NO RECONCILIATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27042, 29 March 1949, Page 5

NO RECONCILIATION

FREE TRADE UNIONS AND COMMUNISTS APPEAL FOR NEW LINE-UP NZP A—Copyright LONDON, Mar. 27. British, United States, and Dutch trade union leaders have appealed to those national trade union centres still affiliated to the Communist-led World Federation of Trade Unions to withdraw from the organisation. The appeal said that the Marshall Plan was a factor which precluded all hope of reconciliation between Communist and non-Communist trade unionists. The appeal was signed by the four trade union leaders who staged a walk-out from the WFTU Executive Bureau in January—Mr Arthur Deakin and Mr Vincent Tewson, of Britain, Mr James Carey, of America, and Mr Evert Kupers, of Holland.

In a foreword the four signatories accused the Communist trade unions of systematically pressing demands of a political character. This statement specifically mentioned abortive negotiations with international trade secretaries, disagreements within WFTU missions to Germany, Japan, and

Persia, and the WFTU decision to refuse affiliation with German trade unions until the movements in the various occupation were unified. The statement said: “ The old line-up of the Communist International and the Free Trade Union International looms ahead. There is no longer a world federation. The oldest and most experienced trade union movement will be outside. When in the WFTU these movements had to contend with vilification and abuse.” . This call coincided with the arrival in the United States of Trades Union Congress leaders for talks with the leaders of the Congress of Industrial Organisations and the American Federation of Labour on the possibilities of new international rivalry with the WFTU.