C.T.U. reservations among union reps

Press, 10 May 1985, Page 1

C.T.U. reservations among union reps

PATRICIA HERBERT

in Wellington

Lingering reservations about the concept of a single trade union organisation and the speed with which it was being pursued surfaced at the Federation of Labour conference yesterday.

Delegates were discussing the proposed amalgamation of the F.0.L., the Combined State Unions and non-affili-ates under one banner — the Council of Trade Unions. They had before them a report from the C.T.U. working party and a remit supporting the move. They also had a recommendation from the executive that the F.O.L. decide which way it would go no later than May, next year.

These were eventually endorsed but not without some serious misgivings being expressed.

Mr Don Goodfellow, of the National Union of Railwaymen, moved that the deadline for the final decision be extended to 1990.

“We want to take it step by step and we feel that we are being dragged from the top and that there is no thrust from the bottom,” he said.

His doubts were endorsed by Mr Con O'Leary, also of the N.U.R., who said there was limited enthusiasm in the workplace for the C.T.U. and that it was significant that the idea had been raised by the Public Service Association after it had

failed to persuade its members to join the F.O.L. Mr O’Leary said the F.O.L. stood to lose its policy and its right to affiliate with a political party, that the Joint Council of Labour would go and that the C.T.U. leadership would be too removed from the rank and file particularly if it had conferences not every year but every second year as proposed. “The price is too high." he said.

He also said small unions could be swamped if the “big six” — the Engineers’ Union, Clerical Workers' Union, Hotel Workers’ Union, the Distribution Unions, Post Office Union, and P.S.A. — used their strength to get their people into the official posts.

Mr Ray Pottress, of the Taranaki Meat Workers’ Union, spoke in support of the C.T.U. proposal but doubted its ability to deliver to the regions.

He moved that the working party be reconvened to reconsider the appointment of six regional secretaries and that the funds to be used for this purpose be reallocated to the district councils.

He was supported by Ms Shelley Webb, secretary of the Bay of Plenty Trades Council, who said she thought the new structure might not function effectively at district level because of a work overload.

While recognising the need for unions to equip themselves for the future,

she warned against rushing into something which the membership did not understand and did not support. She also expressed concern that women unionists might lose their voice in the larger organisation. Mr Owen Harvev said he was concerned about the lack of enthusiasm among many for the idea which he thought was based not on argument but on simple resistance to change — “a luxury we cannot afford."

He also said there was a risk, with the formation of the “free trade union movement” under Mr Tony Neary, that there would soon be three worker bodies rather than two. This splintering would lead to a loss of credibility, he told the conference. He said he did not think workers cared whether they were in the C.S.U., F.0.L., or C.T.U. provided they were effectively represented. Mr Rex Jones, of the Engineers’ Union, said there was a clear need for unity and that it was the only viable way of getting across the union message to the Government, employer groups, and the public. He said the F.O.L. could not continue to stumble on under an increasing workload and that it could not keep staggering through the tripartite talks as it had done last time. A greater resource base was needed and this could be best achieved through amalgamation. Tour ban threat, page 3