The Trades Council

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 October 1947, Page 2

The Trades Council

Sir, —We, the undersigned members Of the executive of the West Coast Trades Council, believe it necessary to reply to the- attacks made iff the leading articles and correspondence columns of the Evening Star. The . Trades Council consists exclusively of delegates elected by those trade unions affiliated ■. to thb New Zealand Federation of Labour. Each union has complete, control of its delegates and can instruct them Or withdraw them from the Trades Council at will. AU decisions of the council are subject to the meht Of the affiliated trade unioiis. In these circumstances, it is obvious that the Trades Council cannot possibly dictate to the trade unions of their members. It can make recommendations only, and it rests entirely with each union whether or not it accepts such recommendations. The officers of the Trades Council are elected each year by secret ballot of the delegates present, at the annual meeting of the council. Such officers as the delegates care to elebt are ihe servants of the council dnd must carry out any direction given by the council or its executive. Consequently, the Evening Star atid the writers in its correspondence column, by attacking the council officers, who' are simply doing what they have been instructed to do, are actually attacking the whole tradb union movement of the West Coast.—Yours, etc., R. Hall, J. Barrow, J. Kennedy, U. J. Mettrick, S. Gladstone. Greymouth, Oct; 13. ’

(Surely it is stretching the ination more than a little to describe as an “attack on the whole trade union movement” a suggestion that unionists in general should tak£' & good look at their leadership and .at the -creed and aims of those . who aspite tb leader ship. The loading articles in the Evening Stat tb which the signatories of the 'above letter refer did no'more and no less than that, as a careful perusal will show. We are not responsible fbt opinions expressed in. the correspondence column. —Editor, Evening Star.)