FOL Seeks Inquiry Into Holmes' Dismissal

Northern Advocate, 18 February 1949, Page 2

FOL Seeks Inquiry Into Holmes' Dismissal

WELLINGTON, Fri.-(Sp.).—A request to the Government to make an inquiry into the whole of the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of Mr Cecil Holmes, a former employee of the National Film Unit, was contained in a resolution passed by the council of the Federation of Labour.

The resolution said that the inquiry should be held with a view to seeing that justice was meted out. If necessary, a report is to be made to the annual conference in May. It was also resolved that the question of whether the federation should remain affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions should be referred to the annual conference. It was decided to pay no further affiliation fees until after the conference had made a decision. The secretary was instructed to circulate to trades councils and affiliations a statement containing information on the events leading up to the cleavage in the WFTU, which has resulted in large sections of affiliations withdrawing from it. DELEGATE’S CABLE The council received a cablegram from Paris from Mr Albert Monk, the delegate for Australia and New Zealand at the WFTU congress, saying that he had abstained from voting on the continuance of the WFTU, as he could not commit either country.

sion to withdraw from the organisation.

He said that all executive positions, both officers and paid executives, were held by Communists, and the organisation was entirely controlled by Communists. In another resolution the council recommended that a woman member should be appointed to the Price Investigation Tribunal. It suggested that the person selected should have business and accountancy qualifications, and asked trades councils to submit the names of suitable persons. SOVIET CAMPS The council urged a thorough investigation into allegations about intolerable conditions in slave camps in Russia. A resolution requested the trade union movement of Russia to urge its Government to hold a full and free investigation by impartial representatives of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. . The New Zealand Government was asked to take up the matter with its representative on the Economic and Social Council. All information received is to be made available to the annual conference.

Mr Monk's cablegram added that there was no hope that the British unions would reconsider their deci-