Concern about union grouping

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32967, 13 July 1972, Page 13

Concern about union grouping

(N Z P A Reuter — Copyright; . LONDON, July 12. ' Plans by some Conti- , nental trade union organisations to form a[. new European grouping! came under fire today at ’ the tenth world congress'! of the International Con- [ federation of Free Trade!, Unions (1.C.F.T.U.). Mr Donald Macdonald.'' leader of the Canadian dele-! gation, said that it was a 1 matter of great concern that ' some European affiliates of, the I.C.F.T.U. were planning., an enlarged regional organ- i isation which would have no < organic links with the ; I.C.F.T.U. <

I The speech marked the | opening shot in what conference sources predict may [be lively skirmishes at the i week-long conference which i opened on Monday. j Mr Macdonald, president of [the Canadian Labour Congress, said that he frankly [ could not understand how ! plans for the new grouping [could have gone so far as [they have without provoking [a strong reaction from the [I.C.F.T.U. [ “I sincerely hope that this problem—and believe me it i could be a very, very serious [ problem indeed—will be thoroughly discussed during this congress and some solution found which will avert what could be very unfortunate consequences,” said Mr Macdonald.

e The Canadian union leader . is tipped to become the I.C.F.T.U.’s new president in executive elections on Friday s —if he wants the job. a The proposed European grouping was mentioned by f Mr Macdonald in a speech on - future challenges facing the I.C.F.T.U. He is understood to v,be reserving his major attack ’’for when the subject is exs[pected to come up for gen- ’ era! debate, possibly today. s The I.C.F.T.U. has a membership of 50 million in 91 s countries. t Mr Macdonald’s comments s were supported by Mr Andre - Bergeron, of France, secres tary-general of Force Ouvri--1 ere, a Socialist trade union * organisation. ~ He told the conference that the proposed European fed-

: eration could be a decisive ■ influence on the I.C.F.T.U. i Mr Bergeron is understood r to feel that the new grouping might have the effect of ini filtrating Communist ele- , ments into the free trade i union movement. > The proposal for what i delegates here called a “Euro- : pean caucus” has received ■ little publicity, though plans • for its establishment are understood to be well advanced. The new grouping would include parent bodies of national unions in the 10 coun- ; tries of the proposed enlarged > European Economic Commun- . ity and some of the European . Free Trade Association , States. Britain, Denmark, Ireland and Norway are scheduled to : join the Common Market on . January 1, and the approach

of the enlargement date has hastened plans for the new grouping.

Earlier, Mr Abdulrahim Farah, of Somalia, chairman of the United Nations Special Committee on Apartheid, told the congress that trade unions should take energetic steps against Rhodesia and South Africa in industrial and economic fields. He referred to the refusal by dockers in Louisiana, United States, to unload cargoes of Rhodesian chrome in accordance wtih United Nations resolutions. “Seamen’s unions everywhere should refuse to work on sanctions-busting ships,” Mr Farah said. He also asked I.C.F.T.U. member unions to expel or suspend any worker who emigrates to South Africa.