Mr Rowling’s hint on Chile

Press, 17 April 1979, Page 16

Mr Rowling’s hint on Chile

When the Federation of Labour holds its annual conference next month its members should take note of the remarks made in Washington by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Rowling, concerning the trade ban against Chile. Mr Rowling last week found the American trade union movement had backed away from a boycott of Chile, and that American unionists intended to find out at first hand whether the Government of General Pinochet is permitting free trade union activities.

The F.O.L. should be seeking the same information. If the Americans are satisfied that a trade boycott is not justified, it would be foolish for the F.O.L. to continue a policy which has caused little inconvenience to Chile, but which has damaged New Zealand’s exports to a promising market. New Zealand has been virtually alone for some time in its application of the ban. Most other countries, includ-

ing some of General Pinochet’s harshest critics in the Communist bloc, are trading with Chile—to their own advantage and to New Zealand’s loss. The F.O.L. ban has been foolish, not only because it hurts the unionists in New Zealand more than the Chileans, but because it has been inconsistent to single out Chile for particular attention. If freedom of trade union activities were used to determine the countries with which New Zealand was prepared to trade, this country’s exports and imports would have to be confined to about 20 other States, most of them in Western Europe and North America. Trade unionists here, for whom New Zealand’s economic well-being is more important than an ineffective and lonely political gesture, should welcome the opportunity provided by Mr Rowling’s talks in Washington for the F.O.L. to relax its ban.