107
TRADES UNION CONGRESS
GENERAL SECRETARY: RT. HON, LIONEL MURRAY OBE
31 MAR 1977
ALLOCANICHE F
CONGRESS HOUSE... great rusSELL STREET · LONDON WCIB 3LS
Telephone 01-636 4030
March 28 1977
Telegrams TRADUNIC LONDON WCI
RECEIVED IN
REGISTRY Nɔ, 12PT
Economic
-5 APR 1977
ÖUR REF
ME 1313
کیسے اكم
Rt Hon Dr D Owen MP
Secretary of State for Foreign
& Commonwealth Affairs
HM Diplomatic Service Foreign and
Commonwealth Office
Downing Street SWLA 2AL
Dear Dr Owen
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YOUR REF FOR KING SOON 1 EDES
Advice via-Mydyssey fur sons to reply
Renegotiation of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement
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I am writing to you on behalf of the TUC Textile, Clothing and Footwear Industries Committee to express concern over the failure of the European Community to reach agreement on their mandate for discussion at GATT on the future of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA). In summary form the. views of the TUC were set out in paragraph 63-68 of the 1977 TUC Economic Review.
Following discussions with the TUC and with employers in the textile and clothing industries the UK Government is: aware of the need to renegotiate the terms of the MFA and has formulated its proposals aacordingly. The failure to agree a mandate with other member countries of the EEC could indicate some reluctance on their part to accept the- UK Government proposals for renegotiation.
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The MFA as presently formulated includes a number of weaknesses which, if they continue unresolved, are likely to prove very damaging to the UK and other economies in a. similar position. In particular the basis of the MFA is the negotiation of bilateral-arrangements with major suppliers. The relative flexibility of textile and clothing production means that such bilateral controls can be avoided,
and in some cases evaded, by the rapid growth of new
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