Histadrut Refused to Play Host to Two South African Union Leaders

Histadrut has refused to play best to two South African trade union leaders who have expressed interest in visiting here next month, it was learned today. The visit was proposed by C.P. Grobler, secretary of the South African Labor Federation, who said two members wanted to stop over in Israel as Histadrut guests on their way to the International Labor Organization convention in Geneva in June.

Grobler’s letter was received in the aftermath of South African Prime Minister John Vorster’s visit to Israel last month. The Histadrut Central Committee replied that such a visit would be inopportune. The Central Committee gave as grounds the fact that Histadrut is a member of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) which limits contacts with non-members. South Africa is not a member of the ICFTU.

A Histadrut spokesman said the Israeli labor federation would open itself to charges of hypocrisy if it invited the South Africans, inasmuch as Histadrut was in the vanguard of the anti-apartheid drive in the ICFTU.

The spokesman noted that Histadrut maintains contact with labor federations in Black African states notwithstanding that many of those states have severed diplomatic relations with Israel. These contacts might be jeopardized by contacts with South African trade unionists, he said. He explained that that was the reason why Histadrut boycotted all official receptions for Vorster in Israel.