F.O.L. 'still dominated by S.U.P. thinking’

Press, 13 May 1981, Page 6

F.O.L. 'still dominated by S.U.P. thinking’

PA Wellington Moderate trade unionists who attended the Federation of Labour conference were gullible, the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) said yesterday. He was replying to a speech by a union advocate, Mr R. J. Campbell, explaining why the F.O.L. conference last week had decided to oppose any Government moves to offer taxation cuts in lieu of pay increases; “In spelling out the spurious arguments for refusing to proceed with the proposed income tax-wage trade-off, Mr Campbell has made it clear once again that F.O.L. policy is still dominated by Socialist Unity Party thinking,” Mr Muldoon said. It had always, been clear that’ the Socialist Unity

Party was not concerned about the welfare of rank-and-file trade unionists, he said. Its. publicly stated aim was to destroy the New Zealand economy so that a socialist State could be. introduced. "Marxist theorists are on record as saying that high rates of inflation are likely to achieve this aim,” Mr Muldoon said. “In voting against the wage-tax tradeoff the F.O.L. is voting for high rates of inflation and

further damage to. the interests of the rank-and-file unionists. . : . “What previously looked like an inexplicable decision is now clarified as s part of the Socialist Unity Party's continuing campaign to destroy the New Zealand economy. “The pity of it is that the moderate trade unionists at the F.O.L. conference were so gullible,” Mr Muldoon said. . ' Mr Campbell, page 12.