|
|
The Nova Scotia Worker
Publisher: Nova Scotia Federation of LabourYear Published: 1981 Pages: 8pp Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX2304 Three issues stand out in this edition of the newspaper: steel, mine safety and bank organizing. Abstract: Three issues stand out in this edition of the newspaper: steel, mine safety and bank organizing. The long and troubled history of Sydney Steel Company (SYSCO) has reached another turning point with the acceptance by Allan MacEachen, Federal Minister of Finance, of the business plan for SYSCO and the decision by the Province of Nova Scotia to assume SYSCO's $350 million debt. One article in this edition counters the Provincial Government's announcement by contrasting the new money and approval with the history of government self-interest and lack of interest in the company. The author fears that the steelworkers will again become lost in the latest developments and advocates cautious optimism. Coverage of mining focuses on a walkout over safety at the Cape Breton Development Corporation (Coal Division), No. 26 Colliery. The story sets into contrast "the right of the workers to refuse work in unsafe conditions" at the coal mine and the Canada Labour Relations Board which declared the miners' walkout illegal, refusing to apply health and safety criteria in their decision. Another story describes the success of organizing bank workers where "close to a quarter of the banks in Cape Breton……….are now organized." But dissatisfaction among bank workers continues because of a lack of information supplied by the banks about pay scales, differentials and performance ratings. Workers point to their inability to appeal the above procedures and in particular, the anti-union policies of the Canadian Bank of Commerce. Other articles include: the rift in the building trades especially between the Canadian Labour Congress and the Quebec Federation of Labour, an editorial on U.S. involvement in El Salvador that is critical of U.S. presence, and a current update on the pension plan debate. |