TRADE UNION SUNDAY
THE Hexham and Newcastle Dio
cesan Association of Catholic Trade Unionists have planned to make Sunday, May I Nay Day), Trade Union Sunday throughout the diocese.
This is indeed welcome news and should be taken up by ACTU in all the dioceses. Too often has May Day been monopolised tot those enemies of the working masses, who carry effigies of Stalin and chant slogans which have no meaning, except to stir up class hatred.
The Newcastle ACTU plan to hold a rally and finish tip with Benediction. This is far more positive action than finishing up with the " Red Flag," no matter how majestic the words may sound. May Day owes its origin to Christian times and. being the first day of the month of Mary, it is a day of Christian celebration.
UNION ELECTIONS
I N a letter to the Editor, a corre
spondent recently suggested that we could use some space for mentioning candidates for union elections. The reason given was that it would help trade unionists to know something about a candidate before they voted.
To my mind, if trade unionists took an active part in their branch life they would be well aware of the particulars of candidates. Union head offices normally print all known particulars of those who are standing for election and. if they don't. then it is up to members to see that they do.
It is not the function of a Catholic newspaper to do this Of course, it does not stop an association such as ACTU, once it has the facts about a candidate, informing their members so as to assist them in their choice. If one is really interested in union affairs, it is not necessary to seek outside help in the matters of elections. Being active will probably give us the necessary knowledge.
ACCURACY IN C.S.C.A.
m R. Len White, general secretary A'A of the Civil Service Clerical Association, in a letter to the Editor, draws attention to the statement made in this column on January 14, to the effect that no member of ACTU addressed a meeting of the Civil Service Catholic Guild, held in St. Peter's Hall, Westminster, in November.
He goes on to write: " I am afraid that it is your correspondent who has slipped up badly. The meeting in question was addressed by Mr. R. C. Whyte, who, I understand, is a leading official of ACTU. In his speech he complained that insufficient attention had been given at that meeting to the work of ACTU."
The fact is that Mr. R. C. Whyte proposed a " vote of thanks" from the body of the hall as a member of the Civil Service Catholic Guild. The Guild is not connected with ACTU or any trade union body. Anyone with a knowledge of meet
ing procedure will know that a vote of thanks" in no way compromises the platform. It is interesting to note that the general secretary of the Civil Service Clerical Association has not in the letter or otherwise answered my charge that he gave incorrect information concerning the organisation of the meeting. As far back as December 18 he wrote in the Daily Worker that the meeting in question was under the auspices of Catholic trade unionists. This is not true. The meeting was under the auspices of the Civil Service Catholic Guild. Again, in the same article in the Daily Worker, he stated that, " A priest occupied the chair." This again is a false statement. A lay msmher of the Guild nos chairman.