The 1981 Federation of Labour Conference

Abstract

The unity that had been expressed at the FOL Conference following the successful Kenleith settlement, has been placed under considerable strain following the arrests of picketers at Mangere Airport and the resultant Kiwis Care march led by Tania Harris through the streets of Auckland. Union morale had taken a battering, and the effect of this on the unity of the labour movement had explosive potential for the 1981 FOL Conference. Unity within the labour movement was strained, but the split came not between unionists but between the industrial and political wings of the labour movement, and was to become a major issue throughout Conference.