieving their certification in October 1999 despite strong resistance >from the employer. Most are recent immigrants from the South Asian >community, including many young women who are playing an important role in >the strike. > >Typically, newer employees at the plant are paid minimum wage ($7.15/hour >until now), with only minor raises as their seniority increases. One >picketer with over ten years seniority told People's Voice that she earns >just $10.42/hour. The largest number of employees, those with about five >years in the plant, are in the $8.30-$8.80/hour range. > >But the anger of the workers is also linked to other problems. Many workers >have been laid off after claiming compensation following workplace >accidents, for example. Another sore point is the company's vindictive >overtime practices; workers who refuse to stay on the job far longer than >an eight-hour shift are often punished with shorter hours. > >Last May, Superior Poultry was fined $11,000 after admitting a number of >Labour Relations Code violations. The LRB also ordered the company to stop >harassing, intimidating and abusing employees. > >Superior is part of a group of poultry processing companies owned by the >Pollon family, including the United Poultry and Hallmark Poultry plants in >Vancouver. Management has refused to bargain in good faith during the >strike, preferring to battle the union with security goons and scab labour, >and even using company trucks to harass union members. > >UFCW spokespersons fear that the strike could be lengthy, given the >company's hostile attitude. Three hundred people turned out for a >solidarity rally in August, and growing numbers of supporters are joining >the picket line. Word of the consumer boycott is spreading quickly, >especially in the South Asian community, but much of the company's product >is shipped out of province, especially Alberta. > >In the meantime, spirits remain high on the picket line, and the union >members are receiving enough strike pay to survive. More help on the line >is always welcome; the plant is at 2784 Aberdeen in Coquitlam, just east of >the Revy store at the corner of Lougheed and Mariner. > >Another group of UFCW Local 1518 members went on strike in August, at >Fletcher's Foods in Vancouver. After 50 years without a labour dispute, the >company demanded that 400 workers accept major concessions, including a 40 >percent reduction in basic hourly rates, from $16.50 down to $10.15. > >Claiming it needs a "level playing field" with competitors, Fletcher's also >wants to enforce mandatory overtime at the company's discretion, to >eliminate negotiated scheduled hours, and to docking of workers' pay if >they use the washroom for more than 20 minutes per week. > >****************************** > >5/ WOMEN IN THE STRUGGLE >By Jane Bouey, Vancouver > >AS I SIT at the computer trying to decide what to write about... I am >paralyzed. Not by a lack of ideas, but by a multitude of issues that could >and should be covered in this fall's first RedFem Report column. > >There is the release of the Canadian demands of the World March of Women >2000. This historic global women's action against poverty and violence >culminates next month, including the march and rally in Ottawa on October >15, actions in Washington and New York, and local actions across Canada and >around the world. > >Another issue that should be covered in this column is the crisis at Burnt >Church. The National Action Committee on the Status of Women has joined >with other community-based organizations in condemning the federal >government's actions and demanding recognition of aboriginal rights. > >In British Columbia, the Aboriginal Women's Action Network has embarked on >a Fraser River Journey for Justice. As part of the World March of Women, >aboriginal women are rafting from Prince George to Vancouver. They are >stopping at communities on the river for workshops and rallies, speaking >out against violence against aboriginal women and children. > >Ottawa is about to pass a seriously flawed Bill C-31, the Immigrant and >Refugee Protection Act. As many women's groups have pointed out, aside from >its other shortcomings, C-31 will allow the exploitation of "temporary >workers" to continue. It does not refer to any of the international >agreements that Canada has signed, aimed at eliminating discrimination and >promoting the equality of all women. The rights of permanent residents to >security of status and access to federal court review have been reduced. >C-31 lacks provisions to protect victims of trafficking against >criminalization and re-victimization. > >The Canadian Labour Congress is embroiled in an internal struggle which >will impact the lives of millions of Canadian women, whether union members >or not. A divided labour movement will not be able to effectively fight for >our rights. > >There is also the current struggle for healthcare, social assistance, >education, and other social programs, amid the environment of cutbacks and >negotiations towards the General Agreement of Trade in Services, which >could jeopardize what programs we have left. > >There is the growing gap between rich and poor, the role of unpaid labour, >the lack of affordable housing, the question of pay equity, the farm crisis... > >And much, much more. > >While this huge list of issues and actions can sometimes seem overwhelming, >it can also be very exciting. In every one of these cases, women are keenly >involved in the struggle. From the World March of Women to the struggle to >save healthcare, we are there - working class women providing leadership >and giving their time. > >So, I never did get this column narrowed down, except perhaps to repeat the >old adage "a woman's place is in the struggle." > >(RedFem Report is a column by members of the Central Women's Commission of >the Communist Party of Canada.) > >************************************ > >6/ PROTESTS TELL USA: HANDS OFF COLOMBIA! > >By Kimball Cariou > >THE DANGER OF a wider war in Colombia seems even greater in the wake of >President Clinton's recent trip to the South American country. Opponents of >the growing US presence in Colombia rallied across Canada and around the >world on August 30, as Clinton arrived for a brief visit in Cartagena, the >country's major port city. > >The president's trip was to promote his government's "Plan Colombia," >including US$1.3 billion in additional military aid and more US personnel >under the pretext of enforcing Washington's "war on drugs." Most observers >believe that this "Plan" is part of a wider US military strategy to >intervene in the internal conflict on the side of the Colombian oligarchy, >its state, armed forces and their paramilitary gangs. Under cover of >fighting the narco-traffickers, a USorganized counterinsurgency campaign is >building up. > >The organizers of the August 30 protest at the US consulate in Toronto, the >International Support Group FARCEP, and the Action Committee in Defence of >the Colombian People, warned that "Plan Colombia will result in more >torture, repression and massacres of the unarmed civilian population by the >Colombian army and right-wing death squads. It will undermine the current >peace negotiations, and lead to escalation of the civil war. It might even >result in direct U.S. military intervention, on the scale of the Vietnam War!" > >Meanwhile, within Colombia itself, a wide range of protests by unions, >students, and human rights groups slammed Clinton's visit. One of the most >dramatic saw dozens of university students occupy the main offices of the >Andean Parliament building in Bogota, the capital city. (The five member >countries of the Andean Parliament are Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, >and Colombia.) > >During their brief take-over, the students from the National Pedagogical >University read a communiqué stating that "death comes riding (into >Colombia) on a horse of dollars." They named several university professors >and students who had been murdered by the regime. Over 35,000 people, >mainly left-wing opponents of the Colombian ruling elite, have died in the >civil war over the last decade. Most were civilians killed by the military >and right-wing paramilitary groups. > >The country's main guerrilla force, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of >Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP), launched a series of attacks against the >military to protest Clinton's trip. The FARC-EP offensive included battles >with security forces in at least six of Colombia's 32 provinces, and the >blockade of a major highway just east of Bogota. > >Clinton himself was guarded by a huge security operation involving more >than 5,000 police, soldiers and U.S. secret service agents. Colombia is now >the third-largest recipient of U.S. military aid, surpassed only by Israel >and Egypt. Around 75 percent of the $1.3 billion, to be spread over two >years, is for military purposes. The funding includes 60 combat >helicopters, and training and equipment for three elite Colombian army >anti-narcotics battalions. > >Most of the funding will finance the "campaign into the south," a >U.S.backed offensive in southern Putumayo and Caqueta provinces, part of >the 40% of Colombia's territory controlled by FARC-EP. Most political and >military analysts predict the U.S.-trained battalions will rapidly be drawn >into action against FARC-EP units, and that U.S. troops will soon face >casualties. Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru have expressed fears that >Plan Colombia will create a flood of refugees, displace the drug trade and >spread the conflict across their borders. > >Since Clinton took office in 1992, Colombia's cocaine output has risen more >than 750 percent to an estimated 520 metric tons last year, despite an >increasingly massive "war on drugs" waged by the country's government. > >A front page article in the New York Times pointed out recently (May 1, >2000), that the aerial spraying campaign to eradicate coca and poppy crops >is having a devastating impact on the health of many Colombians. U.S. >officials say that glyphosate, the active ingredient in chemicals sprayed >widely in Colombia, is not harmful to humans. But as the Times article >noted, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study ranked glyphosate >"third out of 25 leading causes of illness or injury due to pesticides." > >As the "war on drugs" becomes increasingly revealed as a war against the >Colombian people - and completely ineffective in dealing with addiction >problems in North America - opposition to U.S. intervention will continue >to build. President Clinton claimed in Cartagena that his government was >not engaged in another Vietnam-style imperialist aggression, but actions >speak louder than words. > >****************************** > >7/ CHE BRIGADE BRINGS CANADIAN SOLIDARITY TO CUBA > >By Nino Pagliccia > >THE 8TH ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA Volunteer Work Brigade arrived in Cuba on July >26. That same day in 1953, a small group of Cubans led by Fidel Castro >delivered the first blow to the Batista dictatorship - the assault to the >Moncada military barracks. While the Cuban people were remembering that >historical event, our group of 37 Canadian residents arrived with about 500 >kilograms of donations to spend three weeks volunteering in the name of >solidarity and friendship. A group of 12 students from George Brown College >in Toronto participated as part of their "Destination Cuba" school program. > >For the first two weeks, we stayed at the School of Medicine in Cienfuegos, >an industrial city of over 100,000 inhabitants. We were hosted by the local >Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). There we worked in >the mornings, painting classrooms and desks, picking guavas and weeding >organic gardens. In the afternoons we visited different Cuban organizations >or attended talks about Cuban society. There were also leisure activities >and side trips to neighbouring cities. > >Three of the organizations we visited played important roles after the >Revolution in 1959. > >The Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), an organization gathering women over >14 years old, has been responsible for many changes leading to a more >egalitarian society. While changes are still necessary, Cuban women have >achieved many rights in terms of jobs, pay and place in society compared to >the years before the Revolution or to capitalist countries. > >The Union of Young Communists (UJC) involves youth, from grade school to >university, in activities such as learning the intricacies of computers and >Internet. In fact, a group of Brigadistas volunteered their free time to >paint the rooms where computer training is provided at the UJC office. Many >of today's Cuban leaders have been members of the UJC. > >The Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDRs), established at the >level of city block or neighbourhood, originally were responsible for >safeguarding the Revolution. Today, the CDRs supervise blood donations, >recycling, safety and cleanliness in the neighbourhoods. When the Canadian >Brigadistas visited a CDR in Cienfuegos, a great party was organized to >welcome us; all the neighbours made it a point to invite us to their homes >to give us a glimpse of how Cubans live. We were able to observe the >simplicity of their dwellings, where "consumerism" is not a way of life, >yet all basic needs are satisfied. > >The highlight of our stay in Cienfuegos was a public meeting with President >Fidel Castro for the July 26 celebration in Villa Clara. About a quarter of >a million people attended, but we were at the very front, only a few yards >away from the podium where Fidel gave his speech. The backdrop was a >towering statue of Che, marching rifle in hand, at the Che Guevara >Mausoleum, a fitting place for the "Che Guevara Brigade." We held up a big >banner announcing our participation, which was shown by Cuban TV in their >news broadcast. together with an interview of myself. > >Fidel's inspiring speech recalled those who fought and died on July 26, >1953. Referring to Cuba's cooperation with other nations, Fidel stated: >"That is a legacy that Cuba - threatened, harassed and blockaded as it is >by the mightiest power on Earth - has contributed to the future world which >can only be saved by and built on those pillars of solidarity and >internationalism." Later, referring to those who are intent in destroying >the Cuban Revolution, Fidel said: "It is not our intention to disturb the >sweet dreams of those who believe that to be possible. It is simply out of >courtesy that I am warning them that the Cuban Revolution can neither be >destroyed by force nor seduced by fine words." > >Before leaving Cienfuegos, we hosted our Cuban friends to a "Canadian >Night." If not totally Canadian, the meal with pancakes and real maple >syrup, spaghetti, vegetables and jello, was mostly made with ingredients >brought from Canada. We served, performed and read poems, and presented >small souvenirs for our Cuban guests, who seemed to be pleased and at times >amused. > >Our last week was spent at the Campamento Julio Antonio Mella just outside >Havana. There we shared space with the numerous Latin American Brigade, >working on sugar cane fields and orange orchards. > >A visit to the "children of Chernobyl" in Tarará was most fitting to >understand Cuba's commitment towards the international community. Children >who were exposed to radiation during the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl are >still brought to Cuba today for treatment free of charge. A whole vacation >facility originally for Cuban children hosts dozens of Ukrainian children >for medical treatment and rest before they return to their country. > >Cuba's relations with the U.S. (and any other country) can only be based on >two solid pillars. The first is grounded on sovereignty, independence and >self-determination, and the second rests on Marti's thinking, Marxist >thought and proletarian internationalism. The reality is that the U.S. >demands the removal of these pillars to engage in any relations with Cuba. > >As brigadistas we heard the "official" story, but we also talked to many >different people. The common theme is that the U.S. blockade against Cuba >is hurting and often killing people whose only demand is to control their >own destiny. Our challenge is to give to Cuba the same solidarity that Cuba >gives unconditionally, by denouncing the blockade and the Helms-Burton Law. > >(Nino Pagliccia is the vice-president of the Canadian-Cuban Friendship >Association in Vancouver. He also organizes the "Che Guevara" Volunteer >Work Brigade, a non-profit project of solidarity and friendship. He can be >reached at 604-831-9821 or by e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED]) _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
