Support for Solidarity grows

Press, 4 February 1982, Page 11

Support for Solidarity grows

Two Christchurch-based trade unions have added their weight to a growing body of union support for the Polish trade union. Solidarity. The executive of the Canterbury Rubber (Workers’ Union has told the Federation of Labour that it “strenuously objected” to the use of military force to suppress workers’ organisations all over the world, and in particular would backup moves to support Solidarity. The union’s secretary; Mr L. G. Morel, said that the/ executive believed it was being consistent, because last year it had sent telegrams to the International Labour Organisation and to the Turkish Government protesting at alleged persecution of Turkish trade union leaders. Mr Morel said the executive felt that the Federation of Labour had acted correctly by waiting for directives from affiliated unions before responding to the Polish situation. ______

The Christchurch and Greymouth Furniture Trades Union also released a statement this week expressing support for Solidarity.

The secretary. Mr S. Harris.- said the union’s executive had endorsed a statement issued by the General Conference of the International Trade Secretariats which met in Geneva on January 13.

The statement called for the immediate release of all imprisoned Solidarity members; the lifting of the “state of war"; the resumption of dialogue between the authorities and Solidarity; an immediate mission of investigation headed by’ the International Labour Organisation to be sent to Poland; and the

entry’ into Poland of a trade union mission to make contact with Solidarity.

The conference was attended by representatives of 13 federations of trade unions, representing 65 million workers throughout the world. One of the federations which attended was the Federation of Building and Wood Workers, to which the Christchurch union is affiliated.

Mr Harris said that the union would advise both the Federation of Labour and the Polish Association of New Zealand of its decision to endorse the statement. The Bank Officers Union and Insurance Workers Guild sent letters of protest to the Polish embassy in Wellington last month. Both are affiliated to the International

Federation of Commercial. Clerical. Professional and Technical Employees, which was represented at the Geneva conference. The letter from the insurance union called on the Polish authorities to release arrested union leaders and to "take immediate steps for the establishment of democratic. free trade unions to represent Polish workers.” One of the first unions to respond was the Printers’ Union, which sent a telegram to the Polish embassy in December, also calling for the release of detained unionists-and demanding the preservation of basic human rights for the Poles. The secretary of the Canterbury branch of the Carpenters’ Union. Mr J.

Clough, said that the branch had discussed the issue and the general mood of the meeting was of opposition to the military intervention.

Several unions or branches of unions have not met since the crisis developed in December, because of the interruption of the annual Christmas holidays. The secretary of the Canterbury Drivers’ Union. Mr P. R. Liggett said that the executive would meet next Wednesday and he believed that it would come out in support of the Polish workers.

The assistant secretary of the Meat Workers’ Union. Mr J. Sneddon, said that a letter had been received from the Polish Association yesterday and the Polish question

would probably be’ considered at the next meeting of the union’s management committee. “Just because there is no action, it doesn't mean that it is not being discussed among unionists,” said Mr Sneddon. He said that some unionists were sceptical of the situation in Poland because of the support Solidarity was getting from traditionally reactionary forces, such as the President of the United States, Mr Reagan, the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Mrs Thatcher, and the Catholic Church. It was too hard to reconcile the support Mr Reagan was giving to Solidarity with his own crackdown on striking air traffic controllers last year, said Mr Sneddon.