Khanya College Labour History Publications
Ufil' Umuntu, Ufil' Usadikiza
The 1973 strikes in Durban and the subsequent wave of worker uprisings are regarded as important landmarks in the making of the South African labour movement. The strike wave and the consequent revival of the labour movement have a direct bearing on the present labour movement. Key working class organisations that constitute the present labour movement can trace their origins back to the 1973 strike wave. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), the country’s biggest trade union federation can also trace its roots back to the strikes of 1973 and commemorates its twentieth anniversary in 2005.Over and above this, the traditions established by the Durban strikes and the struggles it
gave rise to have greatly influenced the way we understand democracy and politics in South Africa. Some of these traditions and practices, such as the shop steward movement, the principle of workers’ control and other democratic practices, continue to inspire those who are struggling for democracy in working class organisations and in society at large. Union practices such as leadership accountability, regular election of shop stewards and attempts to establish participatory democracy were replicated and adapted in student, civic and other mass organisations during the struggle against apartheid.
Click here to open this publication in pdf.
|
MAY DAY
This May Day booklet from Khanya College comes as a timely reminder of the struggle
confronting workers across the globe. Many of the challenges confronting workers today, were first taken up over a hundred years ago. May Day came to symbolise the international nature of the workers struggle.
It symbolised the struggle for shorter working hours and for the general improvement in the working and living conditions of workers. The early struggles of workers were often driven by a desire to bring about an alternative social and economic system to the dominant capitalist world order. In South Africa, this was no different. Many workers lost their lives in the struggle for May Day. We need to once again take up this struggle.
Click here to open this publication in pdf.
|
|
Other Labour History Publications
Asinamali
This book will tell the story of SACTU from when it was formed in 1955, to when it stopped organising openly in South Africa in 1964. It looks at how SACTU unions organised workers in the factories. It also looks at how SACTU was important in the political struggles of that time.
This book tells of the important part that SACTU played in the history of worker organisation in South Africa. It also tries to show some of the problems in SACTU, and what workers can learn from the principles of SACTU.
Click here to open this publication in pdf.
|
Freedom from Below
This book provided an important introduction for all those who are committed to the workers’ struggle against exploitation and oppression.
In South Africa the government and the bosses have done all in their power to stop workers from organising trade unions to defend and advance workers’ interest. Despite these efforts workers have fought and successfully organised themselves into Trade unions. This has not been an easy struggle. Workers have faced the full power of the police and army as well as apartheid laws. This has made it difficult for workers to organise and defend themselves.
Workers have won many victories but have also suffered a number of details in their struggle!
‘Freedom From Below’ tells of the struggle to organise trade unions in South Africa from the earliest forms of worker resistance in the 1800s through to the large federations of industrial trade unions today.
It discusses the delegates policies, structures and struggles of the important trade unions. The ICU, FNECTU, CNETU, TUCSA, SACTU, FOSATU, CUSA, SAAWU, COSATU and NACTU are discussed within the context of the political economy od South Africa.
‘Freedom From Below’ is essential reading for anyone actively interested in the development of the labour movement in South Africa.
Click here to open this publication in pdf.
|
Debates on SA Labour History
These articles were originally published in Learning Nation, an educational supplement in the New Nation newspaper, in 1989. They were researched and written by Lacom (Durban).
Click here to open this publication in pdf.
|
Durban Strikes 1973
This was the shout of the striking workers of 1973. Their shout broke a ten,-year silence and the bosses and the government trembled.
In the early 1960s there was very little organisation amongst black workers. Then in 1973, in just three months, there were more than 160 strikes in Durban. More than 60000 workers from, 146 different factories took part in these strikes.
The Durban strikes were a new beginning for the workers of the country. After the strikes the message spread like wildfire. Workers all over the country began to organise and to build strong unions. Today thousands of workers are union members. This book tells the story of the Durban strikes. It looks at what happened during the strikes and how these strikes gave birth to the strong union movement we have today.
Click here to open this publication in pdf.
|
Garment Workers Unite
Black people suffered the most as capitalism spread in South Africa. Most whites
benefited from capitalism. Whites owned the mining companies; they owned and
managed the big farms; they also owned factories. White workers on the mines used the colour bar to earn ten times as black workers. But not all whites were as fortunate. Some whites were poor. They lost their land
when they were kicked off by richer farmers.
They went to the towns where they lived in great poverty, just like many blacks. Most of these poor whites were Afrikaners. Poor Afrikaners had no education and no industrial skills, so they found it hard to get jobs. They could only do unskilled work, but the bosses gave unskilled work to blacks because they could pay them less.
Click here to open this publication in pdf.
|
The 1992 White Mineworkers’ Strike
In 1922 the white workers on the gold mines went on strike because the mine bosses wanted to re- trench many of them. After two months the bosses still refused to negotiate so the mineworkers called for a strike of all white workers. They wanted to overthrow the government, which supported the bosses.
Click here to open this publication in pdf.
|
The I.C.U. Book
Black people live and work very poor conditions in South Africa. They have always protested and resisted this. But at the beginning of this century, these protests were limited to "a few groups of workers at anyone time. There was no organisation for black workers.
Then, soon after the First World War ended, a new movement appeared. It spread through the land like a veld fire. The people began to talk of their liberation, their new leaders and their organisation – the Industrial and Commercial Union (the I.C.U.).
Click here to open this publication in pdf.
|
