· "Devastati·Ng Unemployment Laws for 1979"
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Volume 29 No. 12 nliberals Lower Boom on Unemployed" ·"Devastati ·ng Unemployment Laws for 1979" By A.B. Stockwood led to passage of the document before the salary and hourly paid employees who In light of the new Unemployment In- house closed for Xmas. surance changes now being implemented ammendments have received passage by by the Federal Govt.; it appears some Mr. Taylor explained that presently the law, Mr. Taylor revealed they have not severe belt tightening will be in order for ~ four section eleven page document will received implementation date, but will the unemployed in Canada. - ~ctually ' probably come into effect within the next During a recent MUSE interview Mr. (1) reduce overall U.I.C. Benefits (as of three months. Both clauses deal with the Otto Taylor, Public Relations Officer of Jan., 7, 1979) to 60 establishment of higher entrance and re the Unemployment Insurance Commission ~nsurability. Currently claimants of U.I.C. entrant requirements for eligibility in the (U. I. C.) commented on documents benefits received 66 of their wages when U.I.C. programmes. Basically the 10 week released in December 1978, concerning the they were last employed and eligibility scale now required to entitle an changes. The 'Bill' was originally drafted (2) establish a mimimun insurability of at individual to benefits; will escalate to 20 to curb spending in the areas of Social least 20 hrs. per week to become insurable work less than 20 hours per week, under weeks, ( ammended slightly by the local Services, and redirect the funds currently (as of Jan. 1, 1979) The rationale of this the reasoning that this group have a high unemployment statistics.). expended on Unemployment Insurance policy is to make U.I. Benefits available to disincentive to work. With the focus on curbing abuses and payments to the area of Job Creation. By salary and hourly paid workers whose low rearrangement of U.I.C. wage restricting debate on the "Bill's proposals, wage scale force them to work longer clause however excludes from U.I.C. all replacement insurance to accommodate the Federal Liberals forced a vote which hours to be eligible for U .I.C. Benefits. The Although two remaining clauses of the only those who have proven permenant attachment to the labour force, U.I. policy places new entrants, re-entrants and repeaters in a position where they will be more dependeant· on employment rather Contract signed for new library than wage replacement in the form of U.I.C. benefits. With regard to the redistribution of U.I. A contract has been signed and con library was opened when teh campus was Funding for the building was obtained funds toward ob creation, the only con struction has begun on teh Queen first built, and is now drastically un- through Provincial Government con structive programm which will realize an Eliza beth II Library on campus. On dersized considering the amount of books tributions and a funding campaign un increase for creating more jobs is the January 3rd., Lundrigan's Limited, the· it now stocks. Other storage locations have dertaken by the University. The Students summer Young Canada Works. Under the construction company awarded the tender had to be rented to hold the library's Union and Alumni have contributed guidelines for this year Young Canada for the building of the five-story, columes. The expected date of completion $750,000 originally intedned to be used fo of the new library is projected to be around the construction of a new student Union Works will receive two million six hundred $13,000,000 structure, signed the contract October of 19881. Building·on campus, and the Alumni have and ninety three thousand dollars for the with F. W. Russell and W. H. M. Selby of Dr., Russell, Chairman of the University pledged a large portion of annual fund Nfld. region. This is barely a half a million Memorial. Board of Regents was quoted as saying he dollars over the same program· allotment When completed, the library will house is glad that a Newfoundland firm has receipts to the library fund. last year. To press time Mr. R. Fifield the up to a million books, and have a total floor received the contract. The three-year This-is the first time that Memorial regional Public Liason Officer wa area of about 200,0oOO square feet. The project is expected to employ about 200 University has had the authority to sign a unavailable for comment on th facilities are badly needed; t~e pres~nt construction workers. · contract for a capital project. redistribution issue. page 2 Friday December 19, 197$ Now that we've burned our boats... book review definition of unemployed is narrow and 288,000 admitted they were in need of a job. attack the cause. Instead, they call for the by Valerie Mansour, restrictive and does not include all the "Now that we've burned our boats., .. " development of a social and economic plan Atlantic Bureau Chief, people who do not have jobs. According to very effectively chronicles the problems which will suit the needs of the Canadian University Press. Stats. Canada you are only unemployed if with Newfoundland's economy. We are Newfoundland people; a plan which will you don't have a job and "you have ac- taught the province's history and what give Newfoundlanders employment at At the annual meeting of the tively looked for a job in the past four joining confederation meant to decent wages. The Commission felt it Newfoundland and Labrador Federation Newfoundland's future. Statistical beyond their bounds to map out in detail of Labour in the fall of 1977, the People's weeks, ro you have been laid off for less eyidence supports statements of th precisely how their ideas would work. Commission on Unemployment was for- than six mon~ and still expect to return severity of the problems. Newfoun- However, the report ends on a note of med. Its task was to talk with the people of to the same Job, or you have terminated · dlanders told the Commission precisely optimism that something can be done. Newfoundland; the employed and the empl~yment for . any. reason and are what was on their minds and in "Now that If you want to understand what it means unemployed, the business people, the starting a new ]Ob m less than four we've burned our boats... " the Com- to live in the most under-developed part of politicians, and anyone else who had weeks." This eliminates more than a few mission passes that information on to us in the country, why.it ended up that way, and something to say about the problems with Newfoundlanders from being "officially" a very human way. what can be done about it, "Now that Newfoundland's economy and what might unemployed. In 1976 a Statistics Canada The Commission felt it their respon- we've burned our boats ... " is worthy of be done about them. sibility to make recommendations for a reading. The unemployment. situation. in survey was taken in the province but was solution to Newfoundland's troubles. New foun dlan d and Labra d or F e d erat' ion Newfoundland is the mose severe m the nev.er made public. That survey showed Naturally they were wary of short-term 0 f Labo country. Despite Statistics Canada's talent there wre 25,000 people who met their solutions which help to cover up some R ~06 77 B d St t of covering up the real. rate, it is generally definition of unemployed while another effects of unemployment but really don't StooJmh. o n ,s ' New ofn oun dlareed'n . accepted that the level, of unemployment ' in the province is around 34.9 (March 1978) and ioncreasing all the time. The Commission spent eight months \ • examining the situation. People, many ce totally frustrated, spoke candidly about what unemployment was doing to their own lives and to the future of the province. professional. They spoke of the endless list of the ' governnment's false promises, the in dustries that started up and then failed, - .. and the exasperation of n-0t being able to ~- earn their own living. Many Newfoun dlanders left home to find work, not because they wanted to explore the ank of Montreal has a wonrlers of the mainland, but rather coinplete financial plan .. because their lives were going nowhere on / .. 1 the island. designed especially to get • G . delines There has alwys been a dream of an -------C-onsultants· Financing ui ' industrial Newfoundland-a dream that grad~ting professionals doesn't make much sense when one con siders the province's small population started in their own \ (500,000), its distance from major markets, poor soil, and the high costs of practice. \ importing raw materials. The Commission Our FirstBank™ points out that the failure of the industrial ProfeSsional Loan Plan \ . growth stategy is the root cause of \ Newfoundland's unemployment problems. booklet is full of ideas i There hasn't been enough of a con \ t I centration on rural development and and advice to help you ; fisheries. Instead of supporting the in dustries that were natural to the province, arrange the business lifestyles were changed and a process of side of your profession. urbanization took place. Changes which improved the level ?f If ltil Can.ad1an Lu•1n11 , Drop into any I ~1e a1 l~null t .. a5" l't..n education is the province also resulted m I l • '"' ' II\• • .. " ' ....- enormous numbers of unemployed branch and ask for I teachers and university graduates. i your free copy of i \ i A T\'fl< .•, l<r f"\lt \ '!n ..n ! P i ~u t Construction workers were in abuncande '\ \ f ~ ' ~ -.