The social network for trade unionists - a LabourStart project.

International Union of Pensioners and Retirees: Great Initiative; Problematic Umbrella

Peter sez:

That the (Communist) World Federation of Trade Unions is proposing to create such a body is no bad idea. That it will be a Trade Union International under the WFTU umbrella - or cloud? - is another matter. It was precisely the attempt of the original WFTU to turn the trade-specific internationals into, effectively, industrial departments, that was a major obstacle to the creation of the WFTU. The largely social-democratic TUIs, which predated the WFTU by 50, 75 or more years, wished to preserve their autonomy. When I was working for the WFTU in the mid-1960s, the TUIs amounted to no more than, indeed, trade or industrial departments, in tiny offices mostly scattered around the city centre. I am not sure what autonomy, if any, will be preserved under the present WFTU constitution for this new body. And whether the interests of persioners and retirees globally would not be better served by a network, autonomous of any over-arching and ideologically-restricted structure. An Australian leader of one TUI some years ago denounced the imposition of hierarchical WFTU control over his body. Any information or ideas about the matter would be welcome.

Now read and click on...

bulletin@wftucentral.org