Evening star., 1941-10-19
CANADIAN BONUSES BATTLE INITIATION
Tested Year. Government May Make Plan Compulsory

of concihation appointed by the Labor
Department. After that, a strike IS legal
only when majority of workers in the
industry have voted in favor Of striking.
Since most labor disputes arise over
wages, the cost of living bonus is suff-
cient to iron out more disputes.
Time lost in Canada through labor dis
putes in the first six months Of l94l was
only one-seventh that it was in the
United States 1t was 81 days per 1000
wage earners in Canada, 381 days PEI
1000 wage earners in the United States
of America and Al days per 1000 workers
in Britain.
Strikes Bring New Order.
At the same time Canada has had
several serious labor disputes. Nova
Scotian coal fields were in the grip of
showdown strike from April to Septem-
Der this year. cutting down coal produc-
ton by 1000 tons. In the biggeso
aluminium plant in the world, at Arvida,
Quebec, workers walked out and let the
kettles cool off. Loss of vital aluminium
production amounted to 6,400000 tons in
a few days. Automotive workers at St.
CatharineS, Ontario, spurned a cost of
living bonus and went on strike.
They went back in a few days, but
this strike brought the new government
order outlawing strikes in essential in
dustries unless favored by majority
of workers.
The Canadian Bureau of Statistics
measures changes in the cost of living
each month. and its figures are taken
in calculating cost Of living bonuses,
The bureaus latest report shows that
since August, 1882 to September, 1e41.
the cost of living has increased by 1873
per cent on the average. This would
justify an average living bonus to Cana
dian workers of S345 a week. But once
the bonus is determined, it cannot be
changed until the cost of living has
risen or fallen by per cent, when the
bonus may be adjusted accordingly. 1t
is subject to review every three months.
Government Workers Benefit.
In the case of $4,000 government en-
ployes, the cost Of living bonus was CAL
culated this summer when the cost of
living SllONCO Oil AlSlCdoc Va IL Pei
cent at July l. All government en-
ployes who earn more than S25 a week
but not more than $40 a week. receive a
bonus of S1191 a month. This repre-
sents Is cents week for each per cent
increase in the cost of living. Employees
earning less than S25 a week receive
bonus of II per cent of their wages.
In the case of a government clerk get
ting $50 a month, his bonus is $3.50 a
month.
When 143,000 Canadian railway work.
ers applied for a cost of living bonus
last April, the cost of living index
showed a rise of TT per cent since the
start of the war. The investigating
board found the railway workers were
entitled to bonuses of s193 week. 1t
was not paid Immediately, due to dispute
whether all railway employees should get
it, or only the lower paid categories.
Since the cost of living has increased
more than S per cent since April, the
next application from the railway work
ers will undoubtedly bring them an in
crease in bonus over the $1.93 figure. AS
it is now, the bonus represents an in
crease of SIS per cent in railway pay
rolls in Canada, which compared with
demands being made at that time in the
United States by railway unions for
wage increases of 30 per cent.