African Workers Strike Against Apartheid http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.nuun1973_10 Use of the Aluka digital library is subject to Aluka’s Terms and Conditions, available at http://www.aluka.org/page/about/termsConditions.jsp. By using Aluka, you agree that you have read and will abide by the Terms and Conditions. Among other things, the Terms and Conditions provide that the content in the Aluka digital library is only for personal, non-commercial use by authorized users of Aluka in connection with research, scholarship, and education. The content in the Aluka digital library is subject to copyright, with the exception of certain governmental works and very old materials that may be in the public domain under applicable law. Permission must be sought from Aluka and/or the applicable copyright holder in connection with any duplication or distribution of these materials where required by applicable law. Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org African Workers Strike Against Apartheid Alternative title Notes and Documents - United Nations Centre Against ApartheidNo. 14/73 Author/Creator United Nations Centre against Apartheid; Ginwala, Frene Publisher Department of Political and Security Council Affairs Date 1973-06-00 Resource type Reports Language English Subject Coverage (spatial) South Africa Coverage (temporal) 1973 Source Northwestern University Libraries Description Introduction. Control of African labour. African workers wages. African strikes. Reactions to the strikes. Related issues: (a) Trade union rights (b) Black poverty (c) The role of foreign investment. Annex: List of recent strikes in South Africa. Format extent 32 page(s) (length/size) http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.nuun1973_10 http://www.aluka.org No. 14/T3 NOTES AND DOCUMENTS* June 1973 No. 14/T3 NOTES AND DOCUMENTS* June 1973 AFRICAN WORKERS STRIKE AGAINST APARTHEID by Frene Ginwala ..,,,estern ZNote: One of the most cat recent Africa has been the series of strikes of black workers thro e Republic, from the beginning of this year, despite the severe penalties laid down by law against racial discrimination and brutal exploitation. A majority of these workers have been paid starvation wages, lower than the "poverty datum line". This paper on the strikes was prepared by Miss Frene Ginwala, a South African barrister and journalist, now in London. She writes: "The poverty datum line, which is the yardstick most commonly in use in relation to black South African wages, is itself an inadequate level. Its use as a goal still to be attained in the richest country in Africa, where white wages compare favourably with those in some of the richest Western countries, is the severest possible condemnation of the apartheid system." The views expressed are those of the author-.*All material in these notes and documents may be freely reprinted. Acknowledgement, together with a copy of the publication containing the reprint, would be appreciated. 73-32011 CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 I. Control of African labour 3 II. Africanworkers wages 5 III. African strikes 9 IV. Reactions to the strikes 11 V. Related issues 13 a. Trade union rights 13 b. Black poverty 16 c. The role of foreign investment 22 Annex: List of recent strikes in South Africa 26 INTRODUCTION Towards the end of 1972 a wave of strikes began in Natal and in the following weeks, spread to most industry in the province. At the peak nearly 100,000 worhers in various occupations had downed tools in an effort to increase their starvation wages and appallingly poor conditions. Ilost of these worhers returned to work within a few weeks. often A.ith-out having iron any concessions; on a few occasions, after winning some increases in wages, and in many cases after police intimidation, arrests and sentences. Yet the Durban strikes, as they have been popularly knowm, have been a victory for the black orkers and a significant event in the course of the liberation o.f South Africa. The rave of strikes came as a surprise both to white South Africa and the international community. There vas shoched reaction to the fact that black worhers had been able to act in concert, and to the daily evidence of their level of wages and conditions. Yet over the previous year, highlighted by the Ovambo strikes in .Naibia, there had been a gathering momentm of labour disputes in the country and nuamerous reports of the conditions in 77hich African workers were forced to live due to the wages being paid.. Seen in this context, events in Natal vere a natural but more concentrated progression, and the daily disputes throughout the country that have since received international publicity are not unexpected. In January 1972, Ovambo workers decided that they w¢anted nothing further to do with the contract labour system, and more than 13,000 came out on strike. Their demands, set out in a pamphlet released by the strikers, ad hoc committee, included, int.er alia: 1. The improvement of agreements to allow them to change jobs writhout :fear of landing in jail; freedom to choose work according to excnerience and knowledge; and to have their families w.ith them; 2. Equal treatment, i:-respective of colo-ur, and the rate for the job; and 3. Sufficient pay for the workers to buy their own food and provide for transport needs..l' 1 and" Daily Iail, Johannesburg, 13 January 1972 The reaction of the South African Government was harsh and a 'security blanke' was thrown over their activities. But some information has come out during tw.o trials and an inquest into the deaths of eight Africans shot by the police. In addition, the Iinister of Police, Hr. S.L. Miuller, a&!aitted that 267 people had been detained. '. The contract system operating in Namibia wras described by the 7ages Commission o' the Students Representative Council of the University of the Natal as followls: "'len are asked to ,,rork in factories, shops, mines and farms in South _'est Africa. If they say they will work, they are sent down to the places of work by train. The emloyers sign a form saying they will pay the workers at least 32.20 ($2.92) a week. This is only 2-8.80 (11.70) a month. Some workers only get 26.50 (:18.64) a month. Some farmers pay only R3.25 (.,4.53) to a child worker each month. "brkers are not allowed to decide who they will work for; theyr are told who they must work for. Doctors look at each person wanting work and say: 'He is A, B or C grade.' Te C L-rade gets least wages. The worker is then given a bracelet around the arm which says where he must go and who his employer will be. The w7orkers usually live in a compound. They are not alloTed to have their families with theu. They must work for their employer for one year or 18 months. If they leave their job they can be sent to jail for breaking the contract ..... it is not much different from the contract system here in South Africa." 4 It is diffficult to trace any direct connexion between labour disputes in South Africa and the INaxibia strikes. At the very least they had an inspirational value in demonstrating that mass united action was possible. The need for action to improve workers' conditions was undeniable. , House of Assembly Debates Mansard), Questions and Replies, 11 April 1972, cols.768-769: Ibid., 26 ilay, cols.1093-1095. , Bulletin of the .Tages Coimmission, April 1972 4, Contract labour is entrenched in the South African economy, extending beyond the well-known system in the gold mining industry, see infra., p. 37 I. COiTflOL OF AFFMICAN LABOIU]P The policies of successive South African Governmtents have been designed to create, maintain and control a pool of cheap African labour. In furtherance of this, Africans were deprived of an dlenied the right to own land. Special taxes w.ere imposed and the migrator'r labour s rstem and pass laws were introduced. In order to deprive the African w.orforce of nouer, ,9olitical and trade union rights are denied; and to maintain the jpower that such rigid control requires, the entire machinery of repression w.as created. African trade unions are not recognized and enjoy no legal protection. Under the Dantu Labour (Settlement o:f Dispu'.es,) Act, , strikes by African workers are prohibited and made a criminal offence. 6 'Lne srstem of influx control obliges every healtry male African, wfho is not a student and who is between the ages of 15 and 65, to register with a labour bureau. No African may remain in an urban area for more than 72 hours, unless he is qualified by birth or long residence, or has permission to wrork in the area. Even if so qualified, he may be endorsed out of the urban areas as "idle" or "undesirable". These laws have beEn used to limit and repress action by African workers to improve their conditions. 7j 5, Act flo .48 of 1953 as amended by Act N0.59 of 1955 o, A bill was introduced in Parliament on 22 hay which allowed some African workers to strike -under severely restricted circumstances. !Vorkers other than those employed by local authorities, utilities, including light, powTer, uater and sanitation; the transport industry and unspecified "essential services ', as well as workers covered by a wage regulating agreement, or those whose case is being considered by the Goverrnment wrage board, will be excluded from the operation of this bill.