Date: Sun, 21 Jul 1996 22:21:18 -0400
From: Neil Fettes <benn-AT-idirect.com>
Subject: The State and class Struggle


I wanted to get some feedback from the members of this list of the question of 
the state management of the class struggle.


Last year in Ontario the Progressive Conservative party was elected on a
right wing platform, promising to make "Ontario open for business." This has
meant simply undoing whatever the province's social democratic New
Democratic Party goverenment installed. One of the most contentious issues
has been changes to the province's labour laws. In the final year of its
rule the NDP introduced Bill 40, which banned the use of scabs during
strikes. This law was hailed by the unions and was the source of much ire by
the business community. Shortly after its elction the PCs (an unfortunate
use of initials) introduced Bill 7, which rolled back Bill 40 and a number
of other long time labour laws.

The first major test of this rollback has been the strike of employees at
the Toronto Westin Harbour Castle. At the moment in Toronto members of T.S.,
S.T., H.C., P. & T. Employees Int'l Union, local 351  are on strike against
the management of the hotel. Among the issues in this strike is the desire
of management to shift its workers from an hourly wage to piecemeal rates. I
went down to the picket lines last week and talked to a number of the
workers there. Although spirits were high there were a number of concerns. I
heard that many of the other hotels in Toronto are waiting to see gow this
strike goes before they sign contracts with their workers. Another factor is
that during the 1980s hotel contracts had been designed to expire
simultaneously; now, they are staggered, weakenuing the bargaining position.
A similar strike in the early 1980s was settled in three weeks. The current
strike has is entering its seventh week today. This is the first major use
of scabs since the repealing of Bill 40. The Westin Harbour Castel had 200
scabs on the job the following morning. 

After the Second World War the Canadian government passed laws that made it
easier to form unions. In exchange the unions moved closer towards the
state. Combativity was replaced by contracts. Simultaneously the unions
moved to purge their ranks of radicals. Today the unions today are the last
defenders of the Keynesian world, assuming that is, that the capitlaists
were ever truly committed to it. The assumption that "if we play by the
rules, then the capitalists will too." Buzz Hargrove, of the CAW complained
that the Tories, by repealing Bill 40 would be re-introducing strife into
the Ontario eceonomy.

Canada has been relativley late in unravelling the post-war compromise. I'd
like to hear from comrades in other countries how these developments have
impacted upon the working class and how the class has responded. 

My final word is an observation by a fellow traveller of the Communist Party
in British Columbia, Bill White:

When I see the face of a labour leaderon the T.V. now it's alwaysfat. All
jowls like hogs ready for the knife, it's hard to imagine the sight of any
of them striking fear into the capitalists' hearts. 


Neil Fettes



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