BRITISH T.U.C. BREAKS WITH COMMUNISTS

Grey River Argus, 15 November 1948, Page 8

BRITISH T.U.C. BREAKS WITH COMMUNISTS

The General Council of the British Trades Union Congress has finally decided by a large majority that the whole weight of the unions’ strength must now be thrown against the Communists. The T.U.C. will try to constitute a new international trade unions body on a non-Communist basics in place of the World Federation of Trade Unions. •Only two of 33 members of the Council opposed these decisions which result from Communist attempts to wreck the past-war recovery of any country outside the Russian grip. The Council had gathered evidence to the effect that the Communists sought to obstruct the British Government’s economic policy which this year’s Trades Union Congress approved. The attention of all unions is now directed to the need for energetic steps to preserve their own interests from ruin. Although Communism has a comparatively little hold in Britain the industrial'conflict waged by the Communists in France, Britain’s nearest neighbour and chief co-operator in the European Recovery Programme, makes it impossible for the British trade union movement any longer to compromise. The T.U.C. states:— ■ “These disruptive activities are being carried on by the Communist Party and its subsidiary organisations. Statements made officially by the spokesman of the Communist Party in Britain prove beyond question that sabotage of the European Recovery Programme is its present aim. Communist influences are every where at work to frame industrial demands for purposes of political agitation, to magnify industrial grievances and to bring about stoppages in industry. The Communist Parties are doing their utmost to wreck the entire recovery efforts of Britain and the European countries which have accepted the offer of American Aid. The General Council therefore urges the executives of all affiliated unions, their district and branch committee® and responsible officers and loyal members "to' counter every manifestation of Communist, influence within their unions and to open the eyes of all work people to the dangers of their subversive activities. The Council is convinced that the great body of trade unionists and of responsible executives of all affiliated organisations will give the instigators of this campaign of sabotage a short shift when it is realised that they are acting as the abject slavish agents of forces working incessantly to intensify social misery and to create conditions of chaos and economic instability in which the unions will find it impossible to pursue their essential task of protecting and advancing the best interests of workpeople the world over.” ■ The T.U.C. and the W.F.T.U. These last words contain the reason for the T.U.C.’s condemnation of the W.F.T.U. which is called upon to suspend its functions and to reconstitute itself otherwise the T.U.C. will withdraw from association with it. The W.F.T.U. was formed largely on British initiative —after the Comintern had been ostensibly dissoved—to further labour interests on a world basis. Its sponsors at ’any rate never intended that it should be used to further the political interests of one party as has been done. The T.U.C. Council has considered the disagreements at the recent Paris meeting of the W.F.T.U. Executive Bureau over the activities of the International Trade Secretariat and the activities of W.F.T.U. officials. The International Trade Secretariat—a world organisation of the various trades —had never joined the W.F.T.U. and the T.U.C. concluded that co-operation between it and the W.F.T.U. which had been a condition of continued T.U.C. affiliation to the W.F.T.U. was definitely impracticable. It had become more and more difficult to prevent political tactics intruding when trade union questions came before the W.F.T.U. Unless .the W-F.T.U. Executive Bureau reverses this Communist political line therefore, the British umons—the pioneers of democratic unionism—will withdrew from the W.F.T.U.