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Other ETUC speakers supported the general TUC line that reduction of unemployment should be the principal immediate objective, and called for greater co-ordination in removing structural defects in the European economy and permitting Europe to play a more decisive part in general recovery.
There was agreement that a further conference should be held and that finance ministers as well as ministers for employment and social affairs should take part again. This decision was particularly welcome to the ETUC, since there has been a tendency on the part of the EC authorities to assume that the views of trade unionists were more relevant to social issues than to general industrial and economic matters.
ILO : US Withdrawal
The US Government has given notice of its intended withdrawal from the ILO with effect from November 1977, alleging erosion of tripartite representation in the organisation, selective concern for matters relating to freedom of association and human rights, an increasing trend, of the Conference to adopt resolutions directed against particular member states instead of using established procedures and machinery for dealing with non-compliance with ratified conventions, and an increasing intrusion of politics through the discussion of issues more appropriate for the UN and other international bodies.
Particular issues on which the AFL-CIO is known to have strong views include PLO attendance at ILO meetings, the possibility of a Russian presiding over the Governing Body and the Conference, the alleged operation of double standards as between, say, Chile and the USSR, and the continued existence of the Resolutions Committee.
Gibraltar
The death of General Franco inevitably created expectations in some quarters of a smooth transition towards social democracy, but so far it seems that conservative forces remain the most influential. Against this background there may be a renewed request by the Spanish Government for a transfer of sovereignty over Gibraltar from Britain to Spain.
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