m - DISA

and negotiation techniques. Thara ia also intensive
discussion in tha planning coealttaee at aach 'local'
on probleaa and dlaputee-, and a raport bade westing to
tha antira union every three aonthe by tha shop
stewards council.
Tha union aleo grew rapidly through tha ealectlon
of 'target factorlaa' - uaually tha biggest firsa -
for 1 lntenolva organisation. Through coeaunloation
bataaan workers in tha toanahipa and hoatala other
workers from aaaller factorlaa in tha area ware
attracted to tha union.
Ueyekleo aaid that 'Hero in *adavilla, no
union can challenge UW f . (At National Springe in
Hadevillo, for axaaple, •e-bers of GEA*U left that
union in favour of UAW), Only ahan WttU haa * 60*
wemberehip in a factory doaa it approach aanagaaant
for recognition. Thraa recognition opTaawjents have
bean concluded with aVWJ in tha paat year, with aore
In tha pipeline after the current atrike wave. For
axaaple. at Kroat Brothers In Harriotdale, 1 300
aorlcers cane out on atrlka demanding tha disbanding
of tha liaison cow It tee and its replacement by union
ahop stewards. The liaison coaalttea haa been
disbanded, and tha company la conducting recognition
talks -ith MAVU.
Uayeklao aaid he ama happy with tha outcoao of
the atrugglee in the Vedevllle area, for there hod
been «orw euccaaaee than failures. Oaapite the
fallurae, he aaid, eortcere had learnt to struggle
together.
Xn the recent events on the East Rand ffljnaoaaent
atrategies and the SEIFSA stance repreaant capital'a
attaapt to lnetltutlonellae lnduatrlal conflict and
articulate It in an organised, aalf-ragulatlog wanner.
Tha recant ahop floor atrugglee in the natal industry
are evidence of worfcere 1 determination to resist this
atratagy and thua to aeakan capital *e poeition.
S (torch, 1962)
Labour Action
NATIONAL fTOPPABE
Shortly after tne death In aacurlty pollce4Cuatody
of Hell Aggett waa announced, the union of which he
aas Transvaal aacretary (Food .and Canning Horkare'
Union - aae above) called for a national half-hour
worfc etoppege to mourn hie death. Alaoet
laawdiataly, the Majority of the independent union
groupings supported the call: FOSATU, CJSA, G*U(
CCAWU3A, BWU, Orange-veal GW, 8AAW, aVOUBA.
MM.
The proposed stoppage aas aet for Thursday, 11
February, free) 11h30 to noon. The unions aafcad
eaployers to agree to thla daaonetratlon strike -
end e nuaber of tha largeat aeployer groupe (eg
FCT. KIF8A) rwcoaaended that no action be t*cen
againat thoea workars aha Joined the stoppage.
Only deye before tha propoaad stoppage, police
eelzed 20 000 etoppege aupport etickera froa a
Johannesburg printer - theee had been ordered by tha
7ranavaal Unions 1 Solidarity Cowaittee. Certain
awployere, for axaaple SAPP11 thraetenad workers with
dismissal if they Joined the stoppage,- ahlla TUCSA
ran true to lte long history of acabblng on other
working, class organisations by distancing Itself
from tha stoppage.
Shortly before tha stoppage was due to begin,
it aas announced that the Australian Council of Trade
Uniona (ACTU) had lapoaed a week-long ban on South
African shipping and air travel - thla action aas In
proteat againat the death of Hall Aggett and the
continued detention of trade unlonlets in South
Africa, and followed on a oall for protest aada by
the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
(ICFTU).
The uniona ware Joined in the work stoppage
by other organisations - cowaunity groupe, universities
and Journal leta.
Promptly at 11h30 on 11 February» tana of
thouaanda of workers downed tools. Estleatee of tha
numbers of aorlcers involved in the stoppage ranged
froa a aanagaaant figure of 30 000 to a union figure
of 100 000. Host co—mtatora "ave euggested
that the higher figura is the aora accurst*.
Tha Joint action by so aany uniona aas an
indication of their growing unity on aoaa issues.
Thla waa reflected in the apeach given by the
GK'e David Lewie at tha union-organised funeral for
Neil Aggettt
Hell's death le a great price to pey for the
unity of the trade union aovpeent. la auat take
the axaaple ahowad on Thursday ahan they stopped
work and the exaapIs of thla funeral and eg
aust start uniting tha trade union aoveaant,
said Laaia.
ihile the work stoppage waa ignored by 6AflC~TV,
other saw it as vary significant. Nunerlcally very
largo, It involved aa aany workers ae want on etrlke
during the whole of 1973 - e year in which the Incidents
of strike* was the highest of the 1970s. Equally
ae laportant, it was an explicitly political atrlka.
thlla there have bean aany political etrikea before
in South Africa - the stay aaay caapalgna of 1976
for axaaple - thle wortc stoppage involved workera
taking action on tha factory floor rather than in
the townships. Soae critiques of tha stay aaay
tactic have suggested that atay aweys eeperete workers
froa their aost laportant place of power - the factory
floor. In tare* of the nuaber of workers involved,
tha unity shown by trade unions, and the neture of
tha laeue, the half-hour wot* etoppege of 11
FEbruary can be seen as an laportant indicator of
poasible future trends.
*
TFUKSVAAl
A^on^a ^V^eear (Doomfontaln); Mora than WO workera
staged a brier wortc etoppege on 2 March. They ware
protesting about the dlaaisaal of a ahop Stewart who
put forward thwir wage deaands to aanagaaant. They
raturned to work after they ware proaleed a R2t0Q
lncraaae on their weekly wagesv and the reinatataaant
of the shop steward.
Afrox Gas Equipment (Gemlaton): About 300 worker* at
Afro* downed toola on 6 March. The atrlka aas In
support of an increase to 1*8,30 per hour. Host of
the workers at Afro* do not belong to any unicn,
although aoaa are "wntoere of tha Steel and Allied
aortcars Union (KAffU). Four negotiators ware appointed
by tha work are to talk to amnagaaant on their behalf.
No further news.
Allied Publishing (Johannesburg)i (Background on the
company Is Qlvn In w|Pl?: 1-3; atrlka action at this
company is covered in aiP16 and «P17i46; CCAtUSA
objections to the uaw of child labour in the distribution
of newapapara is covered in 1TP1?I4?)
In March, 1961, CCAVUBA already expressed slam
at Allied** advertlseaente requesting Johannesburg's
northern suburbs children to deliver their newspapers
(see «PV7:47). In February this year talks began i
batween (XAwUBA ehot> atawerds and Allied. The
Ccwewrclal, Catering and Allied aorkare' Union'e
concern la that the greater uee of child eellere will
cost workera their Jobs, aanagaaant is responding
by saying that workers whose Jobs are thraatanad or
aado rwdundant will be re eaployed elsewhere in the
coapeny. and ia assuming that there will be no aaas
firing (PW, J7.02.WJ.
No further news.
Aluaco awtal IndustMea (aedevllle)f 40 workers ware
fired when they struck on 6 Kerch, 1902. They vera
daaandlng e rer«l**r*-hour increase. ttanegewent aaid
that they had bean Replaced (Star, 12.03.62).
Autowatlc Plating (laando): A one day atrlka,
involving 150 workers occurred et Autowatlc Plating
- a coapany in the Oorbyl Group. Uanagawent and tha
Hvtal and Allied Venters Union (FOGATU-affiliated UAwu)
had talks over aage* but the deaands ware not aet
(Star, 13.03.62).
Baldwins Steel (Brakpan): 13 driver* eant on atrike
at thla flra, daaandlng a wage lncraaae. They wmr%
diacontantad with the eystea whereby thay were paid
a ainlaua wage aa wall aa an incentive bonue. They
agreed to call off the atrlka the following day, after
talks with aanagaaant. flhen thay failed to return
to work aanagaaant inforaed than that thay had
'dlealssed theaeelvwa 1 and atartad hiring rmm '
drivers (Star, 12.02.62).
Chubb Lock and Safe Coapany (eedevUle)! 2*0 aorkere
at this flra downed toola in support of a R2,00 an
hour ainlaua wage. The etrlke laatad for two dsya,
sfter ehic* aanagaaant sacked tha striking workers
(Star, 06.03.62).
Clifford Harris (Veresnlging)i For previous strike
action wmm MP19zS3-g.
A two day atrike occurred at the coapany.
'700 aorkere aupportad It. Tha aorkara returned to ais*
on 9 etarch, after aanagaaant had agraad to eaet aoaa
of their deaands, except thoea Involving wegae.
The aortcere had daaendad that thay be peld at
Wh30 Inetaad of Kh30 on Fridays, In order to be able
*r"