Council would cover 650,000

Press, 11 August 1982, Page 1

Council would cover 650,000

PA . Wellington ; The prospect of an umbrella union group involving all New Zealand unionists, has been floated by the Pub-’ lie Service Association with tacit approval from the Federation of Labour leadership.

The "New Zealand-Council of Trade Unions” would combine all unions, private and public sector, with a collective membership of about 650.000.

. The P.S.A. annual conference in Wellington yesterday supported: the concept and said that there was an urgent need for greater union unity to combat what it called the unprecedented, level of Government attack on wage and salary earners. Its president, Mr D. H. Thorp, said that informal discussions had already been, held with the ‘F.O.L:: leadership .arid the reaction - was favourable. ■ ' ’'

•■■The-'.president of the<F.0.L., Mr W. J. Knox, will: address the conference 5 to-’ day. and it is thought that'he may make some official re-

action to the confederation proposal. ’. : The timing, mechanics, and leadership structure of a confederation had not been studied, Mr Thorp said. The P.S.A. conference’s support of the concept was merely committing membership to debate the issue. One united union confederation would be able to negotiate with the Government about matters such as unfair taxation, cuts jn social services, employment and wage policies, and access t,o general wage orders. It was a necessary, move in the face of a Government trying to “legislate unions out of existence,” said Mr Thorp. . He asked delegates to contemplate . the end of the annual general adjustment system, and said that there were ominous signs that it was under threat. "State-sector unions could be thrown into the hurly burly of wage rounds with the Govemirient as the employer, “perhaps the hardest and toughest employer of all.” •- '