• United States. Thousands of people across the country took part in a national day of protest against apartheid on 11 October.
The slogans for the day were: free South Africa, free Nelson Mandela and break all United States links with apartheid.
Many of the participants were young and black, including students who were preparing for a student anti-apartheid conference on 1-3 November.
But many unions were involved on the day, collecting signatures for workplace. petitions, carrying banners on local demonstrations and laying plans to follow the lead of the Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union on the West Coast. A year ago this union refused to unload cargo from South African ships.
Most US trade unions, including the executive council of the AFL-CIO are on record against apartheid and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists supported the day of action. So too did the National Organisation of Women and the Coalition of Labour Union Women.
The United Mineworkers of America has just finished hosting a tour of miners from the NUM in South Africa. Before touring the US, the miners were the guests of the Canadian steel • Sweden. month's trade boycott of South African goods from 23 October to 24 November. The action was to press the Swedish government to end all trade with the South African regime. • France. Members of one of the country's major trade union federations, the CGT dumped two tons of coal outside a government office in Paris on 3! October. This was a protest against South African imports.
PANAMIBIA
SOUTH AFRICA Labour leaders march against apartheid