NEW ZEALAND BODY DISAFFILIATES WITH WORLD FEDERATION

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 May 1949, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND BODY DISAFFILIATES WITH WORLD FEDERATION

WELLINGTON, May 20 (P.A.).— Its affiliation to the World Federation of Trade Unions will be withdrawn by the New Zealand Federation of Labour. A decision to take this action was reached at the annual conference of the federation today by 197 votes to 61, after delegates had heard a report from the Australian and New Zealand delegate to the W.F.T.U., Mr Albert E. Monk, of JVustx'Blict* Mr Monk said that the W.F.T.U. had failed to function as an international trade union organisation which could compose differences between those holding differing political ideologies. It was another tragic chapter to an attempt to establish a real international trade union organisation. „ , Mr F. P. Walsh, for the Federated Seamen’s union, moved a motion, which the conference adopted—That the conference was of the opinion that it was not serving the best mterests of the taade union movement to .remain affiliated to the W.F.T.U., and therefore resolved to disaffiliate. Mr Walsh said it was crystal clear that it was a question of being dictated to by dictators or being a iree ( trade union organisation. Mr R. Stanley, delegate to the 1945 conference of the W.F.T.U., opposed the motion, and the Carpenters Union, of which Mr Stanley is national secretary, asked that its vote against the motion be recorded.