COMMUNIST SUPPORT

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30234, 12 September 1963, Page 15

COMMUNIST SUPPORT

Union Funds Frozen

(N .Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) SINGAPORE, Sept. 10. The Singapore Government yesterday froze the funds of three powerful trade unions in an attempt to stop them from using money “to finance their Communist directives in yet another bid to stop Malaysia.” The Government alleged that the executives of the Bus Workers’, Business Houses Employees’ and General Employees’ Unions had planned large-scale withdrawals of their funds “for purposes not consistent with their constitutions.” The Registrar of Unions had received official information that “a few top leaders of these unions in furtherance of their campaign to stir up political unrest to further the Communist united front campaign against Malaysia had met on September 1 and 3 and decided to withdraw from the bark accounts of the unions they controlled large sums of money in preparation for their illegal plans.”

The three unions claim an aggregate strength of 40,000 members. The Government said that it would ensure the money remained to the credit of the three unions.

It said the unions hoped “their unconstitutional withdrawals of funds would have gone undetected by the registrar and enable them to finance their Communist directives in yet another bid to stop Malaysia." "The Registrar of Trade Unions therefore was obliged to act swiftly to protect the interests and money of the workers,” it said.