By MIKE PHILLIPS

More than 206-million members
strong, the World Federation of Trade
Unions, (WFTU), unites broad sections
of the international working class into a
solid, class-oriented trade union centre.

Its main rival is the 85-million member
International Confederation of Free
Trade Unions, (CFTU), which, was
created by British and U.S. labor leaders
to split the WFTU along political lines in
the late 40s, and is primarily restricted in
membership to the trade unions of the
capitalist, and what is left of the colonial
world.

WFTU, on the other hand, represents
trade union organizations fromthe
capitalist world, such as France’s CGT,
(General Confederation of Labor), that
country’s largest and most importan}
trade union centre, and two trade union
centres in India; the trade unions of the
socialist world; and, the trade union
movements of many newly-emerging
countries which are non-aligned and
generally pursuing the non-capitalist
road to economic development.

GLOBAL CHARACTER

The global character and militant
orientation of the WFTU was sharply
reflected in the 10th world trade union
congress, last February, in Havana,
Cuba organized by the federation.

Some 739 participants, representing
351 different trade union organizations
from 135 countries attended the five day
congress in this hemisphere’s first social-
ist country. In all, the payticipants spoke
on behalf of 260-million workers around
the world.

As in previous congresses, only about
20% of the participants were direct
affiliates of the WFTU. Participants in
these world labor congresses have full
voice in discussing the general policy
adopted. But, only actual WFTU mem-
bers elect the organization's leadership
and the WFTU Bureau.

The World Confederation of Labor,
(WCL), originally set up as a centre for
catholic trade unions, has an open
dialogue with the WFTU and usually
sends fraternal greetings to the world
congresses organized by the WFTU, in-
cluding the recent Havana gathering.

U.S. THE ENEMY

Recently the ICFTU has been more
vocal on the peace question and has
urged its affiliates to promote peace and
disarmament. This increases the poten-
tial for common actions with WFTU and
other peace forces. :

However while WFTU squarely iden-
tifies the U.S. and other imperialist pow-
ers as the main cause of the arms race
and the prime threat of war, the ICFTU
tries to adopt a “‘neutral”’ posture pro-
moting the myth that both socialist and
Capitalist governments share equal
blame

Reflecting the global desire by the
workers of the world for peace and better
living standards, WFTU has consistently
pursued the aim of unity in action of the
labor forces of the world for peace, pro-
gressive economic development, and
support for national independence from
colonialism and imperialist domination.

WFTU doesn't expect such unity to
express itself organizationally at this
stage, but it does see the potential for the
world’s labor organizations pursuing
parallel actions and common struggles.
And, WFTU relentlessly pursues the aim
of dialogue with all the world’s labor
forces including the ICFTU as a basis for
furthering working class unity and taking
concrete steps toward peaceful co-
existence among workers from different
and competing social systems.

This kind of united action is proposed
in “Trade Unions and the Challenges of
the 1980s’’, the policy document adopted
by the participants in the 10th congress.
It starts from the realization that the ex-
treme dange of nuclear holocaust facing
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 7, 1982—Page 6

Some 739 participants including workers from Canada and the U.S. met in Havana Feb.
10-15 and endorsed a call at the 10th Worid Trade Union congress for worldwide common
action by the labor movement, regardless of political orientation for peace and disarma-
ment, fightback against the exploitation of the transnationals and support for the national
liberation struggles and for a new international economic order.

humanity can be eliminated through un-
ited mass actions of the working people,
and that the workers and democratic
forces of the world because of im-
Perialism’s weakened position, have
never exercised more initiative than to-
day, nor have they had a greater power
and potential to make fundamental
changes in their interests.

NO STRIKES...

It is this militant policy of the WFTU

‘which has attracted so many of the

world’s working people into its ranks
especially from the developing world.
Unlike the ICFTU, which sees the ‘‘re-
formed”’ capitalist economies under so-
cial democratic governments as the soci-
ety workers should aspire to achieve,
WFTU projects -socialism under the
power and direction of the working class
and its allies as the necessary goal for
labor’s emancipation. :

Where the ICFTU ties offers of aid to
labor movements in the developing
countries on the basis of whether or not
they promote class struggle and have re-
lations with the socialist world, WFTU is

firm in its backing of all forces fighting for
freedom from imperialist domination
and colonialism.

Witness the fact that among the 15 new
organizations to join the WFTU at the
10th congress was the Sandinist Workers

' Central of Nicaragua, (CST), that coun-

try’s main trade union central.
Canadian workers will find this of in-
terest because of the massive aid pro-
gram carried out by the Canadian Labor
Congress, (CLC), for that country.

_ However, it is interesting to note, that

the aid that was brought to Nicaragua
went to the ICFTU affiliate, CUS, which
under the guise of so-called ‘‘in-
dependent trade unionism’’ has refused
to join the CST the CLC-equivalent in
Nicaragua supported by most of the
people.

The Canadian participants had the op-
portunity to meet representatives of the
South African Congress of Trade
Unions. (SACTU), ‘in Havana and to
quetion them about their struggle for
trade union rights and an end to apartheid
in their country.

They learned how the ICFTU has
played a negative role in South Africa
trying to undermine SACTU'’s influence.

Canadians heard about how the ICFTU
had offered to give financial aid to)
SACTU in the early days, if they toned |
down their anti-imperialist and class
struggle orientation. In .contrast the

SACTU representatives noted, the|

WFTU has consistently offered solidar-
ity and support for SACTU on a “t
strings attached”’ basis.

‘ANTI-SOCIALIST
CRUSADE

Hopefully the readmission in January
of the U.S. into the ICFTU, after its
withdrawal in 1969, won’t indicate a re-
versal of the cautious steps which have
been taken toward dialogue among the
three world labor bodies. It would be an
unfortunate development at a time which
promises so much for the workers of the
world in terms of peace, social progress
and development of the emerging
countries.

It would also be a move that is con-

an

trary with the growing desire of workers |

around the. globe for peaceful relations
and communication between workers of
socialism and their brothers and sisters
under capitalism.

Canadian workers have indicated in
the past through resolutions at CLC and
provincial labor federation conventions
their desire for peace, and for peaceful.
dialogue and exchanges with their
counterparts in the socialist and develop-
ing world.

The current leadership of the con-
gress, which declared itself at the 1980
convention in Winnipeg as opposed to
bringing back the cold war, has taken it

and

upon itself to bypass the wishes of the
convention and has suspended all ex-
changes with trade unions in the socialist

_ world as its contribution to the anti-

socialist crusade launched by imperial-
ism over events in Afghanistan and
Poland. -

While certain right wing elements of
the CLC leadership may think it tacti-
cally expedient in the short term to let the

cold war tiger shove an ugly paw out of |

its cage and wave it menacingly at the left
within the CLC, they may find that if
they open the cage door too wide, getting
the beast back won’t be as easy as they
had thought.

The fight for peace is the number one

task of all workers. The number one |

enemy is U.S: imperialism, and Cana-

_ dians, with our economy under so much’

U.S. domination, should understand the
need to unite with all anti-imperialist
forces for the sake of peace, social prog-
ress and a new international economic
order.

URGENT APPEAL

Instead of discouraging exchanges and
dialogue between workers under capital-
ism and those under socialism, the CLC
should be pressing the ICFTU to move
into the forefront of the fight for peace
and peaceful coexistence. Instead of try-
ing to prop up neo-colonial regimes and
undermine the liberation movements
against imperialist domination by trying
to co-opt the labor movements of de-
veloping countries, the ICFTU under
pressure from the CLC and other
affiliates should be extending the hand of
friendship and working class solidarity
with no strings attached.

You can’t fight concessions at home
and at the same time concede to the
enemy’s international interests.and aims.
The fight against the transnationals at
home is inseparably linked to fighting
them internationally.

Delegates to the CLC convention later
this month, should bear in mind the ur-
gent appeal for dialogue and common ac-
tion for peace and in defence of workers
living standards under attack by the
transnationals that was made from the
Havana congress. ;

With peace the number one global
question facing workers, WFTU’s call
for setting political differences aside for
the sake of a united world-wide fightback
against the transnationals is today more
timely than it ever was.

|