RESTRICTED
<table
Item 4 : South Africa African Trade Unions and Industrial
Relations Practices.
[Mr Denison-Edson of Central and Southern Africa Department
will attend for this item 1
12. I need not, I think, remind members of the Report of the House of Commons Select Committee and the guidance subsequently issued in 1974 by Mr Peter Shore, when Secretary for Trade, to companies with subsidiaries in South Africa. Since 1974, public interest in the UK has shifted to some extent from the wages paid to Black employees to encouraging the development and recognition of Black trade unions. As the covering paper points out, this was a point included in the Department of Trade's guidelines and I know that the TUC is involved in assisting two institutions in South Africa the Urban Training Project in Johannesburg and the Institute for Industrial Education in Durban in training Black trade union officials. I will therefore ask the TUC to open our discussion on this item.
13.
[
...
BACKGROUND TO BE DRAWN UPON AS APPROPRIATE ]
The Department of Trade retains departmental responsibility for matters arising from the TISC Report and subsequent White Paper e.g. the publication by British companies of reports on their employment practices in South Africa. By arrangement with the Department of Trade, copies of reports published in 1976 have been sent by the Secretary of the OLCC to the TUC and CBI. It is suggested that any queries on these reports or the Department of Trade Guidelines should be noted "for reference to the Department of Trade".
Item 5: Developments within the International Labour Organisation
[ Mr Fletcher of United Nations Department will attend for
this item ]
14. The paper for this item has been prepared in the Department of Employment. But before I ask Mr Forward of that Department (who is the United Kingdom Government member on the ILO's Governing Body) to introduce it, may I say that I am glad we have this opportunity today to consider what each of us Government, TUC and
wh
4
RESTRICTED
/CBI