STRUGGLE FOR CONTROL OF THE LABOR UNIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002200310009-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 9, 1998
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: November 21, 1948
• Content Type: REPORT

CLASSIFICATION CD
Approved For ReleaCE.0 1
INFORMA
COUNTRY Lebanon
SUBJECT LLStrugla for C~ , of the
2?) Ma
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF INFO.
1TIAL
8b&R002200R1EPORT NO
.
CD NO.
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DATE DISTR. 5 inn 19`49
NO. OF PAGES 3
NO. )
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1. Following the failure of theTypeeetters' strike, scheduled for 21 November 3,948,
a number of con imist typoaettera, including Sa'd-a]tlin Muninab, Fu'ad Nasir`
al-Din, and Naj3b Shalhvb Habib Latif, met and diseseed the Lebanese
government's a c t i o n s a g a i n s t t h e Co Party, amusing the government
of acting under the influence of RAnglo.,41mer3cw imperialists.
In retalUtion, these men decided to resort to violence and ordered a number
of typesetters to destroy the printing presses of a.a, al?Yat1m4
and al" Zama as an example and a threat to the' typesetters of otier"""
newsp pen to indu c, them to join the proposed Typesetters' Union strike,
The printing press of al,-Tele was ordered destroyed because two of
its typ w tters are b ore TBwfiq Fad, leader of the antir.Communiat
typesetters. The presses of ab-Yawn and al-Zararx were ordered destra
because the typesetters of then p! ors are-`hers of Faghalifs Union.
.
2. The presses of al,-fain and ,al Z , er,wera not destroyed because of
previous police prole-c on wfiicch Fad been obtained by their owners.
Nasib Matni editor of al-Tel! hi on the other hand, took no precautionary
because he felt the good relations with the Comm unieta andy
his defense of them in his paper was sufficient protection. However, Matni's
presses were thrown to the ground because of his refusal to support the
strike unless other publishers would do the same.
3. On 24 and 25 November the Communists visited various printing presses and
talked to the workers. The Cooaiet Sections also held numerous meetings
concerning preparations for a new Typesetters, strike to be foltoved by:
strikes of other Unions. The Communist Party also decided to launch
all-out campai ,against Tasfiq wlw now controls approxim an
ately
half of Beirut is 652 typesetters. The m?uzists also attempted to lessen
Paghal is influence by spreading rumens to the effect that Fap, Tali is an
agent of the Lebanese Suretd and of the French 3ntelMgeuoe.
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ii. on 27 November Tawfiq Faghali mat with Ri+:hard Harfueh, a senior employee
of the Electric Company,and diseased the possibility of having the
Electric C n )anry's Workers' Union either leave the Federation of Unions
(Ittihad a1..'Ummal) to join Faghal i' a League of Unions (Jams' at al-' Ummal )
or remain neutral in the struggle between the two. This suggestion was
backed by Harfush and Pi t e Sayigh,, another company employee,as well
as by Luis Sa'adeh, an influential member of the Electric Company's
Workeiw' Union .and a fr,r member of that Union's Council who was
interested in withdrawing from the Federation of Unions because the
Cou ra mists had prey/ated his reelection to the Council of Electric
Ccarpap y' a Workers' 'Jniono
The non-Communis , typesetters, representing a majority of typesetters of the
most influential papers in Beirut, mat on 24 November and elected the
following offiaera for the newly-licensed Typesetters' and Bookbinders'
Union:
Tawflvi Faghali.
Mutw.amd Ali Faktiru
Edrond Khuri
Kf,Aml Abyad
'.(uhavad Maghribi
Jearx 'Awn
President. Works on al-Aural.
Vice-President. Works" o al-Kashshaf.
Secretary. Works on air-Zarmsna
Assistant Secretary. oar `on al-Kas~o
Treasurer. Works on al-Kasbat
Assistant Treasurer. Vio on al-Hadith.
T'ne following were erected members of an advisory committee of this Union:
r
Jibrail Faghali Of al-Telex (Jibrail is Tawfiq Fagheli's
brother).
Zakhya Mudaewar Of al B .
Arif Jam al Of a. -awn
Rat if Daghestani Of a'"f"Ri ad.
Farid Nujayyim Of
Munir Jamal-al-Din Of
Provisions were made to add to the Council members of the newspapers Beirut
and al Kaharr, as well as members of the Jesuit printing press. These
mothers would be appointed during the term by the Constitutional Cowiol.
7. The following is a list of unions belonging to the League of Unions, as of
the end of November:
Mechanical Union
Pastry Workers' Union
Vegetable Merchants' Workers' Union
Sailors' and Pbrt Workers' Union*
Cinema Workers' Union
Tobacconists' Union
Private Drivers' Union
Upholsterer's Union
Needle Workers' Union
Gar,Sine Dealers' Union
Typesetters' and Bookbinders' Union
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CENTRAL I[ LLD]ENCE AGENCY
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8. The following is a list of Mnione belonging to the Federation of Urnions,
as of the end of Noveiibert
Electrical Company Workers' Union
Carpenters I Union
TypesettereI Union
Wood Polishers' Union
Cooker Union
Masons' Union*
't. %0 IT"w u
Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R002200310009-8