I.L.O. Moves To Expel South Africa

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30171, 1 July 1963, Page 11

I.L.O. Moves To Expel South Africa

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright)

GENEVA, June 29

The governing body of the International Labour Organisation today made a move to expel South Africa from ail the organisation’s activities if she maintains her policy on apartheid.

The decision was made by the executive board of the 1.L.0. after a two-day meeting. It also decided to consider &t next year's conference, constitutional amendments to enable it to expel South Africa from the 44-year-old organisation which it helped to found.

An Australian resolution to consider what action should be taken against South Africa over apartheid was approved by the body. Tlie resolution, tabled by the Australian workers’ group and amended by the Australian Government delegate, Mr Henry Bland, was approved by 39 votes to none, with five abstentions. It called on the governing body to consider urgently at its next session what action should be taken.

Earlier, Mr Bland withdrew a draft resolution, calling for the change in the 1.L.0. constitution, which was opposed by the Africans. They argued that it was not specifically dealing with South Africa in its operative part, but with “any government found to be persistently, deliberately and flagrantly pursuing policies which violate fundamental principles of the 1.L.0."

’ A resolution in the same sense as that of Mr Bland, which was moved by the employers’ group, met bloc opposition by government and workers’ members and was defeated by 15 votes for 25 against and five abstentions. The present 1.L.0. constitution does not allow the expulsion of any of the 108 member countries. The decision directed against South Africa's apartheid policy arose from a mass walk-out by African and Arab delegates at the three-week-old 1.L.0. conference in protest at the presence of South African delegates. Any decision by next year’s conference to change the constitution would have to be ratified by two-thirds of the member countries, including five out of 10 members of the governing body, and could take effect in 1965 at the earliest.