ve OO OTETS i
— ome

Wednesday, March 11, 1992 @

Words heat up in hospital dispute

W@ Union, management lock horns
over issues as strike vote approaches

Glen Freeman
NEWS REPORTER

The war of words rages on between the
Health Labor Relations Association and the
Hospital Employees’ Union.

The latest shot was fired by HEU commu-
nications officer Chris Gainer.

Gainer said he

numbers are wrong,” said Livingstone.

“They don’t want to admit how extensive
their demands are. This is a desperate attempt
on their part to save face.”

Livingstone added that the 63 per cent esti-
mate was a conservative one.

“If you add their demands for a 14 per cent
wage increase, 20 per cent increase in pay eq-
uity demands, cost of living adjustments and so
on, you get 63 per cent,” said Livingstone.

“They are also demanding employer-paid,
on-sight daycare,

isn’t too happy
with HLRA’s Di-
rector of Commu-
nications Martin
Livingstone. .
Livingstone

‘They don’t want to admit how extensive
their demands are.’

but because we
have no way in
knowing how
much that will

—HLRA’s Martin Livingstone cost, we haven't

added that. into

claimed that the as
HEU was demanding a 63 per cent increase in
wages and benefits over the next two years.

“There is a lot of creative mathematics in his
number,” said Gainer.

“It’s not at all accurate.”

Gainer added that the union was seeking
“something along the lines of a seven per cent
wage increase,” as well-as pay equity and a
lighter work load.

“Our members find themselves working
harder and harder every year,” said Gainer.

“We would like to see some language in the
contract that would regulate the workload.”

Livingstone disagrees.

“Of course the union is going to claim.our

Gara our final figure.” |

Livingstone went as far as saying that the
HEU was being evasive with the public.

“They'll come out with these warm and fuzzy
statements like “We want equity,” said Living-
stone.

“But what they don’t say is that their de-
mands will cost B.C. taxpayers $421 million
over the next two years.”

The HEU has been offered a 3.5 per cent in-
crease this year‘and a 1.5 per cent raise next
year.

The HEU will be conducting strike votes in
various hospital districts from March 12 to
March 26.

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
INDEX TEST

This test is now an enrolment requirement of UBC and
some other B.C. Colleges and Universities. Students
who intend to take Selkirk College first year university
transfer English require English 12 with a grade of C or
better or level 4 or higher on the Language Proficiency
Index test.
WHEN: Saturday, March 28, 1892, 10 a.m.
WHERE: Selkirk College, Castlegar Campus, Room
M14/24 ; :
Register by March 13, 1992. No "walk-ins"
will be permitted at the test centre.
FEE: $32 payable upon registration.
For more information, or to register contact the
| Counselling Department, 365-1273, or Jim Howard,
365-7292, ext. 348.

ki 7) —___—_ CASTLEGAR CAMPUS ———_
Lgsed Box 1200, Castlegar, B.C. VIN3J1
le i? 365-7292

The Look Says It All

Scott David Harrison
EDITOR

Laid off Westar workers
say they'll give the govern-
ment two weeks to make up
it’s mind.

Unemployed since Novem-
ber, the 280 members of IWA-
Canada Local 1-405 voted
Friday to give Forest Minster
Dan Miller some breathing
room regarding the proposed
sale of Westar logging oper-
ations to Pope and Talbot.

Westar workers to back off

“We voted to give them a
couple weeks to hand down a
decision,” local union chair-
man Tony Ferriera said Tues-
day. “We decided it was better
to do it that way than to con-
tinue to pressure them.”

The union is pushing for a
speedy sale of the Castlegar
sawmill and transfer of the
southern portion to Tree
Farm Licence No. 23 to Pope
and Talbot.

Ferriera said if the govern-

ment hasn’t made up it’s
mind within two weeks, the
union would step up its ac-
tion.

“All we would think about
doing is to write the minister
that there are 280 people up
here that want to get back to
work.”

Miller is expected to make
his decision on Pope and Tal-
bot’s $22. million U.S. pur-
chase of Westar assets on
March 27.

S

treetclotes,
Named Desre

Grad
Dresses '92

202-404 Baker St.
Nelson

352-2272

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BUT COMMERICAL
PRINTERS AS WELL!

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The Wen

197 Columbia Avenue, Castlegar

365-7266

™ Wednesday, March 11, 1992

Conroy represents province on nuclear tour

Scott David Harrison
EDITOR
Ed Conroy is scoring points.

“The rookie MLA has been selected as British Co-
lumbia’s representative for an upcoming tour of
Washington state’s troubled Hanford Nuclear Pow-
er Station.

“There’s a lot of concern about the contamination
at the Hanford site,” Conroy said Monday.

“In fact, it has been described by some as a tick-
ing time bomb. They have piles of nuclear waste
down there, it’s almost like Chernobyl.”

Conroy, along with Kootenay West-Revelstoke MP
Lyle Kristiansen and two other MPs, has been in-
vited to inspect the nuclear generating plant to en-
sure toxic waste is being properly managed and
stored.

“Hanford is a real concern for us,” Conroy said. “If
something does happen, it wouldn’t take much for us
to feel the effects of it here in British Columbia.”

Conroy said the Hanford visit will provide the US.
energy department with its golden opportunity to
show Canada and British Columbia that it is serious
about cleaning up its environment.

“I’m sure they do want to show us what they are
doing,” said Conroy.

“Countries should show the efforts they are mak-
ing to clean up their environments.

“We do the same with the Americans when it
comes to projects we are working on with the Colum-
bia River.” :

Conroy will be British Columbia’s sole represen-
tative on the tour.

He will replace Environment Minister John
Cashore, who is unable to attend the cross-border vis-
it.

City’s OCP
committe

The following is a list of
Castlegar city council
appointments to the Of-
ficial Community Plan
Update Committee.

Council °

¢ Bob Pakula, Marilyn
Mathieson.

Residential Areas
e Mike Livingstone,
Zone 1 —area north of 7th
Street.
e Bernard Wearmouth,
Zone 2 — between 7th and
13th Streets.
e Dale Donaldson, Zone
3 —between 13th Street
and Highway 3, except
Crestview and
Grosvenor/Forest Area
e Andy Boolinoff, Zone 4
— lower part of Kinnaird
including most of Colum-
bia Avenue.

© Chery! Bonowicz,

Zone 5 — upper bench.

¢ Bev Kennedy, Zone 6 —

Grosvenor/Forest area,
Highland/Meadlowbrook
area.
Advisory Planning

e Rosa Barre.

Developer-Contrac-
tor

e Walter Flux.

Chamber
e Laurie Renwick.
School District No. 9
e Tony Guglielmi.

Senior Citizens
Abilities Awareness

e Dan Bush.

Industry
e Fred Inglis.

City Staff

e Carolyn Rempel.

e Joon Bahk.

e Phil Markin.

Other groups such as
Castlegar Recreation De-
partment, Ministry of
Transport and BC Transit

will be kept appraised of the

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