HC Deb 05 May 1952 vol 500 c18
29. Mr. T. Driberg

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on recent arrests of trade union leaders in the Sudan.

Mr. Eden

I am informed that three leaders of the Sudanese Trade Union Federation who had made inflammatory political speeches were recently detained under Section 90 of the Sudan Criminal Code for refusal to enter into a bond to be of good behaviour and to keep the peace. Twelve members of the Committee of the Federation were also arrested on 27th April on a charge of attempting to incite workers to take part in an illegal strike.

Mr. Driberg

Is there any truth in the reports that these arrests had something to do with some proposals to affiliate to the W.F.T.U., because if so, would the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that it is only four months since a majority of this executive rejected a minority proposal to affiliate?

Mr. Eden

So far as I know this is nothing whatever to do with it. As the hon. Gentleman probably knows, certain allegations by the W.F.T.U. about the measures taken in the Sudan a little while ago were investigated by the International Labour Office in March this year, and they found there had been no infringement at all of trade union rights.