British Controversies On Union Affairs

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27989, 8 June 1956, Page 11

British Controversies On Union Affairs

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.)

(Rec. 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 6

Britain’s trade unions, seldom long out of the news, are having even more than the usual amount of public attention paid to them at the moment. Much of it centres on the small but powerful Communist element in their ranks.

It is also focused on their discussion of automation. tl> Cabinet’s hope of keeping the national economy on Mr Macmillan’s “plateau of stability” and the union’s somewhat chilly reception of his proposals for holding wages as well as prices and profits. Interest has also been aroused by a pamphlet. “Spotlight on Trade Unions.” published by the “Daily Mirror.” For some three weeks now there have been intermittent “noises off” on reactions to a television broadcast by a former Socialist member of Parliament. Mr Woodrow Wyatt. He examined methods of ele«~‘ing union executives and warned that the national executive of the powerful Amalgamated Engineering Union was in grave danger of fallin- undei Communist control because of apathy in elections.

One of his remar’-s was that it this union did become '’omm.inist-con-trolled. it would be worth the equivalent of 50 members of Parl ; an-ent to the Communists.

The A.E.U. executive hag now pro tested to the 8.8. C. It described ths

broadcast as a “complete distortion of the democratic structure” of the organisation, and declar'd the biased character of the programme a violation of the charter on which the 8.8. C. is based.

Both Mr Wyatt and the 8.8. C. are unrenentant. Mr Wyatt retorted that t facts, figures and descriptions he gave of the A.E.U. had not been challenged. The 8.8. C. said: “If Mr Wyatt took a line it was not over communism but on the desirability of voting.” It reported that since the broadcast there had been record votin'* in Sheffield branches of the union in a current election—in favour of a nonCommunist candidate. The Electrical Trades Union, which is generally accepted as being Com-munist-controlled, is ira 4 at the publicity given the decision of its national e"ecutive to send a £2O gift to defend Cypriots arrested m ; drive against terrorists on the island.

There is also a controversy going on about the active protest of the Glamorgan branch has passed a vote of no-confidence in its chairman and secretary because thev supported the gift. Both the “Daib Express' and the “Daily Mail” are enlaced tn arguments with members of the union as a result of their renorts At the same ti ne. Sir Hartlev Shaw cross, a former Socialist AttorneyGeneral. and Mr Fran’- Fnulkes the Co-nn->n»-ict of the ETU (who was recently chided by Sir Anthony JJjien for talking “nonsense”

about automation) have been having warm exchanges in a High Court case over a bonus claim for two unionists from the London Electricitv Board.

In one passage Mr Foulkes denied that his union deliberately fomented strikes.

While the various are going on the “Dailv Mirror’s" “Spotlight.” which the “Economist” has described as outstanding for its “clarity ” forcefulness and common sense.” has concluded that the “potenev of the unions has outstripped tneir methods.” The pamphlet says the unions are still dominated by their past. They are still, at local level, thinking in terms of strikes or solidarity so absolute that it sends to Coventry a man who obeys his union instead of local leaders of unofficial strikes.

It says that this sort of thing is losing unions the sympathy of the public, that their leaders should make a greater effort to teach members the facts of modern life, revise their somewhat contemptuous attitude towards Parliament, and stop wasting their time on questions like Cyprus, on which they are not compct-rt to pronounce.