FOR YEARS Africa has waged a steadily escalating against the people's struggle for liberation. Today against 100,000 South African troops imposing the most intense military occupation soldier to 10 civilians), the resistance of the Namibians is stronger than ever.
South Africa carries its war northwards, 80,000 square kilometres of southern Angola. force' large numbers of European mercenaries, reign of terror, havoc on the economy.
This war is financed from the revenues generated corporations who ploit Namibia's resources. multi-nationals play a strategic role conditions described by the International Court of Justice as 'unique in its organised and efficient application of conditions that are akin to slavery'.
The wal technology from Plessey and Marconi.
In 1975 the Labour government used a veto in the United Nations Security Council against "Africa arallist South against economic sanctions being applied to the apartheid regime Under international law Namibia is United Nations.
Namibia was created to administer the Lenatory THE NUMBER of wage workers in Namibia is second onlv to South Africa south of the Sahara 45 per adults are in wage employment; 40 per CelE of whom workers from the poverty-stricken established partheid regim Vhile 27,000 whites. receive 8 per cent of the gross domesti product (GDP), receive 9 per cent of GDP In 1977, average income for whites was Rand 3037, for blacks Rand 126.
Profits and taxation sis antic cent as been exported abroad since 1945, testifying to the domination of the economy foreign corporations.
Numerous general Security Council without Britain's veto, obliged member states to refrain from any dealings with the illegal regime.
Following these decisions, Council for No. forbidding Rally Namibia's natural resources and empowering the Council its behalf, eg trade unions) to seize such produce Needless to say the powers with a huge stake in southern Africa's resources have UN's paper resolutions. tion came about as a result of the Namibian people's resistance strikes, demonstrations organised by People's Liberation Army of Namibia.
UN SWAPO's struggle SWAPO's War regime started in failure of two decades of appeal and peaceful negotiation to anything for Namibians.
Socialist Action 15 July 1983 South and brutal war Namibian bases in Namibia occupying 'Special units, incorporating carry out wreaking by US exBritish operating with aided directly by embargr al llls 1n mac oenucuce against Evolved cent of black Namibiar are contract under 270,000 black:
take workers been exported the first assembly resolutions passed , the UN Namibia enacted Decree dealings (or agencies on imperialist ignored the The UN posi- Rio through and guerrilla SWAPO the given legitimacy 1966 because of the SWAPO supporters in Windhoek, December 1978 of workers' struggle German World War which resulted in the annihilation of over 50 per cent of the population.
The famous general strike of 1971 the contract brought the economy to a halt and inmass mobilisations boycott of services run This was the trees or APes1969 Congress decision to establish a department of labour charged with assisting in the formation of an autonomous trade the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW).
SWAPO itself began in 1959 as an organisation formed to resist the contract/migrant labour system. By 1977 workers had established a network of underground NUNW branches ready to use international trade union aid in a systemalic way In February 1978 the murder of 26 in a workers' one of the regime's armed gangs led to NUNW down half of the wnanoek Widespread arrests, detention and torture of SWAPO and NUNW officials followed.
By July 1978 the NUNW had steeroffice organisers based in winenoek strikes in the mines through 1978-79 led to numerous ocallnes allu arlesls Tinto Corporation uranium mines at Rossing put forward demands on pay, housing and radiation protection. They also protested against victimisation by the security police and denounced the mines' illegal operation under international law.
A year later an international appeal by the Rossing workers to the British movement to stop Namibian uranium led to smashing SWAPO and NUNW's open organisations.
The to Hirst solidarity United contract.
system the regime community went urallulll compound by closed that firms.
Wing used in illegal Workers time (RTZ)
of the US, between.
handling the regime Rossing the uranium mine in the world, has become the international focus of a campaign with the Namibian workers. It was under a Labour government in 1968 that RTZ first obtained a contract to supply uranium oxide to the Kingdom Energy Authority. Supplies began to arrive in 1978. In the meantime the 1973 and 1976 Labour Party conferences had voted to end the BEYOND ALL logic and in defiance of the wishes of the people of Namibia and the international 'RTZ with the full blessing of the British government ahead to exploit But it is not because of their concern for the Namibian workers that they have decided to go ahead with this exploitation, but because of their lust after profits.
It is of the utmost importance WOrKCI Western European workers stand together to end this exploitation.
It is your workers that are bethe transportation, processing and sale of this stolen commodity. Therefore in the spirit of the true trade union solidarity we are calling upon you to stop this exploitation of uranium by refusing to handle any stolen wealth from our country.
Pevari Muniaro National Union of Namibian But the Callaghan government ig nored these decisions and instead col laborated with the US adminıstration to achieve a settlement of the Namibian tavourable perialism. This resulted in the establishment of the Contact Group (consisting Germany and Canada), countries with major in vestements in the region putting itself forward in 1978 as a diplomatic go While there has been a nine-fold increase in tne number or souin Alrican troops from 1976 to 1982, the Contact worked into making regime, SWAPO, workers at the present resources field near Dutch and a largest Capenhurst in Cheshire DaTE South Africa which includes warhead capability unknown partially returned to Britain for use ding Britain tritium in The our Canada and Australia for energy) stated:
Committee Seamen, A conference for trade union solidarity TIll Street, London E2 Supported by NUM Unionists Solidarity wovement BOTSWANA SWAPO and the Angolan government concessions on an inaependence sorunon to an increasingi aggressive and intransigent apartheid particular demanding the withdrawal of Cuban troops in Angola. Their goal is a client state dependent or imperialist investments and open to cheap exploitation of its resources.
the NUNW Rossing have repeatedly called for the labour movement to stop The significance of Namibian uranium is that it is not covered by the non-military use clause insisted on by Britain's other suppliers trade in Namibian Uranium oxide from Rossing South Africa is processed by Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL) at SpringPreston and enriched URENCO (a consortium of BNFL, a German company at Uranium from southern Africa is of a network of deals whereby acquires enriched uranium, technology and skilled personnel for its nuclear programme While over half of Britain's needs (2000 tons per year) are supplied from Rossing, how this uranium arrives is BNFL processes a further 7000 tons Pries, half or exhich cothes from which comes tron Namibia and South Africa. Since 1979 enriched uranium has been sent to the US to be highly enriched and : in nuclear weapons. This deal includes the US sen return for the plutonium produced in Britain's reac tors to be used in the US weapons prosignificance of Namibiar uranium in this trade is that it is no covered by the non-military use clause insisted on by Britain's other suppliers At a recent enquiry into RTZ held in Bristol, Tony Benn (twice minister 'This government has a continuing interest in Rossing primarily for weapons purposes The Campaign Against the Nami bian Uranium Contract (CANUC) was formed in 1976 by the Namibian SupApartheid movement. The campaign's Antiprogress in the trade union movement nas resulted in the National Union o the Transport and General Workers Union and the train drivers' Stop the plunder Sunday 17 July 10.00 Oxford House, Derbyshire ASLEF, NUS, Black Trade
PENDUKENI KAULINGE natural resources, such as the uranium
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Namibia's workers
It was under a Labour government that RTZ first obtained a contract to supply uranium oxide
Namibian workers appeal