theid state.
Six railway workers Lave their uves the struggle. Hundreds detained, including the nomise entire me retire committee.
CYCLY railway worker had faced intimidation harassment by the security forces.
unexpected move, which left leaders of the South African Railway Harbour Workers Union (SARHWU) Metal workers have joined forces with car workers to form a powerful new union. THOUSANDS of South African railway workers celebrated a resounding strike victory in Johannesburg's streets on Friday 5 June. After three months on strike, and with many families near to starvation, the workers had refused to give in to the unrelenting attacks by management and the aparalready become a focus for and discontent of brotes discontent broad forces. Sparked by the dismissal of a worker for the 'crime' of the late han. ding in of the f12 that he'd collected as part of his job, rapidly spread throughout the Transvaal region involving some 20,000 workers. was deepening as imporLalt devale • were being made by other workers and in other sections of the population. COSATU, the 700,000-strong 10lracial trade union federaable to hail the lon was merger of the car workers and metal workers unions. This new union, is a living example of COSATU's inpolicy.
The second largest in the federation, it will be a powerful weapon in the hands of the engineering industry's workers.
The workers POTWA, had also won a victory at the beginning of May. A range of overt racist practices, Inwage differential between per cent The mines have also been the scene of sporadic action protest strikes have mounted in response to continuing deaths mining accidents, and as miners' wives girifriends moved into seven formally single-sex compounds in defiance of apartheid's inhumane separatiol of workers from their families.
workers in the food industry to those in the sugar mills of Natal, Coca tion escalating. The launch of the living vage campaign helped to reinforce the action.
A second factor that munity organisations and have been providing the leadership of the street committees.
This deepening activity has found its reflection in the relaunching of FedSAW, the Federation of South AFrican Women on FedSAW had played a maior role in the 950s. especially in the campaigns against the pass laws, but had been dispersed by the repression of the 1960s.
relaunch with veteran leaders such Helen Joseph again in the organisation's leadership i a maul duvalice 10. the liberation struggle.
The victory of SARHWU will give a demands of the strikers 're-employment' The tina agreement jobs back. The guaranteed. labour office.
their contract labour status for an end to racism on the railway.
were de facto union representatives.
towards total recognition of the union. Non-selective re-employment. One of the main was for their reinstatement. On 22 April, 16,000 had been sacked for taking strike action. SATS had originally offered meaning that the company would decide who to take back, and those who were taken back would be treated as new starters.
'non-selective employment' is reinstatement put into a face saving formula. All workers will have their original will go, as • DAKHWU demanded. And the re-employment specifies that continuity of service, and other facilities, will be Permanent status for black workers. This clause of the agreement strikes at the heart of one of the key effects of the apartheid system. One of the ways SATS has kept a super-exploited workforce is bs denying any job security whatsoever. At the end of I1 months, migrant workers would be forced to return to a bantustan (or land reservation assigned to them) and apply for a new contract at their local The agreement awards black workers with two years service a new degree of job security by ending This concession by SATS was a direct product of the strikers' demand The right to elect their own representatives. SATS had maintained throughout the strike that it would negotiate with representatives elected by workers but not with SARHWU. But in the negotiations that did take place the workers representatives The settlement now means that SARHWU delegates will be recognised by the company and is a major step