Union chiefs feud over Polish strike

Press, 28 August 1980, Page 3

Union chiefs feud over Polish strike

Attacks by Mr A. J. Neary, secretary of the North Island electrical workers’ union, on the Federation of Labour’s handling of the Polish strikers issue .were intended to create a belief in the country that the F.O.L. president (Mr W, J. Knox) and its secretary (Mr K. G. Douglas) were lying, said Mr Knox yesterday. Mr Knox said he deplored Mr Neary’s reported remark “seeing is believing” concerning the F.O.L.’s cable of support for the striking Polish workers. Mr Neary, was reported to have said “We have got to see the telegram and when and where, it was sent.” Mr Knox said Mr Neary’s attacks on the way the F.O.L. handled a Polish Association delegation’s request for support last Friday were meant to make people think that he arid Mr Douglas were telling lies. “Mr Neary is well known for his attacks on the federation’s national officials- and its executive, and these have been aimed to split and -divide thi” trade; union, move-

ment,” he said. Mr Douglas said on Tuesday that the cable was sent to Poland last Friday. Mr Knox said in Auckland yesterday that the cable left Wellington on Monday. The Polish Association holds that it is immaterial when the cable left F.O.L. headquarters.. They do, however, question its destination — “The Central Council, Polish Trade Unions, Warsaw.” ■ ; •

A Polish spokesman in Wellington, Mr Peter Berry, said yesterday that it would have been equally effective if it had been sent to the Polish Politburo. “I could understand - a trade union in Auckland making that mistake, but it is difficult for us to accept that Mr Douglas did not know the significance of the address,” Mr Berry said. The central council in Warsaw was “the Government office of the Governm e n t-established trade unions ni Poland.”* - - But Mr Knox.said he. was confident the F.O.L. cable would ba known to the

Lenin Shipyard strike force. “We sent it to the only national trade union source we know of in Poland. There is no doubt we will get a message back,” Mr Knox said.

Mr Knox said that as the president of the F.O.L. he would offer “full support to the workers of any country who are struggling to improve living standards and their right to have freedom to oppose any Government which is threatening to take away those rights and freedoms.”

He flatly rejected calls by Mr Neary for the F.O.L.’s national executive to consider the Polish workers’ issue immediately, and not to wait until the planned September 9. meeting. That date was arranged a fortnight before the sending of the cable to Poland arid, in the meantime, support for Polish workers would be assessed, said Mr Knox. The national executive could not meet this week because' Mr Knox had important work ■ and meetings to attend in Auckland;.