Union To Rejoin Federation

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30937, 18 December 1965, Page 23

Union To Rejoin Federation

(New Zealand Presi Association) WELLINGTON, December 16. One of New Zealand’s biggest industrial unions, the 30,000-strbng New Zealand Engineers’ Union, decided yesterday to rejoin the New Zealand Federation of Labour from which it disaffiliated in 1960.

With the return of the engineers to affiliation, and more unions expected, he would put the total membership at 300,000 by the end of April compared with its present 257,000, said the secretary of the F.0.L., Mr K. McL. Baxter today. The federation, at its April conference this year, had issued an invitation to reaffiliate to the unions which had left for various reasons over the last five years. In a statement today, the secretary of the Engineers’ Union (Mr P. G. Allen) said the question of reaffiliation had been discussed at some length at this week’s national union conference. “While realising that some of the matters in dispute have not been settled, they were of the opinion that in the very near future changes must come about within the framework of the Federation of Labour to allow national and large unions greater representation for the industries they represent and a voting strength in keeping with the affiliation fees paid,” he said. “Lessons from the past must be heeded,” he said. If personalities were allowed to

develop again with use of power by one or more individuals, then once again the New Zealand trade union movement would be split wide open. “The national council of the union is to decide when we should reaffiliate. The decision will be made at the next meeting of the national council on February 16 and 17.”