Page 6 — Saturday, December 23, 1944

ritish Labor Voices

trong Opposition
To Greek Policy

By ANNE KELLY

LONDON.— (ALN) —The Greek crisis has dominated
all issues in Britain recently, including the Labor party con-
ference where overwhelming indignation at the government's

policy in Greece has colored all debates.
attended by over 1000 delegates

and is being held for the first
time in the presence of represen-
tatives of the CIO, Soviet trade
unions and fraternal delegations
from France, Belgium, Switzer-
land, Italy and Sweden.

Opposition to the government
stand in Greece reached its cul-
mination today in the form of
successive floor revolts against

the mild wording of the emerg-
eney resolution offered by the
executive council. Loyalty to the
Labor cabinet ministers, the fear
of precipitating the immediate
breakdown of the coalition and
the rigid conference procedure
which ruled strong amendments
out of order finally secured the
2,455,000 to 137,000 vote for the
executive’s proposed resolution,
although the terms in-no way re-
flected the delegates strong out-
burst. The resolution stated:

“The conference deeply regrets
the tragic situation which has
arisen in Greece and calls upon
the British government most
urgently to take all the necessary
steps to facilitate an armistice
without delay and to secure the
resumption of conversations be-
tween all sections of the people
who have resisted the Nazi in-
vaders with a view toward the
establishment of a provisional
national government which would
proceed with a free, fair gen-
eral election as soon as it is prac-
ticable in order that the will of
the Greek people may be ex-
pressed.”

STRONG RESOLUTIONS

Yesterday the executive coun-
cil was confronted with more
than a score of strongly-worded
resolutions, including the Amal-
gamated Engineering Union’s
demand for an “immediate re-
- versal” of the government’s “dis-
astrous” policy,.and the National
Union of Railwaymen’s declara-
tion that the government “is put-
tinge the entire people of Britain
under suspicion on their sincerity
towards the liberated peoples
and their intention pf implement-
ing the Atlantic Charter.”

. Cat-calls, cynical laughter,
groans and cries of “down, down”
and “shame” greeted the spokes-
men for the executive council
who attempted to defénd gov-
ernment policy. Even the lengthy
address of Labor Minister Hrn-
est Bevin, speaking in his capa-
city aS a member of the War
Cabinet, failed to diminish the
denunciations from the floor, and
his defense of the government

was answered with shouts of
“Tory.”
PUBLIC MEETING

John Benstead, general sec-

retary of the National Union of
Railwaymen, was hailed by the
delegates when he expressed re-
gret at the forced- omission of a
more drastic resolution “which

The conference is

might embarrass the Labor min-
isters,” and warned that “the
negation of democracy within
the (labor) movement cannot
continue.

he declared, adding: “There is
great disquiet that we are rap-
idly being maneuvered into the
Same position as followed the
last war.” >

Demonstration that the feel-
ings of British labor have not
subsided despite the acceptance
of the executive’s resolution, a
“Hands off Greece” demonstra-

tion was called for Trafalgar
Square. Initiated by John Hor-
ner, secretary of the Fire Bri-

gades Union, the demonstration
Was addressed by Haden Guest
and John Parker, Labor mem-
bers of Parliament, Tom Win-
tringham of the Commonwealth
party, Harry Pollitt, secretary
of the Communist party and
Compton Mackenzie, author.

STRIKE THREIAT

Jack Tanner, AEU president,
and secretary Arthur Deakin of
the Transport and General Work-
ers’ Union have announced that
they will move a strong resolu-
tion at the meeting of the gen-
eral council of the British Trades
Union Congress. Following mass
meetings, a delegation of 40
Clydesdale shop stewards was
elected to lobby in the House of
Commons tomorrow, with the
threat of a token strike of 152,-
000 workers. The Engineering
and Allied Shop Stewards Na-
tional Council adopted a resolu-
tion deploring “the truculent and
inaccurate speech of the Prime
Minister,” which they chargpe
“has endangered national and in-
ternational unity.”

SUPPORT LABOR
COALITION

Earlier the Labor party con-
ference resolved to maintain the
coalition government “as long as
the national interests demand”
and rejected the demand of the
AEU for progressive unity for
the general election, despite urg-
ent eleventh-hour pleas from the
miners and other unions. The
executive council’s policy against

‘unity was endorsed by a show

of hands after a hasty debate,
but observers’ estimates of sup-
port for a union of progressive
forces vary from half a million
to two million votes.

Other actions by the confer-
ence included an endorsement of
an international postwar settle-

ment demanding reparations
from Germany and Japan and
total disarmament; support of

continuing cooperation between
Britain and the U.S. and USSR:
and approval of the Dumbarton
Oaks proposals for world secur-
ity and the creation of an inter-
national court of justice.

The movement cean-!
not be hamstrung all the time,” |

aS

Top:
fighting

British paratroopers in Athens
arm of EAM, coalition of Gree
ish soldiers enter a building to dislodge

prepare to battle

ELAS forces.

k patriots. Bottom: Supported by tanks, Brit.

With members of ELAS

Toledanoflssues

a3

Fascist Infiltrati

CALI, *Colombia— (ALN) —

Warning On
on In S. Americ

Warning that Latin America’s most imminent po

comes from Argentine-based fascism “‘against which the fight must be concentrate
Vicente Lombardo Toledano, president of the Confederation

(CTAL) stressed to the GTAL
congress meeting here that the
Argentine people remain demo-
eratic despite the suppression of
all liberties. The congress, which
opened in the Cali Municipal
Theater following the largest
labor demonstration in Colom-
bia’s history with more than
25,000 workers participating,
was welcomed by Colombian La-
bor Minister Arriaga Andrade
in the name of President Alfonso
Lopez.

Clerical fascists allied with the
Axis are spreading anti-United
Nations propaganda ‘under the
pretext of the so-called dangers
of Protestantism, Jewishism and
communism, Toledano said,
pointing out that they “are real-
ly attacking the United Nations
to prevent postwar democratic
unity.” The CTAL’s main task,
he continued, is “to fight the at-
tempt by fascism to turn Latin
America against Britain and the

United States on the basis of the}

false imperialist issue. Latin
Americans today do not confuse
imperialism with the people

fighting for the freedom of the
world.”

Warning against extremism,
Toledano said that “this is not

of Latin American Work |

the time to speak of socialism in
Latin America, but rather the
time to begin building democra-
cy with a social content.” He
urged avoidance of strikes not
enly during the war, but when
the peace comes, since “the time
for sacrifice is not yet past.”
Praising the support given Latin
American labor by the workers
of the United States, Toledano
stated: “This is not merely al-
truism, but is based on the re-
cognition of the mutal depen-
dence of Latin America and
North America and is recipro-
cal.” .

Greetings i6 the congress were
received from lWatin American
Presidents Avila Camacho of
Mexico, Juan Antonio Rios of
Ghile. Teodoro Piecado of Costa
Rica, Lopez of Colombia, Isaias
Medina Angarita of Venezuela,
Jose Maria Velasco Ibarra of

Ecuador and former President
Fulgencio Batista of Guba.
Greetings were also received

from the main United Nations
labor bodies, including the Brit-
ish Trades Union Congress. the
CIO, the Soviet All-Union Gen-
tral Council of Trade Unions, the
French-General Confederation of

Labor and the International ¢
bor Office.

Vasili. Kuznetzoy, AUCC |
chairman. cabled: “The organ ?
Latin American labor mover
has made a yaluable contr:
tion in the achievement of ir |
national labor unity and aga =
fascism and its agents im
Americas.”

Season's

Oreetings

rmy & Nav

DEPARTMENT STORES

- Vancouver and New
Westminster