Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–14, Part 1, Documents on the United Nations, 1973–1976

75. Telegram 157497 From the Department of State to All Diplomatic Posts, July 3, 1975, 1655Z.¹ ²

July 3, 1975, 1655Z

TELEGRAM
Department of State
157497

R 031655Z JUL 75

FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL DIPLOMATIC POSTS

STATE 157497

FOLLOWING REPEAT GENEVA 4994 ACTION SECSTATE DATED 30 JUN 75

QUOTE
GENEVA 4994
PASS LABOR FOR SEGALL, PERSONS AND QUACKENBUSH

E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: ILO

SUBJECT: ILO ANNUAL CONFERENCE: ROUNDUP OF 60TH SESSION

1. BEGIN SUMMARY: HIGHLIGHT OF JUNE 1975 (60TH SESSION) ILO CONFERENCE WAS JUNE 12 DECISION TO GRANT OBSERVER STATUS TO PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION (PLO) WITH CONSEQUENT WITHDRAWAL US AND ISRAELI WORKERS FROM PARTICIPATION IN REMAINDER OF THE CONFERENCE; THE WALK-OUT OF US GOVERNMENT AND EMPLOYER DELEGATIONS FROM JUNE 12 SITTING OF PLENARY IN GESTURE OF SOLIDARITY AND THE SIMILAR WALK-OUT BY ISRAELI GOVERNMENT AND EMPLOYER, DUTCH EMPLOYER, FRG WORKER AND SMATTERING OF OTHER DELEGATES FROM JUNE 12 SITTING; AND BOYCOTT OF LATTER PART JUNE 12 SITTING BY NORWEGIAN AND KENYAN DELEGATIONS. END SUMMARY.

2. CONFERENCE WAS MARKED, BOTH IN COMMITTEE AND PLENARY SITTINGS, BY VIOLATIONS OR DISREGARD OF STANDING ORDERS TO ACHIEVE THIRD WORLD OBJECTIVES. THIS WAS CASE IN STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE WHEN CONSIDERING AMENDMENTS TO PERMIT ENTRY OF PLO WITH OBSERVER STATUS; IN RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE TO ASSURE ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION ON LACK OF TRADE UNION RIGHTS IN CHILE--AND IN PLENARY FOR SAME PURPOSE: AND IN MIGRATION COMMITTEE IN UNSUCCESSFULLY EFFORT TO SECURE ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION REFERRING TO THE NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER.

3. CONFERENCE ADOPTED A CONVENTION AND RECOMMENDATION ON MIGRANT WORKERS (USG AND US EMPLOYERS ABSTAINED BECAUSE THESE INSTRUMENTS REFUSED TO RECOGNIZE OR DEAL WITH ILLEGAL MIGRANTS); CONVENTION AND RECOMMENDATION ON VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE AND TRAINING (USG AND USE SUPPORTED); A CONVENTION AND RECOMMENDATION ON RURAL WORKERS (USG AND USE SUPPORTED); SIX RESOLUTIONS (USG AND USE ABSTAINED ON RESOLUTION ON TRADE UNION RIGHTS IN CHILE BECAUSE IT WENT FAR BEYOND REPORT OF ILO FACT-FINDING AND CONCILIATION COMMISSION WHICH HAD EXAMINED THE SITUATION IN CHILE); A DECLARATION ON EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY AND TREATMENT FOR WOMEN (USG AND USE ABSTAINED AFTER AMENDMENT TO DELETE REFERENCE TO THE UN RESOLUTION ON THE NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER WAS DEFEATED) AND VARIOUS REPORTS OF CONFERENCE COMMITTEES (USG AND USE ABSTAINED ON ADOPTION REPORT OF CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON APPLICATION OF CONVENTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS BECAUSE IT FAILED TO ACT ON DOCUMENTED VIOLATIONS OF THE ILO FORCED LABOR CONVENTION BY THE USSR AND OTHER EE MEMBER STATES).

4. IN SUM, RESULTS OF CONFERENCE WAS A MIXED BAG HEAVILY WEIGHTED ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE. AMONG THE FEW POSITIVE RESULTS WERE THE EMASCULATION AND NEUTRALIZATION OF A RESOLUTION WHICH ORIGINALLY GAVE HEAVY EMPHASIS TO THE NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER AND A WHOLE SERIES OF OTHER POLITICAL OBJECTIVES OF THE THIRD WORLD AND THE COMMUNIST STATE MEMBERS; THE AGREEMENT AT USG INITIATIVE BY THE GOVERNING BODY IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE CONFERENCE, THAT EXPENDITURES FOR THE OPERATION OF THE RE-MANDATED AND EXPENSIVE WORKING PARTY ON STRUCTURE WOULD BE FINANCED WITHIN THE PRESENTLY AUTHORIZED LEVEL OF EXPENDITURES AND NOT FUNDED BY ADDING TO THAT LEVEL WITH CONSEQUENT LATER INCREASE IN ASSESSMENTS; THE FAILURE OF THE CONFERENCE, THROUGH LACK OF QUORUM, TO INVALIDATE THE CREDENTIALS OF THE CHILEAN WORKER DELEGATE AND ADVISORS; AND THE GENERALLY SATISFACTORY RESULTS OF THE GOVERNING BODY ELECTIONS FOR THE NEXT THREE-YEAR TERMS. THE EMPLOYER GROUP ELECTED NO EASTERN EUROPEAN DELEGATES WHO HAD BEEN ACCREDITED BY THEIR GOVERNMENTS AS EMPLOYERS TO BE EITHER TITULAR OR DEPUTY EMPLOYER MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY. WORKER DELEGATES REPRESENTING FREE TRADE UNIONS MAINTAINED A MAJORITY OF THE WORKER TITULAR AND DEPUTY SEATS, ALTHOUGH THE ROMANIAN WORKER DELEGATE WAS ELECTED AS A DEPUTY WORKER MEMBER IN ADDITION TO THE RE-ELECTION OF PIMENOV (USSR WORKER DELEGATE) AS A TITULAR WORKER. BEN-ISRAEL, ISRAELI WORKER DELEGATE, WAS ELECTED A WORKER DEPUTY MEMBER (ELECTIONS ARE BY SECRET BALLOT) BY THE WORKER GROUP OF THE CONFERENCE DESPITE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT AT THE CONFERENCE FOR GRANTING OBSERVER STATUS TO THE PLO. DALE
UNQUOTE
INGERSOLL

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Confidential. Drafted and approved by Heater. This telegram repeated telegram 4994 from Geneva, June 30.
2. The Delegation to the International Labor Organization summarized the results of the 60th Session, emphasizing the politicization of the proceedings, including the Organization’s decision to grant observer status to the Palestine Liberation Organization.