T.U.C. Issues Warning
(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) BLACKPOOL, Sept. 3. Britain’s Trade Union Congress began its 100th annual meeting yesterday with a warning to the Labour Government to change its tactics or risk losing the backbone of its support the British working man.
The warning, in a speech by the T.U.C. president (Lord Wright), was delivered against a background of mounting
militancy in the trade union movement, including the threat of a national strike by 1,200,000 engineering workers and a split over voluntary pay restraints.
Lord Wright told more than 1000 delegates representing nine million workers: “The Government cannot succeed without carrying with it the workers and their unions, who must be persuaded that the policy decisions taken by the Government are necessary.
“But in some of the Government’s tactics for surmounting obstacles ahead it has lengthened the odds against the chance of being given the time to reach the long-term
objectives it shares with most of us in the trade union movement."
Lord Wright added that the penal clauses in the Government’s Prices and Incomes Act would not restrain workers and unions if there was a widespread feeling of justice. Observers say this ‘‘feeling of injustice” is readily apparent at the congress. Militant groups, including the leaders of Britain’s two largest unions, the Amalgamated Engineering Union and the Transport and General Workers’ Union, are prepared for a frontal assault on the T.U.C.’s own voluntary pay restraints policy.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19680904.2.131
Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31775, 4 September 1968, Page 15
Word Count
235T.U.C. Issues Warning Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31775, 4 September 1968, Page 15
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.