PROBLEMS FOR LABOUR

Chronicle (Levin), 16 February 1949, Page 5

PROBLEMS FOR LABOUR

Presjs Association! "

Federation Discusses A IHnity of TrouWei

(Per

\V ELLIN GTON , . Feb. % At its special conference, yhich. opened this morning at .the WellingtonTrades Hall, the national co.uncU o| the "New Zealand Federation of Labour, is eoiisidering a trinity ofNroubles in a three-day session.^ , - i ' They are the question of withdrawal from the World Federation of Trade Unions, the wages policy' of the national executive of the Federatiqn pi Labour, and peacetime anilitary' conscripfion. The first: Whether the federation should maintain its . afiiliation 'to the. World Federation of Trade Uniojts as a result of the action of the' British Trade Union Counc.il and the American Congress of Industl'ial Organsiatiom.n wirhdrawing from the executive ui ihe in'dustrial international, on the ■ ground that it was serviug merely as an instrumeut of the foreign policy oi Boviet Russia. -* Tlie second: Controversy concenii ng che wages policy i'ollowed by the na tional executive of the Federation o. Labour. Three members of the New Zealanc Waterside Workers' Union are on th federation council, and the national viee-president of the union (Mr. Ale\ ander Drennan) is presenting to thc .'ouncil resolutions adopted by thre. oranches of tlie union expressing m, .■onlidence in the federation executive. The thircj: Peacetime military cou scription. It was before the federation couuo/i on the eve of the departure of tlu Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) for tlu.imndon conference and Europe anu North America. At the request of Mi Fraser, the federation council conseni ed to defer a decision on the questioi. until he relurned to New Zealand an.i had tlie opportunity of reporting to tlu industrial Labour movement, as we'lJ as the publie, on the international situ ation. Pressure Withstood.

JMuch criticism of the federation council was organised by militant union ofiicials who had expressed theh hostility to peacetime military eonscripiion. In tuni, the federation executive withstood considerable pressure by the mil.itants to make it call an immediate conference to decide the issue, in tlu Jbsence of Mr. Fraser. An 'orgauised attempt is being .made to liave the federation council repudiate the attitu'de of the British Trade Union Cbuneil and the American Con gress of Industrial Organisations, as well as the American Federation oi Labour, by maintaining the afiiliation ■ to the World Federation of Trade Unions. The moderates are increasingly favquriug a cancelJation of the afiiliation, for the reason that they regard thcWorid Federation of Trade Unions as a Communist instrument, and the militants, with Communists among their numbers, are resisting cancellation. On the eve of today 's discussions, the militants have received some support from overse.is. A leading Communist, Mr. J. Healy, who is secretary

of the Australian Waterside Workers' Federation, has denouneed the attitude of the British Trade Union Council and the American ' Congress of Indnstriai Organisations, and has sfated tha: there will be" an efiort to have the Aus tralian Council of Trade Unions maintain its afiiliation to the World Federation of Trade Unions. Line From Mr. Bridges. The president of the International Longshoremen 's and Warehousemen 's Association, of San Franciseo (Mr. aarry Bridges), has notified the waterside workers' organisations in Australia and New Zealand that, if necessary, his union will try to remain an afiiliation of the World Federation of Trade Unions, despit'e the withdrawal of the American Congress of Industrial Orgau isations. Militant ofiicials in New Zealand and Australia have lately indicated that they might attempt to follow the lead of Mr. Bridges, should the organiseu trade 'union movement eancel the gen eral afiiliation. Bome moderate ofiicials predict that the final decision may be left to th:annuai conference of the Federation o.l Labour, to be held in Wellington in a few weelcs ' time. Moderates increas ingly believe that the general confer ence would support an aliiance with thi British, American, and Western Enro pean industrial Labour movements, with the strong possibility of an early creation of an industrial international without Communist trappings. No less than in Britain, the United States, Western Europe, and Australia. the ipolitical Labour movement in New Zealand is attaching more importance. j from a long-term view, to the trado union decision on its international afiiliation than it is to the more iniiiiedi*--ate and domestie issues of wagos and" peacetime consci'iption.