KEY UNIONS MOVE TO BREAK COMMUNIST RULE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22948, 17 May 1949, Page 5

KEY UNIONS MOVE TO BREAK COMMUNIST RULE

(10 a.m.) SYDNEY, May 17. Moderates of two key unions—the Waterside Workers’ Federation and Federated Ironworkers’ Association — have moved for the breaking of Communist control. Federal leadership of the Waterside Workers’ Federation suffered a serious setback yesterday when the Newcastle watersiders refused to endorse the decisions of the federal council regarding the Stevedoring Industry Commission. In Brisbane, a federal councillor of the waterside workers, Mr. V. C. Alford, told the watersiders that communism was only a confidence trick. In Sydney, the moderates of the Ironworkers’ Association are proceeding with a plan to place their case for the removal of desoptism from their union before the Canberra Ministers. Tactics to Remove Reds A Brisbane meeting of watersiders, at which Mr. Alford spoke, discussed for four hours the tactics •to be used to remove the Communists from the control of the federation. Mr. Alford will oppose the Communist general secretary, Mr. J. Healy, at the triennial ballot in July and Mr. P. Cain, a prominent Labour official, will oppose the assistant general secretary, Mr. E. Roach, “Rank and file opposition to communism has been kept down by intimidation and victimisation,” said Mr. Cain. “The Communist Party must be stripped of its camouflage and its stooges and fellow travellers exposed.” The organisation of moderate unionists, known as the Members’ Rights Committee, elected a deputation, of five to visit Canberra this week and present their case.

It was also decided to ascertain if legal action could be taken against officials of the union for the way they conducted a mass meeting of iron workers in the Town Hall last week. On the committee are delegates from Cockatoo Island, Mort’s Dock, Garden Island and other large industrial undertakings. The secretary of the Members-Rights Committee, Mr. L. Short, told the committee that the mass meeting had been conducted by Communists on a carefully arranged plan. He said that the Town Hall basement, with a capacity of 1500, had been chosen deliberately in place of Leichhardt Stadium so that they would have sufficient supporters, including those voting with two hands, to give the impression that the vote had been carried. If everyone could have got into the meeting, said Mr. Short, the vote would have been so overwhelming that no chairman would have dared to give the ruling that was given.