Western unions send $l00,000 to Poles

Press, 2 September 1980, Page 8

Western unions send $l00,000 to Poles

NZPA-Reuter ' ' Geneva ; - An international 'trade union: leader* said- -yes-ter-•*. >< ■ day that his organisation../ /had channelled about > < $120,060 to striking Polish - workers. ■ " ‘ ‘fl cannot tell you the " : methodsy byr.iwh'ieh’ it gets . in there/.but’. j it: gets in - there,” ' Herman Rebhan, / general secretary -of / thje'/ International Metalworkers t-, • Federation, told NZPA O'Reuter in ' a telephone •interview.";" Mr Rebhan said from / the United States that the

money: was a “symbolic” gift- '■?--»from • American, *;Freneh{, and West German ' 'trade unions. .. <? ■; “We do riot want to give the regime the charice to claim.:.we are financing, subversion,”' he: said.; “The money was used, for food, arid to: help : families who are in great .•’ ■,:<*(;.<>■ ' “It had also been given tohelp replenish .{funds, depleted by /expenses'; bn ..printing leaflets. "We know how.'much it costs to run ,a union,”..'.Mr Reb- ■ ha : n’'sald.-;.'. : :.'. The gifts were chan-

nelled. through Polish dissident representatives in :.( the West, he. added.“■ t«We did'not'know..at the ■ time whether the Govern- •= ment would make good ; their ’ .(the strikers) wages/’hesaid. Mr Rebhari, whose; Gen--eva-based / federation links • some' 14 million workers ; in •60 non-Communist countries, - described ’ the Polish strike settlement,, terms as “a 'great victory' for trade unionism.” ' “It will also show cburi-. tries like South Africa that the working dass can; do something,” he added.