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3. TRADE UNION SITUATION#
THE MISSING FIGURES IN THE DECLARED MEMBERSHIP TABLE IN YOUR BRIEF ARE: +10,364, -165, +11,975, (TOTAL +44,904). PAID UP MEMBERSHIP FIGURES ARE: -26,648, -481, +8,461, -122, -9,274 TOTAL +37,780.
THE F TU IS COMMUNIST CONTROLLED NOT COMMUNIST ORIENTATED. BOTH F T U AND TU CARE REGISTERED SOCIETIES BUT NOT REGISTERED TRADE UNIONS. TU C IS NOT REPRESENTED AS SUCH ON THE TRIPARTITE LABOUR ADVISORY BOARD WHICH HAS TWO APPOINTED AND TWO ELECTED UNION MEMBERS. F TU BOYCOTTS THE ANNUAL ELECTION, THIS LEAVES THE FIELD OPEN TO TU C AFFILIATES, WITH LEFT-WING UNIONS NOT REPRESENTED MAINLY BY DEFAULT.
GENERAL POSITION IS DESCRIBED IN PARA 8 OF DAVID LAI'S LETTER TO ANDREW STUART ON 4 DECEMBER 1973. FT U SELDOM INTERVENES DIRECTLY IN DISPUTES. INDIVIDUAL LEFT-WING UNIONS ARE ALERT BUT CURRENTLY ONLY INTERVENE FOR PUBLICITY MILEAGE OR TO OBTAIN FOR THEIR MEMBERS SLIGHTLY IMPROVED CONDITIONS OVER THOSE GRANTED TO OTHER UNIONS. F T U MEMBERSHIP INCREASES RESULT FROM VIGOROUS POLITICAL AND WELFARE ACTIVITIES AND PUBLICITY EXPERTISE RATHER THAN FROM SUCCESSES IN NEGOTIATION.
IT APPEARS THAT F TU'S POLICY IS TO AVOID CONFRONTATION. RE CAP. 322, THE REGISTRAR HAS NEVER WITHHELD CONSENT UNDER (11). MOREOVER, IN RECENT YEARS GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL HAS NOT REFUSED CONSENT TO ANY TRADE UNION WISHING TO AFFILIATE WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS.
4. ILO CONVENTIONS:
PARA 3 SHOULD BE CORRECTED TO CONFORM WITH PARA 8 OF MY TELEGRAM NO 1006 OF 2 NOVEMBER TO A SILLARS P.Q. WE ARE ABOUT TO ASK FOR CONVENTION 99 TO BE ADOPTED IN FULL. CONVENTION 87 HAS BEEN APPLIED WITH MODIFICATION SINCE 1960. REASON FOR THE DIFFICULTIES IN APPLYING WITH ARTICLES 2, 5 AND 6 ARE SET OUT IN DETAIL IN OUR I L O REPORTS. THAT CONVENTION 84 HAS BEEN APPLIED SINCE 1950 IS NOTEWORTHY.
REF PARA 3 LINE 1 FOR 20 CONVENTIONS READ 19 CONVENTIONS.
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