Pacific Trade Union Meeting

Mana (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 12, 25 December 1977, Page 2

Pacific Trade Union Meeting

Sixty-four delegates from New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the World Federation of Trade Unions met at the Driver’s Federation-sponsored South Pacific Trade Union Forum in Auckland on December 3 and 4; delegates from the Cook Islands and New Caledonia were unfortunately unable to get here. The forum was convened, in the words of Drivers’ Federation Secretary, Stew McCaffley, “as a concrete expression of the growing awareness of the urgent need for greater.unity and solidarity both in the South Pacific Region and the world.” Key speakers from the Federation of Labour, Bougainville Workers’ Union, World Federation of

Trade Unions, Australia Seamen’s Union, Fiji Sugar Workers and delegates from many other Unions developed and spelt out practical steps towards that aim. Resolutions adopted by the Forum were; active support, in the form of organisation help and training, publicity and combined campaigns, for unions throughout the South Pacific; support for independence movements in East Timor, New Hebrides and New Caledonia; solidarity with workers in Chile and South Africa. In addition it is hoped that an investigating party from New Zealand will be able to travel through the region early next year to get first hand experience for developing stronger links.