r.' - - *. t l pagw 43 f · shangaan and xhosa mrkere at jci*e elaburg mine at westonerla. a...
TRANSCRIPT
i . V . * ' r.- - * . f
. T L pagw 43
made whllw I n p o l i c e custody. A l l 3 eccueed
t e s t i f i e d i n soae d e t a i l , a l l e g i n g t h e t they
had been s y s t e m a t i c a l l y tbxturwd by M c u r l t y
p o l i c e . I n a d d i t i o n t o t h i e , they c a l l e d a
number of e x - d e t e i n e s a who geve ev idence of e
genera l course of conduct i n v o l v i n g t h e s e c u r i t y
p o l i c e . The defence erguwd that t h e statements
of t h e accused had been mqde under extreme
duress , and should not be accepted es evidence
by t h e c o u r t . For S O M d e t a i l s o f t h e
a l l e g a t i o n s made a g a i n s t t h e s e c u r i t y p o l i c e ,
and t h e i r d e n i a l s , see M P . 1 9 * 4 7 - 8 .
The s t a t s ' * major w l tneee erne en MM!
g u e r i l l a captured by t h e SADF i n i t s r a i d on
t h e suburban house i n Ma t o l a , Mocanblque. The
w i tness , eho may not be i d e n t i f i e d i n t a m e of
e r u l i n g g i v e n by Judge Theron, t o l d t h e c o u r t
t h a t he had undergone AJC M i l i t a r y t r a i n i n g
i n Angola and t h e S o v i e t Un ion . I n A p r i l I960
he r e t u r n e d t o South A f r i c a as p a r t o f a group
eh ich p l a n t e d e x p l o s i v e s a t t h e Saaol p l a n t i n
Saao lburg . He r e t u r n e d t o Mocaabique t o
r e p o r t on t h i s a l e e i o n , and subsequent ly entered
South A f r i c a a second t i e * t o ga ther in format ion
on a f u e l depot a t M a f i k e n g .
A f t e r r e t u r n i n g t o Motaafcique, ha ess kldnappad
by t h e 8A0F from the house I n M a t o l a , end brought
beck t o South A f r i c a after* ha ess handed over
t o s e c u r i t y p o l i c e .
A t t h e conc lus ion o f t h e s t a t e c a s e , t h e
t h r e e accused decided not t o g i v e e v i d e n c e , and
c a l l e d no wi tnesses i n t h e i r de fence .
V e r d i c t i G u i l t y o f h igh t r e a s o n , i n t e r s e o f
the various acta they were charged with
u n d e r t a k i n g .
Sentence: On 19 August, i n t h e Ouprase Court
o f P r e t o r i a , the judge who 3 years e a r l i e r sent
Solomon Mahlangu t o h i s d e a t h , sentenced a l l
3 accused t o a sentence of d e a t h .
MINING
GN t h e 16th J u l y s ix a l n e r s mere k i l l e d end
20 i n j u r e d I n ' f a c t i o n f i g h t i n g 1 between
Shangaan and Xhosa m r k e r e a t J C I * e E laburg Mine
a t W e s t o n e r l a . A few rooms were burn t out and
windows ware broken, according t o the s i n g l e
r e p o r t on t h l a i n c i d e n t t h e t
appeared i n Johannesburg newspapers (PCM,..
2 1 . 0 7 . 6 1 ) .
The next weekend, on 2& J u l y , one a f r l c e n
a i r n r was k i l l e d , a n d t h r e e badly I n j u r e d i n
f i g h t i n g between a r e p o r t e d 3 000 Xhoaa and
3 000 Besuto a l n e r e ( t h e s e f i g u r e e ware l e t e r
denied by t h e edne a u t h o r i t i e s ) . Mine p o l i c e
a t t h e K loof go ld n ine compound where t h e i n c i d e n t
took p i e c e , used taargae ana doge. Th is w i n e , s
owned by Gold F i e l d s of South A f r i c a , i s e l s o •
c l o s e t o wea tonar la . About R10 000 worth of
damage wee done, and 500 a l n e r e asked t o be
r e l e a s e d f r o a c o n t r e c t .
On 29 J u l y , e t t h e Ventorspost mine
coapound i n t h e seme r e g i o n , f u r t h e r f i g h t i n g
occurred between Xhoee encj Besuto m i n e r s . Cars
were r e p o r t e d t o heve been stoned and e t l e e s t
e i g h t a l n e r s I n j u r e d . Teer&as ess ueed by
• i n e p o l i c e aad t h e SAP was c e l l e d i n . The
f i g h t i n g was s a i d t o have i n v o l v e d about 600
a l n e r e . ;
* • •
TRAHBVAAL
Ansol M e t a l Co ( A l b e r t o n ) ; Approximately 200
workers a t t h i s f i r m downeaV t o o l s oh 14 August
I n demand o f a 60c an hour Across t h e board
l n c r e a e a .
. The f i iw j t o l d t h e M e t a l e n d ' ' A l l i e d Workers
Union (MAJTU) t h a t t h e f i n n was t o i n t r o d u c e t h e
' P a t t e r s o n grading s y s t e m ' , which would a l l o w
productive workera to earn nor* then the •
i n d u s t r i a l c o u n c i l determined wages f o r t h e
i n d u s t r y .
No further
CoPra Brasaeare ( L u i p a e r d s v l e i , West Rand);
A s e r i e s o f s h o r t stoppages h i t t h i s f i r * . The
f i r e t r e p o r t r e f e r r e d t o the eacond e t r i k e i n
a week. Th la second e t r i k e occurred on 31
August (s Monday). R i t e Ndxange, organ is ing
s e c r e t a r y of t h e General A l l i e d workers Union
(QAWU) sa id t h e t a l a o s t t h e e n t i r e workforce
- about GOO workera - had gone on s t r i k e over
union r e c o g n i t i o n , r e j a c t l d n of t h a l i a i s o n
c q a n l t t e e , re ins ta tement of i dleedeeed worker,
end t h e r e f u s a l by management t o l e t workers
l e a v e t h e p rea lees a t lunch t i m e *
Th is stoppage was s a i d t o have l a s t e d f o u r >
hours . Management met w i t h t h e GAW and a
r e c o g n i t i o n b a l l o t was s a i d t o hsve been discussed
( S t a r , 0 1 . 0 9 . 8 1 ) .
On Thursday, 3 September, workers downed
t o o l s a g a i n , demanding a wage rev iew (R3 ,00 an
hour minimum) and r e c o g n i t i o n of GAWU. Wore then
200 workers werw i n v o l v e d and b o l i c a atood by
on t h i s and t h a next dey .
Managing d i r e c t o r , T e r r y Davidson, s a i d
t h a t workers who had not r e t u r n e d by Mondsy •
(7 September) would be f i r e d . He a l s o s a i d tha t
t h e f i r n would not givw GA1IU stole r e c o g n i t i o n
as t h e r e g i s t e r e d S t e e l , Engineer ing and A l l i e d
S o r t e r s Union had a l s o contacted h i a f o r r e c c e -. * ¥ijrjMmjuQ*r. . ™
n i t l o n (RDU, 0 5 . 0 9 . 8 1 ) .
A l l but '20% o f Cobra 's S4Q workers were
f i r e d on Monday a f t e r returning t o r e t u r n t o work.
New r e c r u i t s and former workers would be signed
on Wednesday, said Davidson.
Summon Ndou, GAWU p r e s i d e n t , s a i d t h e t
workers had been locked out on t h e Mondey
(Sowwtan, 0 8 . 0 9 . 8 1 ) .
rour hundred workers co l lec ted the ir pay an eaawaemtey* A G N U organised aea t tng *
o f workers avc lded t h a t rather than £
eaployaent they aould ' cont inue t h e s t r u g g l e ' .
r
C a l Q . t ^ - P . 1 — 1 1 * . (Bdcaburf l ) : F o r background
a n H P 1 8 : 4 4 - 9 ; W P 1 9 : 5 4 - 6 .
A n c c g n l t l o n a g n M M n t has been signed
beteuan Colgete- -PelaDHve aanagamont and t h a
rGuATU-af f i l i a t e d Chemical a b r k a r a I n d u s t r i a l
Union dar ing August. The sgraoesnt aakaa
p r o v i s i o n f o r 'g r ievance and d l a c i p l i n a r y
procedures . . . as a a l l as shop steward e l e c t i o n s '
[ S t a r , 25" .0B.Bl ) .
Deluxe ConaoUdatad t a u h d r l o a ( I
P r e t o r i a ) : Saaa 2 000 l e a f l e t s , s a i d t o hava
baan issued by t h a General e u r k e r e .Union of
South A f r i c a (GPJBA), c a l l e d f o r a boycot t o f t h i s
laundry over denta l o f union r i g h t s t o t h a
workers, l o a aagaa and no c a n t e e n . f a c l l i t i e e .
A GtUGA spokesperson, Oonaia Khumalo,
sa id t h a t n i n a laundry spployaaa had baan f i r a d
f o r union a c t i v i t i e s . Laundry aanager, B K a p l a n ,
s a i d t h a t ana worker had baan f i r a d f o r t h e f t
•and t h a o t h a r e i g h t a f t e r they had ra fuaad t o
con t inue working* (Soee tan , O B . 0 9 . 6 1 ) . Kaplan
sa id t h a t t h a f i n d i d not stand I n tha way
"of any worker who awn t a d t o J o i n a u n i o n " .
On Thursday. 10 September, about ISO workers
stoppad aorfc, demanding h ighar wages ( t o be
incraasad t o R2.5D an hour) and union r e c o g n i t i o n ,
bat t a r Burk ing c o n d i t i o n s (workers wars s a i d t o
ba warning R21,00 a aaak t even a f t e r long
s a r v i c a w i t h t h a f i r a ) S t a r , 1 1 . 0 B . B l ) .
GVJUBA r e g i o n a l s e c r e t a r y , Oonaia Khuaalo,
s a i d t h a t ha aaa p ickad up by s a c u r i t y p o l l c a
s h o r t l y a f t a r t h a s t r i k e s t a r t a d and token t o
s a c u r i t y p o l l c a o f f l c a a i n Coapol B u i l d i n g i n
P r e t o r i a f o r t h r a a hours o f quest ion ing (Boeetan ,
1 1 . 0 9 . 0 1 ) .
No f u r t h a r l n f o r a a t i o n .
*#£? • „ T l l s a ( 0 1 i f a n t s f o n t a i n t P r e t o r i a ) :
s a i d t o hava gone on a t r l k o on
11 September, daaanding t h a r e c o g n i t i o n o f
t h a B u i l d i n g , Const ruc t ion and A l l i e d workers
u n & s r ^ t h e BCNHJ aas s a i d t o raprasant 365 df
t h a 880 e o r k e r e a t t h a f i r a (Bee I d . 1 2 . 0 9 . 8 1 ) .
No f u r t h a r l n f o r a a t i o n .
Greyhound Bus L lnaa (Krugersdorp ) : For b a c k -
i ground i n f o r a a t l o n aaa T I P 1 7 : 4 0 .
corkers a t t h l a f i r a , who want on s t r i k e i n
February , wars brought t o c o u r t on t h a day o f
t h a s t r i k e , and 176 (unrapraaantad workers)
ware aantancad t o IB a o n t h a , suspended f o r f i v e
years and on c o n d i t i o n t h a t they re turned t o
aorfc immedia te ly .
Th is santanca and t h a c o n v i c t i o n was sat
a s i d a by t h a Transvaal Gupraas Court i n September
(avan though t h a r a had baan no appsal aga ins t
C o n v i c t i o n ) . Tha judges c r i t i c i s e d t h a
m a g i s t r a t e ' s sentences as " d r a c o n i a n ' .
Tha Judgaa s a i d ' i t aaa h i g h l y u n d e s i r a b l e
f o r people accused of "complex charges'* t o ba
t r i a d w i t h o u t accaas t o l a g a l r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s
and w i t h o u t having t h a charges f u l l y expla ined
t o thewj* (ROM, O B . 0 9 . 0 1 ) .
Gundle P l a s t i c s (Bedfordview, Johannesburg):
See « P 19:53 f o r covaraga o f a prev ious s t r i k a .
On t h a a o m i n g of 3 August (Wednesday) 'about -
100" workers stoppad aorfc, and aara d i a a l s a a d
• f t a r " ignor ing a aanagaaant u l t i a a t u a t o r e t u r n
t o work- (HVJV 0 o . 0 B . 8 l ) . aansgaaant r a l a a a a d
a a t a t a a a n t i n ahich thay s a i d t h a t not a l l eorkers
had gona on s t r i k e and t h a t thay d i d not know
- h o t t h a s t r u c k aas a b o u t .
Gn Thursday. 6 August, 'about 120' o f t h a
d i a a l s a a d aorfcars h a l d a a a a t i n g naar t h a f a c t o r y .
Some wanted t o conf ront t h a p o l l c a aho kapt a
aa tch on t h a n , f r o a doing s o .
Fac tory d i r e c t o r . B i l l Golden, a d m i t t e d t h a t
t h a f a c t o r y was s t r u g g l i n g t o keep g o i n g . I t •
aas now rumoured, i n t h a p r e s s t t h a t t h a s t r i k a
had s t a r t a d 'over a d ispute wi th a company
o f f i c i a l ' ( S t a r . 0 6 . 0 6 . 8 1 ) . Tha Uot.nl and
A l l i e d Porkers" Union (MAW] o f f i c i a l s ,
represent ing aany of t h a a o r k a r s , a w e t a l k i n g
t o t h a B t r i k a r a .
On 14 August i t aaa r e p o r t e d ( S t a r , M . O B . B l )
t h a t t h a e n t i r e day s h i f t t h a t had gona on
s t r l k s had baan p a i d o f f . Those • sat i n o f t h a
n igh t s h i f t aho had Joined thaa "aould ba r e h i r e d
s e l e c t i v e l y ' , sa id aanagaaant .
Auto I n d u s t r i a l ( i s a n d o ) : Baa M P 1 9 : 5 3 .
Tha HAVU aas a l s o involved i n t h a d i s p u t e a t t h i s
f i r a . A aaga s t r i k a s t a r t a d on t h a a f ta rnoon
o f Tuasday, 4 August . Or B a r n l a F a n a r o f f , a
HAVU o r g a n i s e r , sa id t h a t ha had baan assau l ted
by Auto I n d u s t r i a l s t a f f mna a l s o quest ioned by
t h a s e c u r i t y p o l i c e a t tha Kaapton Park p o l l c a
s t a t i o n on t h a c u r r a n t s t r i k e wave on t h a a a a t
Rand.
MAalJ s a i d t h a t aarfcara had asked f o r a 50c
an hour i n c r a a a a . Managing d i r e c t o r , Oaan
F rage l a , t o l d workers t h a t I f thay d i d not
l i k e t h a i r pay thay should laava - ah ioh thay
d i d . aanageawnt t o l d t h a S t a r newspaper t h a t
t h a s t r i k a aaa ' p o l i t i c a l * .
workars r e t u r n e d on 6 August , but i t aas
s a i d Auto I n d u s t r i a l had f i r e d most HAW ahop
stewards (POM. 0 7 . 0 6 . 8 1 ) . Porkers a a r a t o
w i t h union o f f i c i a l s over t h a weekend of B
August t o d iscuss t h e i r eage demands and t h a
d i s m i s s a l s ,
A l a t e r r e p o r t sa id t h a t about 90 workars
I
had been dismissed by the f i r m . I t was never
reported how many workers had bean involved
in the a t r l k e .
Handler and Handler (Boksburg): See VIP 19:52
for a report on the s t r ike by eore then 2 000
workers at th la f i rm. They had returned a f t e r
t h e i r union, HNTU, had entered In to wage conault-
atlone with management (who had e a r l i e r aeid
that there would be no pay increases).
However, two weeka l a t e r i t wee reported
that management had a a reed to a 13c an hour
ecroea the board increase, following meetings
with MAVU o f f i c i a l s . '
Theae increaaea, along with those at Vaal
Metal Pressings and Tanalle Rubber, are seen ea
v ictor ias f o r MAVU (and other F06ATU union)
deaanda for plant leve l negot iat ion* (S ta r ,
28 .07 .81 ) .
Henred Fruehouf ( t fadavi l le, near Gerwilston);
On Wednesdey, 29 July, yet another eeat Rand •
f i rm wee h i t by a a t r lke when the approximately
400 workers at th la t r a i l e r menu fee turing f i rm
downed tools i n protest at the suspension e f a
worker who had al legedly h i t a white employee.
MAUD, having been pushing for formal recog
n i t i o n e t the f l ra i for some time, entered in to
discussion over the s t r ike (RDM, 31 ,07 .81 ) .
workers returned on 31 July, while ta lks
continued (S ta r , 31 .07 .81 ) .
Mo fur ther information, •
McPhall Kezwma Depot, Johannesburg)! On •
Monday, 24 August, about 200 workers at th la
coal merchandising f i r m , went on -strike over
wages. The s t r i k e was aett led two hours l a t e r .
McPhell (<ww won't f a i l you*) had recently
been taken over by the Tri ton Group. New
managing d i rec tor , AJ Laughland, said that the
. r •
..
workers had been 'grossly underpaid for years*
and brought forward by a month a 20)1 wage increase.
This i s s t i l l starvat ion leve l as the workers
had been paid a t the wage determination minimum
for the Industry (between fl16 and R26 per week
- aee a r t i c l e on nighteatcheien in th la WIP)
(R0Mt 25 ,06 .81) .
The Sowetan (26.06.81) quoted Laughland as
saying that the f i rm wanted t h e i r workers to earn
not less than R60 a week. •
06 Utshawulena, a Boweto coal dealer, while
accusing white-owned firms of exploit ing coal
workers, said that he thought the townahip
dealers paid a minimum of between R24 and R25
a weak, employing mainly contract workers.
He said that 'black employers in the townships
were faced with a number of hendlcapa, so they"
could not pay competitive wages l i k e t h e i r
white counterparts1 (slo)(Sowetan, 2 6 . 0 6 . 8 1 ) . .
Mine Steel Products (Boksburg): A four hour .
s t r i k e et th is f i n s by a l l 130 workers brought *
about the reinstatement of four men. These men
had been dismissed for refusing to carry, I n
p a i r s , 80kg boxes of send t o the moulding l i n e
Prevlouely they hed been expected to carry , ' t
42kg boxea.
UAVU shop stewards a t the firm negotiated
t h e i r reinstatement and the return of the workers.
•
National Co-operative Pat r iae (Boksburg): See
H P 19:52. About 300 a f r lcan worker* .
went on a t r lke In demand of recognition of the
Sweet, Food and A l l i e d workers' Union. / .
Management said that 'about 60 ' wurkera had been
involved in the assault of two ecabs.
NCO-tfielrperson, Or M Hermann, aald that a
' large percentage' of the workforce were prevented
from doing ao by 'some int imidetore ' (ROM, 26 .08 .61 ) .
Recognition negotiationa were said t o be
V
•"- vf ffi planned for Monday, 31 August, and workers
returned to work et 14h00 on 28 August, according
to union secretary, Maggie Magubane.
However, 17 porkers were not,rm-*mflloyed,
despite an agreement with the S W that nc .
dismissals would take piece without consult- .,, ;
a t lon (ROM, 29.08.B1i 'Start 3 1 . 0 8 . 8 1 ) . ' ^ - v
Paper Packaging Industry (Rpaalyn, Pre tor ia ) t> ' * * ' V
About 500 workers at th la Barlow Rand company
went on s t r i k e over pay demands on Monday, "
17 August , at 12h00, The next morning general
manager, T Mocke t 7 ) , addressed workers and . .
reportedly told them to find jobs at the motor
assembly f irme in the erma i f they wanted higher '
lorkers were aald to be making f o r a R1 a n
hour across the board increase (some were earning
only R1,09 an hour) (Sowetan, 19.08.81; S tar ,
M» ,0B .8 l ) . \ \ ' ; . ' . • ' ; • ; '
Training manager, A Bannister, aald that
workers had 'ignored grievance procedure* end
no talks would take place before they returned
t o work * which workers did on the morning.of
20 August, on the apparent understanding that
the i r demands would be discussed with the
workers* counci l .
However, on Tuesday, 25 August, nearly a l l
workers went on a t r lke age in . Management said
that the SAP had been cel led in ' to protect
workers who wished to continue with t h e i r work'.
This s t r i k e followed a breakdown between bosses
and workers' council * the former wished to
delay a un i la te ra l deciaion about wages
(Sowetan, 26 .08 .81) .
On Wednesday, 26 August, workers started
f i l t e r i n g back with the outcome a t i l l not clear..
45V
s. I t is not clear who even suggested audi *
t M r g t but the South African Typographical Union
f e l t ca l led upon to deny any involveaant In the
- #the union dill not bel ieve In etr lkea
of solving disputes » , . he (ttMt SATII
) believed the str ikes were
by p o l i t i n e l ac t iv is ts" ( M M , 2 7 . 0 B . 8 l ) .
Poolqulp (-Vnberg): On Tuncby and ladneaday,
15 and I G 8apteatar, 'about SO eotfcare at t h i s r i m
i t q ^ a J work, daaandtng a h a l t to tha retrench-
aant of eotfcera and proper worker representation.
They eere f i n d , aald FOBATU'a Aaron Thlobajane.
and told that the f i r a aaa closing; doan (F
18.09.01) .
Another report aald that workers
to Brealey pol ice station by tha SAP and
t o stay aaay f r o - tha V l r a (Booeten, 10 .Q9.8 l ) .
I t appaara that tha f i r a aaa to take on nee
Mo furthar i n fo r sBt lon .
Plant P r o t a c t U i (Brakpen):
to daal a i t * tha FOSAJU-afriliatad Chaaical
workers Indust r ia l Uhlan (CWIU) during a b r i a f
nti-ik« by about 70 aoifcara a t th la ,
. Tha str ikers aara
and tha ralnatataaantor two
f i . H o - H X t a n . whm- W-ry n t f U M O Ig -ork an
I fend.,. 2 7 - A d y . «• ^ " * taJ — j»^t j j
to return to work on t i n naxt day
t a l k s with tha union, esjiagaaant aald
that thay would ta Ik to workers In group* of
f i v a . Coapany eanealng d i rec tor , Ph i l w>t>urgh,
aald that a v t e B ( a f t e r an increase I n March)
aara aarning eoteeen R1 t00 and R1.09 mn hour
(S ta r , 2 0 . 0 7 . 8 1 ) . * V - * ^ >*: j *
About 70 aoifcara aara f i r a d a eonth l a t e r
a f t e r tha t h i r d stoppage a t Plant Protection
in a aonth (S ta r , 25 .08 .81 ) . Thay had stoppad
work t h i s third t i a a on Monday, 2A Adjust,
a f t e r tha dlaalaaal of tao workers on tha Friday
before. Thay onca again deaanded aage increases
and CWIU recognition*
Tha second a t r lka appaara to hava taken
placa a faa daya a f t e r tha f i r a t and involved
30 f a l l o a workers froa tha rubbar r o l l i n g plant
(aoesten, 26 .00 .01) .
A l a a t raport aald that tha ton day dispute
andad on 3 Bepteefoer, ahan about 30 aoifcara s t i l l
on s t r ike choaa t o *aign o f f ' rathar than
accapt salact ive vm aaplojiaant.
Pytcq (Wynbarg Oapot): On th la firms labour
r a U t i o n a aaa I I P 13:34-5; VIP 14:53-4; WIP
16:45; WP 19:S3.
Praaa confusion exists aa to tha recognition
ngraasant (not?) signed bataoan tha Transport and
Al l ied Markers' Union (TWU) and aanagaaant (an
agraaaant with tha Tranaport and General workers1
Union had alraady baan signed (Star , 2 8 . 0 7 . 0 1 ) ) .
Star of 24 July said that tha TAeU agraaaant
aaa t o ba signad 'naxt eeefc*. Four days l a t e r
i t aaa raported aa signad by tha aaaa newspaper,
ah i la tha naxt day i t aaa raported that reporters
stood round in wain* ee i t ing to altnaas tha
signing t ahan tha union aaabara d id not turn
up (TMU aaa aald to ba s t i l l consulting with
On Friday, 11 8aptaabar, a l l Putoo eorfcera,
including 290 dr ivers , a t tha Vynbarg Oapot,
•ant on a thraa hour s t r ike in protest against
tha transfer of a supervisor f roa tha Alberton
branch of tha coapany to the i r depot. A wanting
arrangad to diacuaa the a a t t a r with
Ho furthar in fc rea t ion .
Pick 'n Pay (Boksburg): Ona hundred
struck for tao hours on Wk fciiiiriav 2
ling tha ralnstataaant of a dlaalsaad f a l l i
% Thay ears successful, said tha
r i a l , Catering and A l l i e d aoifcara* Union
(S ta r , 04 .09 .01 ) .
Sleaana E l e c t r i c a l ( P r e t o r i a ) : See- tha Labour
Action sections In WIPs W , 16, 17, 19 for
previous infuiWMitlon on th la f i r e .
About 70 aoifcara sent on a l ightning 15
a'ili'i ainute s t r ika in protest at tha appolnteant
of a foraasn, aho al legedly uaaa abusive
language e t the aorfcara and t reats thaa badly.
Top aanagaaant aat with tha aoifcara to sort
tha a a t t a r out .
Sigaa and Ley lend: Both of these f ines hava
featured In previous WPa i n connection with s t r ike
action (see, for exaaple, M P 19:54 and SO).
I n August i t aaa announced thet the Sigaa
Motor Corporation l a to buy Leyland'a Blaokheath
aasaably plant ah i la Leylaod aould expend i t s
Elsies River p lant . Sigaa I s to take occupation
on 31 Dec paper, 198? (aaa reports i n , f o r exaaple.
Star* 07 .00 .01 ) .
M l good rat ional is ing sense, ona eight aey,
but class struggle on the assaably plant f loor
also played a proadnant pert i n t h i s deal
involving aoae R75-edll lon in purchase and
aodarnisatlon costs.
Rapport, a f t e r en interview a l t o Sigaa
aanaging d l rac tor Fred But ler , reported
(09.00.01) thet he had confirmed t h e t the ' r isk
of s t r ikes ees a eajor consideration" I n the
taking of the decision. I f enother aeeeably
plant aaa to have bean erected e t Sigaa Park
in the Transvaal a t o t a l s t r i k e in t h i s region
would have affected tha production of pr ivate end
commercial vehic le* .
No doubt a t tempts w i l l be made t o c m t i and
p l a y on r e g i o n a l end r a c i a l d i v i s i o n s w i t h i n
t h e working c l a s s .
Todalex L td (Johannesburg): Two young w ,
Godfray * o s i and Mlaml i 8oge, were a c q u l t t a d
I n the Johannesburg Regional Cour t a f t a r be ing
charged w i t h a t tempted arson and ma l ic ious daw age
t o p r o p e r t y .
Th la fo l lowed t h e d iscovery o f a burning
candle amongst boxes a t t h e Tedelex f a c t o r y I n
J u l y . C h i e f s e c u r i t y o f f i c e r a t the. f i r a ,
R ichard H a l e y , s a i d t h a t t h e two men had been
p o i n t e d out t o hie) ae having been seen l e a v i n g
t h e b u i l d i n g share t h e candles- were f o u n d .
T h i s , p lus t h s f a c t t h a t he had bean earned
' ' o f two cases o f p o s s i b l e u n r a e t a t t h e f a c t o r y 1
and had been g iven * t a o docueienta eh lch were o f
a "subvers ive" n a t u r e ' , convinced Haley t h a t ha
should do h i e duty and a r r e s t t h a two men
( S t a r , 2 8 - 0 7 . 8 1 ) .
Mora l n f o n a a t l o n ?
MATAL
B l i n d morkere ( U e l a z i ) : About 100 a f r l c a n b l i n d
morkere (mmmbera o f the A f r i c a n B l i n d workers '
Union) son an I n c r e a s e of R 1 , 8 0 a weak a f t e r
s t r i k i n g . These workers earned between R l 6 , 8 0
end R34 ,00 a weak I n s h e l t e r e d employment,
making baskets and echooldesks. The echesie l a
sa id t o be h e a v i l y s u b s i d i s e d . i
Tha workers* a c t i o n eae sa id t o have bean
brought about by t h e d e t e r i o r a t i n g c o n d i t i o n
I n over -populated and d r o u g h t - s t r i c k e n KemZulu.
Commented d i r e c t o r o f t h e N a t a l A f r i c a n B l i n d
S o c i e t y , John Randies , 'Most o f t h * workers
hare have f a m i l i e s i n KeaZulu eho a r e begging
them t o send more money home* (Sunday T r i b u n e ,
o9.oe.ei).
Coates Broe fSA) l e l p * i n g b ) l f o r b r i e f fcnd
inadequate coverage o f t h a e t r l k e a t t h i s f i r m
saa I I P 16:46 . A r e p o r t I n t h a C*pe H e r * l d
( 0 6 . 0 8 . 8 1 ) s a i d t h a t S8 workers a t t h i s f l r a
had been found not g u i l t y o f ' u n l a w f u l l y
s t r i k i n g ' i n January over t h e d l e m l e s s l o f a
c o l l e a g u e .
There was doubt ae t o t h a i d e n t i t y o f thoss
who stopped work, and t h a m a g i s t r a t e a l s o found
• t h a t t h e conduct o f t h a iRanegeaent had a l a o e t
amounted to a l o c k - o u t 1 . •
• mar " i m • • * i .
Dunlog (Ladysmith) : A stoppage bcowrrad d u r i n g
t h e second meek of September, i n v o l v i n g h a l f
t h a workforce.
Pres ident o f t h e Black A l l i e d Workers Union
( B A K U ) , Mekhoslnl Khumelo, Sa id t h a t 2t)0 eprtcare
had bean p a i d o f f and 150. new workers h i r e d a t
h igher wagea than t h a go ing r a t a a t tbpj p j s n t .
Works d i r e c t o r , John Lome, denied t h i e and s a i d
t h a t on ly X workers 'had e l s c t e d t o be p a i d o f f *
(ROM. 1 6 . 0 9 . 6 1 ) . 1 No f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n .
Gr lnaker Construct ion and Murray end Roberte
C o n e t r u c t l o n . and Alueaf (R ichards B a y ) : On
Monday, 10 August, mora t h a n 800 workers
amploymd by t h a c o n s t r u c t i o n consort ium stopped
mark i n demand o f h igher aagae . Negot ia t ions
vara sa id t o ba i n prograee through a 'works
c o u n c i l 1 , according to managing d i r e c t o r o f
G r l n a k e r , RG Bennet t . Ha aas c o n f i d a n t t h a t t h a
e o r k e r e would be back t h a naxt day ( M e t a l
Mercury , 1 1 . 0 8 . 8 l ) .
The s e c r e t a r y of tha N a t i o n a l F e d e r a t i o n of
Labour , Matthews O l i p h e n t , c la imed t h a t t h a
^ • ^ ^ i , ^ ^ ' H ^ ^ l ^ ? l .'•.'•• i Ntv hso' isembsre at the s i t e . *
Gr t r iaker 'e B e n n e t t ' s conf idence ass g iven a
knock ehan , on t h a morning of 13 August, p o l i c e
had t o ' u s e * 'mobi le t e a r g a * machine' t o d i s p e r s e
morp than 1 OQO Gr lnaker and Hurray G Robsrto
workers mast ing a t t h e R l c M g a t a s i t s . About
200 workers from t h e Arboretum (a euburb of
Richards Bay) s i t e marched t o Join t h a l r f a l l o w .
workers t but mere h a l t e d by p o l i c e and f i n a l l y
they d ispersed * t noon on t h a t day'.
Tha wcckere had requested Ri ,00 an hour d u r i n g
n e g o t i a t i o n s , e h i l a managamant o f f e r e d en lnc raase
o f 13c a n h 0 y r ( o n t h a minimum saga o f 8 8 c an •
h o u r . m>negement a lso sa id t h a t t h a t workers,
a t e had 'd ischarged themselves \ could c o l l e c t
ttieir wages on F r i d a y , 15 September.
Oh t h e d*y o f t h a p o l i c e c o n f r o n t a t i o n
(Vednewdsy) morkere a t t h a g i a n t A luea f p l a n t
went on a b r i e f s o l i d a r i t y e t r l k e w i t h t h a
t p n B t r u c t i o n e o r k e r e . Th le l e one s i t e w h e n
o o n a t r u o t l o h mms h a l t e d .
A worker aa f ea id t o have been a r r e s t e d ,
By nov, 14 August, about 3 000 workers \
employed by t h e two f i m e i n t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n
consort ium, m s a i d t o bs on s t r i k e . - The
n w u aae making s t a t e n a n t e on t h a e t r l k e t and
the KemZulu government had bean asked t o i n t e r -
vane (by whom i e not e t e t e d ) ( S t a r , 1 4 . 0 6 . 8 1 ;
D a l l y Name, 1 4 . 0 8 . 8 1 ) .
On F r l d * y , 14 August , 21 workers appeared
i n t h a Empangenl M a g i s t r a t e ' s C o u r t , charged w i t *
'possession o f dangerous wwepons', Major
J G l j s b s r s , r a g l o n a l head o f t h e SAP's R i o t
Task Force , e a l d t h a t these workers -had bean ,
p a r t o f a *Bob' t r y i n g t o atop buaaa ca r ry ing
s tokers t o A l u e a f . They mere a l l found g u i l t y
and sentenced t o R60 o r X daya , w i t h a earn ing
t h a t they would ba sent t o J a i l i f they eppeered
aga in on s i m i l a r charges ( N a t a l Mercury. >
1 8 . 0 8 . 8 1 ) .
47 V ' i - -
I t •about h a l f
t o
Polioa danlad thin ( f U , i a . o e . a i ; S tar , 19.08.81) .
Tha ooapardaa had agraad to aaat a i t h
but t h i s aaatlng • " •ubaaquantl:
by MMU aa unaatiafactory.
ByBadnaaday, 19 Auouat. 9 0 * of
t o ba baok (Dai ly Naaa. 2 0 . 0 B . B l ) .
tvUrparaon, 0 Bomhoiaar, aald that
• I t had baan dacldad t o drop tha thraat of
•aoking ' , and that aaga tlaaiiiili aould not bo
aa i t ' > a t a a not aeonoajoBlly poaa ib le ' .
Tha M o t Taafc Fore* aaa o t l l l wary
i n avldanco a t t h i s ataoa of tha w a n t s .
GRN4<B?
01a V Gr tn - * - r . I n the Hrifwkrr h i d i n g s
p. M i d that 'Va W&mmm the new
f inanc ia l year a i th a group vary d i f fe ren t
and atrongar than l a a t year, a l t h our propjreaslvo
i n t a c t * . Pioafrocta eere aald to ba acra
before, whi l e earnings
had r leen by 6 0 * and divldanda by G7* t thanfca
t o tha "bowing construction p r o f i t s ' . Pre-tax
p ro f i ts eere RM^adl l ion ( S t a r , 16 .09 .61) .
eurrey & f U a i t a Increased t u m o u r to earn
than R1 QOD-adllion and 'group operating p r o f i t
before taxat ion* froa R31 »2-edll ion t o R5D,8-
-11 l ion (a f te r tax p ro f i ts to H33,1-edl l lon)
( 8 t a r t 16 .09 .01) . Thaaa ere the f i n e aho f ind
i t aconoalcally iapoaalbla t o lncraaaa aaaae.
Their confidence staaa f roa a knowledge that
aind lock a t tha
f inancia l of tfta
( N a t a l ) : On 27 August tha f i r s t
a t Hulat ta sugar a d l l a atartad
a t l i t Eaaparoaba atoppad
ling ra f unding of panalon fund
contr ibutiune • Tney returned t o eork about
»ix daya l a t e r . 'Pol ioa i n r i o t gear* t e e r -
aaofcad tha s t r i k e r s on tha f i r s t day, a f t e r tha
pol lca had baan atonad and a aaitchboard a t tha
•orkers a t tha Aant ikulu a l 11 than aant on
a ona day s t r i k e on Tuccoey, 1 Bapteaber,
tha aaaa panalon laeue. About 600 eorfcere
lnvolvad in tha act ion a t t M a - i l l .
Hulatta public re la t ions aanagar, Aon
P h i l l i p s , aald that tha f i n aaa not w i l l ing to
pay out tha - w a y , 'but had offarad t o place
thaa in a t rue t fund t o ba adalnlatarad by tha
trada union and amiiagwiiit' (RDM, 03 .09 .81 ) .
Tha union, tha National Union of Sugar
avnufacturlng and Refining abrkara ( N U G W ) .
aald that aorkara returned on condition that
tha union takaa tha a v t t a r up a l t h tha induatr ia l
court. Ganaral secretary. Selby Nalbanda, aald
that aorkara rejected tha Hulatta o f fe r .
On aartnaonay n ight . 2 Baptaabar, about
600 s h i f t aorkara a t tha Darnel l a l l l atoppad
aorfc, but raturnad tha naxt aftarnoon. Ghee aora
aorkara vara aald to ba a f r a i d of the i r pension
contrlbutlona being frozen by plannad govarnaant
leg is la t ion (Star , 0 4 . 0 9 . 6 1 ) .
I l e a (Metal): K P 19:49 for a raport
on tha str ikes a t t h i a f i n , Induat r ia l Loa Coat
Nonas ( l l c o ) ahoaa construction aathods got a
a r i ta -up In tha Star (2B.0B.Bl ) .
Durban C i ty Council i a not ao happy a l t h
tha f l r a , l l c o having f a l l e n behind on four
Ftioenix houalng pro ject * ( t o t a l l i n g 3 146
houalng unite) and having asked f o r axtanalons
(Dal ly Naaa. 2 1 . b B . 8 l ) .
Iscar (Newcastle); About 190 aorkara in tha
Xaoor rod a i l i rafuaad t o aorfc a naa sh i f t
ayataaj and aara than lookad out on 15 Sept
There aara t o ba tao inataad of thraa s h i f t s ,
enta i l ing longer aorfclng hours aa wall aa
aakaard houra, aald tha Slack Al l ied aorkara* union'a;
BE Khuaado. BAVU*a coeplalnts had baan rejected
because f the naa ayataa had baan cleared by tha
* * t a l Induat r ia l council and aaa acceptable
to aorkara* ( i a , unions party t o tha Induat r ia l
counci l ) * aald annogeaent Star , 16 .09 .81) .
Tha aorkara had Ignored tha aanagaaant
laposad ayataa f o r a day and fol loaad tha old
ah i f t ayataa>, and had than baan locked out .
On 16 Septeaoar. 62 aorkara aara paid o f f i
( h m , 17 .09 .61) . aanagaaant aald that tha
four-cay 12-hour s h i f t ayataa had baan forced
on thaa by raducad production naada, and aaa
inst i tuted t o avoid ratranchaant (S ta r , 17.09.81) .
Tha BAfJU aald that 150 aorkara had l a f t
(aara paid o f f ) , aanagaaant than revised the i r
e a r l i e r f igure of 62 and said- that *no ona had
baan paid o f f but 96 had raalgmd and taken t h e i r
discharge".
Raducad output aaa a t t r ibuted to a eorld
staal recession and a coaplate drying-up of
export orders a l t h no expectations of a rev iva l •
(Star , 18 .09 .81) .
No fur ther in fo neat Ion.
tfool fllvtr Text i les (Mooi R iver ) ; About 1 COO
•or tere went on e t r i k e over the dltmiesal of a
N s t l o m l Union of Text i le Workers shop' steward
at tht f i l m , on 11 August, NUT* secretary.
Obed Zusa, said that t h t union had 90% support
at Wool River Tex t i l e * .
, Tha union had mat with management tha naxt
day, but no egremment aaa raachad as tha f l r m ' e
rapraaanUt iva rafused to discuss tha dismissal
(Natal Mercury, 1 5 . 0 8 . 6 l ) .
Tha sorters raturnad on Tuesday, 16 August,
with negotiation^ with tha NUT* said to ba
continuing. Management said that the ehop
steaard had discharged himself • end would not
be r*-employed (Star., 18.06.B1i Dai ly News,
18.06-61) .
No further information.
Repine Carpets (Pinetoen). A one day e t r i k e
took place at th ia Rometsx-owned f lnn i n
August (6 August) , i n demand of a wage inc
Ltd
of tha workers vex* said to be iamb are of
the F08ATU a f f i l i a t e d Jistional Union of Text i le
Workers, but •enao—ent doae not recognise t h e '
union and elected to negotiate with tha l i a i e o n
committee.
Obed Zimvi of the NUT* eaid that t h i e move
wee ' l i k e putting the water on to b o i l egeln '
(Natal Mercury, 07 .08 .61 ) .
I t waa l a t e * reported (Daily Ness, 07.08.61)
that sorters returned end that emnagement would
negotiate with the union once managing d i rec tor ,
J Whitney, had returned from the USA on 17
September.
No further information.
TONGAAT
Tongaat Group (longest. N a t a l ) : On Tuesday,
18 August, between 2 300 and 3 000 Tongeet
workers (both Indian and a f r ican) went on e t r i k e .
Police used teargae and doge when workers threw
stones s t them in t h e i r march to the David
Whitehead factory to get those workers to Join
thee*.
The workers were d lese t l s f i ed with the
implementation of t h e i r demand to receive t h e i r
contributions t o the superannuation (penaion)
fund. They had had to resign and reregister w i th •
the company, which meant t h a t they loa t c e r t a i n
lorvj-eervice bonuses (see Natal Mercury, 19.08.81)
Oaily Newe, 1 9 . 0 8 . 8 1 ) /
By the next day the s t r i k e Hod spread to the
group'e mushroom and egg d iv is ions. Group
managing director, Aloo Henkinson, eaid that
tha e t r i k e was the ' f lex ing of i t * muscle*' by
the National Union of Sugar Im^.ufacturjng" and
Refining Employees (see Hu la t ts , ebove), described
ae a 'company union* by other unlene.
Qn the f i r s t day of the str ike 8elby Nelbende
of the NUSefW hed bean allowed to addresp workers
while two South African A l l i e d Workers Union
(8AAWU) o f f i c i s l i mere to ld by the BAf> that they
had no r igh t to *>e there .
8y Thursday, 20 August* workers etarted
returning- Company managing d i rec tor , 0J
Voodroffe, said that nobody had bean f i r e d but
that a ' re turn to work' ultimetum had bean given •
(Dai ly News, 2 0 . 0 6 . 6 l ) . Hanklneon eaid that
the matter would be diecuesod through the
'proper channels', end paraded the 'agi tator '
page 46
thesis ( i s i t e fresh discovery each time i t i s
used?) . * , * m
Minister Owen Norwood had mnnounced in
August that the government was going ahead
with the controvereiel peneion l e g i s l a t i o n ,
but with greater worker choice in the freezing
of contr ibut ion* .
* * w
Union Co-operetlve Bark and Sugar Company
(Dal ton) i See WIP 18; WIP 19:49. The oaee
brought by the F08ATU-*ff i l iated Gmeet, Food and
A l l i e d Workers1 Union (8FAWU) in the Natal
Supreme Court hes been poetponed t o 2 October.
The union is 'asking the court to order the v
reinstatement of ( the s t r i k e r s ' ) compound
housing ehlc*L£hey lost a f t e r being dismissed',
end that the stoppage be declared a ' lock-out1
(RON, 25.06.81) ' .
- I f the decision goee in fevour of the union
(as en e a r l i e r interim decision had) , i t would
have far-reaching implications for employer*
providing hostel eccoemodatlon, i n that ' they
would not be eble to 'remove migrants from t h e i r
compounds while the i r contracts were s t i l l i n
operation** . . ?
• . •
OFWCE Ffleg STATE
a i O f c e t f l ( • i l k p a ) : About 240 afr ican . d K v w i
• t ' t h U f i m brought Bi lk da l ivar iaa to a ha l t
during 'a b r l a f -or* atoppoga' i n Auguat. "•-. _
•orkara aara aald to h a v a ^ d i a a i u a d thaaaalvaa*
and nwm dr ivara and aoaa of tha s t r ikara vara
takan on again [star , 13.06.81) .
No fur ther information. ^
Qouymet Fish Products (stcmpneue 8ey) i terkera
went on e t r ike on 13 July i n protest at a new -
minisjum wage of R31.2B a week. Management had
tftrtetfrned to diemiea them (see WIP. 19) . The * - * * . * > , . ' i • ' * * i - * * * - » * * • - . .
1 — rafuead t o sign resignation papers.
• — j M M | rtlaaleesrl the 40 eorkers on 24 July.
They started t o en l i s t nee workers and said that
they mould ' s e l e c t i v e l y re-employ' tha striking
M v i s r s . Therm vara a l legat ions of workers being
threatened by the p o l i c e .
aWray and flobarta ( B e l l v i l l e ) ; Seventy workers
went on strike a t tha beginning of August for
a faa hours demanding higher eagon. They returned
ehen aaieejaeanl said they would reply to the ir
uaeuiela e l t h l n 14 days.
more information needed.
® Ley lend (Cape Toan): This s tr ike has been
reported in | IP 16:49 and WP 19;3D. I t has bean
reported that eanagoeont has gone back on i ta
undertaking t o rm-employ eorkers. 170 eorkara
were to have been taken back by tha end of July,
another 100 by the end of August, end the re s t
as vacanciee occurred. They euro to have been
taken back in order of seniori ty , then the f i r s t
170 eorfcere reported only 64 eare accepted,
aanegaeeiit did not re - ins tate those with the
longest aarvlce, end eany got lower pay than
thay had been ge t t ing . MaWaTOSA was t o have <
•act ings with wanageaent (Cape Herald, 01 .06 .81 ) .
Ley land, ammnehlle, aalntaine that there has
bean no deception, end that the unions euat have
a i s led the workers about management's undertakings.
(Star, 26 .07-81) .
Bestaracte ( m t c h e H s Pla in , western Cape): more
than 850 workers, aminly Trmnakelen and Olakelan
contract labourers, doenmd too l s on 14 August,
1961, in a demand for an increase nn the ir
R1,27 an hour wage r a t e . They cxtad the
higher price of bread and other e s s e n t i a l s in
the ir deaand. They e l s o asked to be exeapt from
contributions to the building industry's pension
fund.
Here information needed.
EASTERN CAPE
SA Cape Fellepngors (Port Elizabeth): The
ent ire workforce sent on s tr ike on 9 July, and
es s dlsedseed (aee WIP 19) . amnsg meant refused
to re ins tate the workers unconditionally. The
General workers' Union appealed to uneaployed
eorkers not to accept Jobs, end appealed t o
aanogaaent to adopt e reconci l iatory approach. . • .
KSM Milling ( t e s t London): eorkers returned to
eork on 25 August a f t e r e go-aloe s tr ike Tor
higher wages. The South African Allied Workers*
Union (SAAKJ) see to meet with eanagoaent to
negotiate a recognition agreement .
M Volkseagen (ultenrewje): About helf of the eork-
force ealked out of Volkaeagen's nee engine plant
before the o f f i c i a l opening ceraeony on 19 -
August In protest against the presence of" .
soae of the oumsts. The guests included
Oawie de V i i l l e r s , Allen Hendrlckse and
Bcnene Tlni , e aamfm of the Uitenhage
Coaaunlty Council. Thay claimed that the
inv i ta t ions of these people showed
• i n s e n s i t l . i t / t? the f ee l ings of the
majority of employees* (atataaent Issued through the hiaMRtTJSA).
aaanahlle, in hla ta lk , Dewie da ViHiwrs
praised VW for the ir interest in develcmjjffcr' **•' ..
sound labour re la t ione ( s i c ) . Me c i t ed the
Chair In Industrial Relations at UPE that W
has establ ished, as an example.
Da Gaaa Text i les (fonarrly Good Hope Text i l e s )
(King Williams Toan): On 25 August 44 looa
mechanics went on s t r i k e over wage Demands.
The s tr ike spread to the weaving deportment of
1 200 eorkera. The entire workforce (4 000)
was sent hoee, and watchmen were given instructions
not t o allow anyone to return t o eork.
er igedler Charles Sebe e s t with management.
Sebe bleaed SAAVJU for the s t r i k e . SAAKJ
claiws a aaebershlp of 1 000 e t the factory
but denied involvement (Daily Dispatch, 2 6 . 0 6 . 8 l ) .
Production was resumed on the Monday
evening, but only one third of the workers
reported for duty. On 26 August, about 1 000
eorkers went to the factory gates and
deaanded higher wages. Sebe arrived end
addressed the workers, t e l l i n g them to submit a
report of the ir grievences to the Clskeian
Legis lat ive Assembly, and denying that he had
blamed SAAaU for the s t r i k e . He was Jeered by
some workers. Managsmiint addressed the workers
and told them there would be no further increases
t h i s year. The eorkers were to ld that the * —
company had no money end could not increase
wages (RDM, 29 .07 .81 ) . I t was reported that by
Thursday, 30 July, 99)1 of tha eorkers were
reporting for eork and management claimed that
production was back t o normal. 10 workers had
been detained, according to Brigadier Charlea
Sebe.
Firestone (Port E l i zabeth) : 100 eorkers in
the tyre building department went on s t r i k e on
15 July over incentive pay. I t a s s reported
JQW T S mmasSTO a pPWes?
i n t h e Evening Post on 17 J u l y t h a t thsy were
s t i l l on s t r i k e .
No f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n e v e l l a b l e .
Oorfayl (U i tenhs* je ) i For p rev ious coverage see
WtP 1 9 . I t « u r e p o r t e d I n t h e Evening Post
( 1 3 . 0 7 . 8 1 ) tha t t h e Motor Aeasab l l ee and
Ccasjtenente • o r t t e r e * Union of South A f r i c a
(WACttuSA) supported t h e b l a c k i n g of D o r t y l
p r o d u c t s , and t h a t t h a issus ass b e i n g
conaldarad by NUMfltOBA.
Ho f u r t h e r in format ion a v a i l a b l e .
Mun ic ipa l Quarry [Graheastown): On Wednesday,
S August, workers want on a t r l k a and demanded
«ege incraaaas o f W15,30 (on t h e i r bas ic pay of
8 3 9 , 7 0 a f o r t n i g h t ) . 3 5 aara sacked a f t e r
having ' ignored 3 dead l ines t o r e t u r n t o w o x * ' ,
t h e l a s t be ing on Monday, 10 August.
Deputy toen c l e r k , Derek Costzee , s a i d
t h e t t h e men a l s o earned i n c e n t i v e bonuses
Averag ing R1?,38 a f o r t n i g h t . Coetxee s a i d
t h e t t h a men could reapply f o r t h e i r Jobs on
t e r n s s e t by t h e m u n i c i p e l i t y ( S t a r , 1 2 , 0 8 . 8 1 ) .
Model D a i r y (Eas t London): 100 s t r i k i n g
a i l k e e n (no I n f o r m a t i o n sbout t h e cause of
t h e s t r i k e ) eere g i v e n u n t i l F r i d a y , 4 September*
t o reapply f o r t h e i r * j o b s . They e e r e g iven
busfares 'home' t o t h e Transke i shen they f a i l e d
t o do s o .
Workers who then r e f u s e d t o l e a v e eere
e v i c t e d from t h e i r h o s t e l b y t h e East Cape
A d m i n i s t r a t i o n Buard. They eere g iven 72
hours i n which t o l e a v e East London i n t a r a e of
t h a Urban Areas A c t .
By 10 September sbout 70 poets hed been
filled with outside sorters.
SAP (East London): On B July the General
workers1 Union (GsXJSA) branch secretary,
David Thendane, cal led f o r the recognition by
the SAR of 0*J6A and a eorkere' cosaiittae.
S members of the committee eere then questioned
by rai lway pol ice , according to GMJBA. They
eere thraetensd with dismissal or detention i f
they continued to support the union. This eas
denied by the railways.
"maqn-Rowntroe (East London): For previous
coverage ssf ffff 17» H P 16 end I V ^ * ™ *
scale of the protest against 111 eon-flown t ree
continues to grov. A report i n the Cape Herald
(06 ,08 .81) aelntalne thet the B r i t i s h Ant i -
Apartheid Movsaent i s t o put stronger pressure
on Rosntroo tfacklntooh to ralnetata tha asckad
eoiicere at t h e i r South African subsidiary1, and
to give recognition to BAAVU. Meanwhile,
Thoza-ila Qqeeta, president of BAAVU, has
been released a f t e r 6 weeks detention under the
Terrorise Act. He resumed h is work with the
union immediately upon being released.
Slsa Nj ikolana, v ice president, waa released
on'10 August, a f t e r 2 aonths In detention. He
alao returned to Eest London to continue with
hie union work.
Ford (Port Elizabeth)x For previous coverage,
eee MP 19. Ford executives era holding
ayetarious meetings, according to Post. They
•jet with ANC leader Oliver Tembo In June; and
ware event to meet with the Natal Indian
Congress in July (the Meeting was ca l led o f f
when Broderlck f roa Ford realised thet there
eere Journalists from Post present) .
page 90 ^ *
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ • ^ ^ • • ^ ^ " ^ • • ^ • ^ • ^ ^ • ^ ^ • • ^ ^ • • • • • • • • • • • • • ^ • • • ^ • • • • ^ • • • • ^ • • ^ ^ • • ' ^ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ^ • • • • • • • • • • • • • ,
Trouble a t Ford, continues, with the latest
incident being e oanteen boycott by 1 600 sorters
in protest egeinst the demotion of UACWUSA
organising secretary, Government Z l n l , end
another union executive member. They were *
denoted froa salaried positions ss lecturer and
supsrvieor, to ordinary hourly-paid labourera *N
on the factory f l o o r .
Meanwhile, 4 sMCVUBA leaders ere s t i l l i n
detention under section 6 of the Terrorism Act.
Olssatlsfsct lon with pension funds contlnuee,
and indust r ia l re la t ions o f f i c e r , Ford'o Fred
Fer re i ra , maintains the coapsny might heve t o
pay out A1-ai i f workers chooaa to wlthdrae
the i r funds and not to reapply for membership.
•
Eastern Cape detent lone i 'The biggest swoop so -
fa r on South African t rad* un ion is t * ' , • • • ho*
tha datantlon of 306 unionists undar tha Ciakal
aaeurlty legis la t ion aaa daacribad (ROD, 06 .09 .81) .
Thoaa datainad ara aaahara of 5AAWU, 0BU6A, and
tha African Food and Canning Btarkera* Union -t
(tfCWJ). Thay aara datainad undar Proolaaation
R2S3, ahloh provldaa for 3 month, datantlon
without t r i a l .
BrLoadlar Charlaa Saba, haad of tha Ciakal
Central In te l l igence Service stated that pol ice
were lnveetlgat lng cherges under the Riotous
Assemblies Act end 'perhsps public violence**
The unionists were t rave l l ing beck t o W t n t w n t
from East London in 3 busee when they ware stopped
by the pol ice . Brigadier 8ebe steted that the
unionists had basn elnglng freedom songs and
songs against the independence of the Ciskei .,
(Btar,.0B.<».ei).. Thoxamlle Oqwete, SAAiU president, described
the arrests es 'outrageous)', and aa further
harassment of trade unioni&ta by the Cltfceian •i
author i t ies ( e a r l i e r t h i e year the Clskel
detained 57 unlonleta) . G*U8A stated that
. s i " V " ' ; . - • • • _ , - , • ' - ' - •
Ujm d e t e n t i o n s were * t h e a c t i o n s of f r i g h t e n e d
people mho, r e a l i s i n g t h e deepening o p p o s i t i o n
t o t h e i r r u l e , r e s o r t t o constant and h y s t e r i c a l
p o l i o s a c t i o n * .
SAWU o f f i c i a l s s a i d t h a t they sould bs
c o n t a c t i n g lawyers i n Johannesburg t o discuss
t h a p o a s l b l l i t l a a o f l e g a l a c t i o n . I n t h a
* * s n t l « n , b o t h l o c a l and I n t e r n a t i o n a l pressure
aountad a g a i n s t t h e C i a k a l govexraajnt.
A u s t r a l i a ' s Counci l o f Trade Unions decided s t
t h e i r congress i n Sydney t o c a l l a boycot t on
t h e handl ing o f South A f r i c a n goods f o r one
week. FOBATU a t t a c h e d thm d e t e n t i o n s by t h e
• t i n p o t s t a t e * end P Camay, genera l s e c r e t a r y
of CUBA, s t a t e d t h a t t h a t o r g a n i s a t i o n 'abhorred
d e t e n t i o n s * ( S t a r , 1 0 . 0 9 . 6 1 ) .
meanwhile i n East London mayne Munro o f
t h a f I r a Johnson and Johnson s a i d t h a t t h e
d e t e n t i o n s had d i s r u p t e d a c t i v i t i e s a t t h e
coapeny.
On 10 September i t ens r e p o r t e d t h a t
C h i e f M i n i s t e r Lennox Sebe conf l r a e d t h a t t h e
u n i o n i s t s sould be charged ' v e r y , v e r y s o o n * .
Hs added t h a t ' t h e unlone o u s t s top t h e i r b l u f f s .
You cannot t e l l a e they a r e a c r e i n t e r a c t e d i n
t h a a e l f a r a o f ay people than I em. The unions
Just seat* p u b l i c i t y * . , He a l l e g e d t h a t t h a
unions ve rs be ing misused by t h e seme peop le
r e s p o n s i b l e f o r a bomb b l a s t a t a bus t s r a l n a l
a t Udsntsans the p rev ious M * (
I t eas r e p o r t e d (ROM, 1 1 . 0 9 . 6 1 ) t h a t SAAeu
w i l l ask t h a Cast Cspe O i v i s i o n o f t h e Ouprome
Court t o o i d s r t h e re lease o f t h e 2Q5 d e t a i n e d
t r a d e u n i o n i s t s . An s p p l l c a t l o n f i l e d by SAMU
asked t h e cour t t o d e c l a r e t h e d e t e n t i o n s n u l l
and v o i d . I t c i t e d t h e Ciafcelen M i n i s t e r s o f
P o l i c e and o f J u s t i c e as respondents and asked
t h e c o u r t t o o r d e r thee t o pay t h e costs o f
t h a a c t l g n . The a p p l i c a t i o n f u r t h e r s t a t e d
that t h e d e t e n t i o n s sere I n v a l i d because t h e
C lske lan s e c u r i t y a u t h o r i t i e s hed fo l lowed
t h e I n c o r r e c t procedure i n d e t a i n i n g t h e
u n i o n i s t s . SAAmiPs l a e y e r s a l l e g e d t h a t as
t h e C i a k a l i s n o t y e t ' I n d e p e n d e n t ' , i t f a l l a
w i t h i n t h e Cspe and , t h e r e f o r e , w i t h i n t h e
Eas te rn Cape D i v i s i o n o f t h e Supreme Cour t .
I n a d d i t i o n , t h e a p p l i c a t i o n quest ioned
Sebe 's d e t e n t i o n o f t h e workers under
P r o c l a a a t l o n R2S2 s i n e s I t eas u n l i k e l y t h a t
t h e passengers i n t h e 3 buses sera a l l d i r e c t l y
I n v o l v e d i n a c t i o n s a g a i n s t t h e s e c u r i t y o f t h e
C l s k e l .
Ueanwhils F a n l e Botha . M i n i s t e r o f Manpowerp
s s i d t h a t he would not I n v o l v e h i a s e l f I n the
b a t t e r . Hs s t a t e d t h a t ha had no power t o
i n t e r v e n e . See K l k l n e o f SAAmU had appealed
t o Botha t o in te rvene an b e h a l f o f t h e u n i o n i s t s .
Botha s t a t e d t h a t an appea l should be d i r e c t e d
t o t h e M i n i s t e r o f P o l i c e -
On 11 Gepteaber i t a n * r e p o r t e d t h a t sows of
t h e u n i o n i s t s hod been r e l e a s e d . B r i g a d i e r Sebe,
hoeever , re fused t o conf i rm t h i s and s t a t e d
t h a t t h e de ta inees would be appearing, i n c o u r t
t h e next eeek .
I n t h e e e a n t i a e , about 400 t r a d e union
members boarded buses a f t e r a eass s e a t i n g i n
East London on S a t u r d a y , 12 September, and
t r a v e l l e d t o IfcJant&ane a s e d i r e c t cha l lenge
t o t h e Cisfcei a u t h o r i t i e s . They were s ing ing
songs and d e f y i n g a r r e s t .
A s t a t e a e n t Issued by Transvaal labour
o r g a n i s a t i o n s i n c l u d i n g tne Transvaal
d i v i s i o n s o f SAAVU, Food and Canning workers*
Un ion , FOGATU, General A l l i e d workers ' Union,
t h e C o a a e r c l a l , C e t e r i n g and A l l i e d Workers'
Un ion , and the H o t e l , L iquor and C a t e r i n g
A s s o c i a t i o n , added t h e i r vo ices t o t h e p r o t e s t .
Th is s t e t e a e n t s a i d t h a t t h e r e a l reason f o r
t h e d e t e n t i o n s ess t h e r e f u s a l o f t h e C i s k e i
a u t h o r i t i e s t o recognise t h e growth o f a
democrat ic union w i t h i n a b e n t u a t a n .
The c o u r t a p p l i c a t i o n eas postponed
t o F r l d s y , 18 September, t o a l l o w t h e
respondents t o f i l o opposing a f f i d a v i t s .
A f t e r appear ing i n c o u r t on 16 September,
t h e t r a d e u n i o n i s t s mere e l l r e l e s s e d on RS0
b a i l .
E r i c mYi t o n g a , f o r a e r che i rperson o f t h e
Wilson-Rowntree workers* committee and
p r e s e n t l y e SAABU o f f i c i a l , and Sibawu
S i k w i g s h l , a former V i lson-Rowntrae worker ,
have a l s o appeared i n c o u r t , end were both
a c q u i t t e d of arson end damage t o p u b l i c p r o p e r t y .
Branch chai rperson of t h e AFC*U, Ernest
Qwesha, was g iven a 3 eonth suspended sentence
a f t e r be ing c o n v i c t e d o f possessing banned
l i t e r a t u r e .
Char les Nqaku la , a c t i n g p r e s i d e n t o f t h e
media workers Assoc ia t ion o f South A f r i c a , was
served a s\ year banning order on 31 J u l y .
C h i e f M i n i s t e r Lennox Sebe agreed t h e t , as
Nqokula eas a C i a k a l ' c i t i z e n * , t h e banning
could no longer cont inue e f t e r "independence*
( s t a r , 0 4 . 0 6 . 8 1 ) .
Union Comment CONFERENCE OF TftADE UNICHB HELD IN LANGA, CAPE
TOWN, 8 AUGUST, 1961 .
STATEMENT AND RESOLUTIONS AGREED ON BY UNION
DELEGATES.
WE accept tha t t r a d e unions a r e p u b l i c bodies
and a c c o r d i n g l y ee do not o b j e c t t o p r o v i d i n g
i n f o r m a t i o n wi th respect t o our c o n s t i t u t i o n ,
f inances and r e p r e s e n t a t l v l t y . However, ee r e f u s e
t o sub jec t o u r s e l v e s t o c o n t r o l by anybody
o t h e r than our own members. we t h e r e f o r e
r e s i s t end r e j e c t t h e present system of