ood a a ee - ; { ee ee Volume VIII b Issue IX by Brenda Gough Students seriously look- ing for summer jobs will have to do more than just fill out an application and wait by the phone, ac- cording to Judy Rome, officer in charge of the Canada Employment Cen- ter for students. Rome stated that ‘‘Not only should students fill out an application, but they should also look on their own; do some_ door knocking; be assertive; prepare resumes; and leave no stones unturned.’’ Lorraine Jones, Douglas College Student Youth Employment Program (S.Y. E.P.) co-ordinator stressed similar views. ‘’The right attitude counts, the desire to learn, enthusiasm, and the presentation of a resume will impress an employer.’’ Rome stated that stu- \ dents will have some opportunities this summer as a result of the Provincial Student Youth Employment Program (P.Y.E.P.) in which the provincial gov- ernment will pay half the wage of the youth and the Federal Summer Youth Employment Program (F.S. ere The wert t newspaper > Ministers remain aceite Pretty sundown: smiles seconds before Other Press photographer drops camera, immediately afterwards it rained. Summer jobs hard to find Y.E.P.) in which the go- vernment will. pay a minimum wage to the student. The P.Y.E.P. is aimed at creating jobs in non-profit organizations, and B.C. businesses and farms. The Continued on page 2 College called unfair by Dan Hilborn The British Columbia Federation of Labour (BCFL) has not given up its fight against Douglas College for the hiring «° non-union contractors at the. college’s Coquitlam campus. Leaflets calling Douglas College unfair were distri- buted on at least two campuses last Thursday morning. The leaflets, which bore the logos of the BCFL, the New Westminster and District Labour Council and the B.C. and Yukon Trades Council stated that the college didn’t hire a union firm even though that firm had a partial bid which was lower than’ the bid accepted. Wes Graydon, of the Department of. Physical Plant, said that although the partial bid may have been lower they accepted only the lowest total bid. * Three weeks ago. the Labour Relations Board passed a cease and desist order on pickets set up at the Coquitlam campus by the BCFL. by Dan Hilborn Universities, Science and Technologies minister Pat McGeer remained non- committal when approxi- mately. fifty B.C. post- secondary students ques- tioned him about proposed changes in student aid policy last Thursday in Victoria. The students, including six from Douglas College, were in Victoria to present over three thousand cards to McGeer and Minister of Education Brian Smith as part of a lobby day sponsored by the BCSF and NUS. The organizers of the lobby had also hoped that the NDP would have questioned the government about student _ policies during the morning’s question period, however, time limitations prevented that. Representatives from vir- tually every post secondary institution in B.C., includ- ing several non-members of the BCSF, pressed for the implementation of the B-C: nurses vote for strike by Rob Campbell Representatives of 12,500 nurses announced on February 27th a 98.1 per cent strike mandate with 90 per cent of B.C.’s hospital nurses participating in the government-supervised strike vote. This overwhelming show of support led British Columbians to face the real possibilities of a province wide strike which could effect necessary medical facilities throughout the province. Although collective bar- gaining has resumed, a review of the nurse’s position should offer a clear perspective of the issues involved. The nurses require a two-part wage package: an economic catch-up that would vary with the responsibilities of each nursing position, and an across-the-board 18 per cent increase. The com- bined one-year package would raise the starting registered nurse’s_ salary from $1,305 to $1,711 a month, effective January 1, following five recommen- dations by September 1980; *amount of grants be increased by $450 to account for inflation since 1976, ethat all student aid awards be split 50/50 between grants and loans, *the arbitrary summer savings requirement be eliminated and that contri- butions be based on real earnings. ethat there be no further tuition fee increases and the provincial government conduct a study on the effects of tuition on ac- cessibility, *the parental contributions tables be revised to more accurately reflect parents’ ability to pay. The six students repre- senting Douglas College were student society presi- dent Les Brett, vice-presi- dent internal Glynis Shear- er, Surrey campus chair- person Rod _ Bergmann, representative Patti Bill- strom and two students Bob Lockhart and George Pa- nozzo. 1980. The union is calling for an increase in wages which would provide the nurse’s with a purchasing power similar to other groups. As it now stands _ starting registered nurses earn $8 an hour, compared to $8.58 for liquor store clerks, $8.78 for supermarket cashiers and $9.06 for IWA labourers. The proposed _ strike | represents, for the nurses, a sign to the public that hospital nurses will no longer accept wages that don’t begin to pay for their skills, education and expe- rience. Nora Paton, chief execu- tive officer of the Regis- tered Nurses’ Association of B.C., Labour Relations Division, said that ‘‘a strike is a very real possibility’. However, as Paton adds, “If HLRA (Health Labour Relations Association) forces a strike, this union is committed to providing essential services. Profes- sional nurses will fight for fair compensation, but we will not abandon seriously- ill patients. ’’ ey