MEDIA STATEMENT

26 January 2001 For immediate release

TRADE UNION FEDERATION WINDS UP

The Trade Union Federation is winding up on 31 January 2001 as the next step in the merger process between TUF unions and the Council of Trade Unions.

This announcement was made today by TUF President, Maxine Gay, and Secretary, Michael Gilchrist. It follows the decision of the final TUF Council meeting held in November of last year.

“It was a near unanimous decision of our affiliated unions to take this step,” Maxine Gay said. “The TUF existed for more than seven years and played a crucial role in keeping the flame of genuine trade unionism alive during the dark years of the 1990s,” she said.

“A new leadership elected at the CTU committed to an organising and campaigning approach, combined with an opportunity for the wider influence of a united trade union movement under a Labour Alliance Government made unification of the two centres a logical progression,” Maxine Gay said.

The TUF and CTU announced their Unity Agreement in September last year. This agreement included affiliation of TUF members to the CTU, the wind-up of the TUF and the establishment of a transition committee to integrate CTU and TUF policy. The final stage of the merger will be the Unification Conference to take place in the second half of 2001.

TUF President Maxine Gay remains secretary of the Clothing, Laundry and Allied Workers Union. She serves on the CTU-TUF transition committee until the Unification Conference. Maxine Gay has just been appointed to the Government Holiday’s Act Review Committee.

TUF Secretary, Michael Gilchrist has taken up a position as a project and campaign worker with the CTU.

It is expected that all TUF unions except one or two will affiliate with the CTU under the provisions of the Unity Agreement by the time of the Unification Conference.

For further information please contact:
Maxine Gay, Tel: (04) 389 5399 (h), (04) 237 5062 (w), (025) 276 9225 (m)
Michael Gilchrist, Tel (04) 237 7566 (h), (04) 802 3810 (w)

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