Aug-Sept 2014 K.indd

53

www.cosatu.org.za • AUG/SEPT 2014

uneasy against the dominance of the Communists and he expelled its members from the ICWU to distance it from politics. This led to its demise by 1930, it totally collapsed. In 1927, the ANC elects Josiah T. Gumede as its president, he visits Russia and came back a changed man. With his new belief that the Communists could make a contribution in the struggle against injustice and wanted the ANC to cooperate with them, fi ght the racist policies. He was voted out in 1930, replaced by conservative leadership . White women who had joined the workforce mainly during the WW1 (when men were away fi ghting) were busy organizing across colour-lines mainly in textile and manufacturing sector. This resulted in the formation of the Garment Workers’ Union in 1924, with “non-racist, non-sexist principles”. But practically still it represented white, Indian and Coloured women. Five African trade unions representing more than 10 000 workers had come together in 1929 to form the SA Federation of Non-European Trade Unions (SAFNEU). They managed to attract fi ve more new trade unions to af fi liate. This Federation immediately called “for a 48-hour week, and equal pay for equal work”. This is the same year that the Great Depression hit poor whites in particular African farmers, resulting in the poor Afrikaner problem and a push for “Afrikaner nationalism”. More Africans are pushed off the land and stream into urban areas looking for work. The 1930 Depression was a world-wide phenomenon, a Capitalist crisis of untold proportions that affected all nations of the world. 1930 sees the formation of a non-racial union, The SA Trades and Labour Council (SALTC) to represent organized labour, all trade unions including unrecognized African trade unions could af fi liate even though they didn’t receive much support. From 1935, follows a period of activism started with ANC’s All Africa Convention in the same year (1935) that

collapsed in the late 1920s. That is when some Socialists organizations had started organizing and recruiting black African workers. The International Socialist League together with socialist minded white miners from Britain formed the Communist Party of SA in 1921 (CPSA), which became the fi rst non-racial political organisation in SA. Some 70 000 black African miners broke out in strike in the Witwatersrand, but police managed to force them back to work in 1920. 4. THE 1922 WHITE MINERS’ STRIKE This strike was the most organized strike by the white miners, popularly known as the “Rand Revolt” in 1922. It was under the slogan “Fight and Unite for a White South Africa”. This was unfortunate as the more than 25 000 white miners were demanding an end to wage cuts for whites, complaining that black workers undercut their wages. Soldiers and the army were brought in, even deploying army helicopters that violently crushed the strike. This resulted in deaths and deportations of most of the leaders of the strike back to Europe. Soon after this strike white miners used their advantage of franchise to gain more labour rights. White workers joined with the Smuts-Nationalist government and more “harsh and racist” policies came about. The result was the so-called “Civilised Labour Policy” from 1923 which culminated in the fi rst real Industrial Conciliation Act in 1924 . But this law expressly excluded African men (there were very few black women workers by then). This Act gave “trade union rights” to only whites, Indian and Coloured workers, but denied any rights to farm-workers. It further introduced Industrial Councils (ICs), where these recognized that only white, Indian and Coloured workers could negotiate wages and working conditions. In the meantime, ICWU was busy organizing workers of all colours in Natal, Eastern Cape, and the Transvaal (1925). But the leader Clemens Kadalie became

The Pass laws restricted Africans from leaving their jobs or even striking. White workers were treated differently by both the bosses and white government. In 1907, they embarked on a strike to protest black and Chinese workers getting skilled jobs at lower wages than white workers (when bosses realized they could rely on their cheap labour). Again, in 1913 white miners went on strike in which twenty white miners were reportedly shot dead by police. When black workers tried to strike they were locked in compounds. In 1914 about 9000 African miners went on strike over low wages and poor working conditions, which was repeated in 1918 and 1919. There was another strike by Johannesburg “night soil” bucket workers in 1918. In passing it must be mentioned that 1918 (July 18) was the year Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela was born in Mvezo (Transkei), but attended his primary school in Qunu. This is where his teacher (Miss Mdingane) gave him the name Nelson as a “Christian name”. The following year in the Orange Free State, an US educated Social worker and political activist Charlotte Maxeke (nëe Manye) led a protest against passes for women in 1919. She later became the fi rst president of the Bantu Womens’ League founded in 1931 (the predecessor of ANC Womens’ League). The ANC in Transvaal led a campaign against Passes in 1919 and supported militant strike by African mineworkers. Though it must be pointed out that some leaders of the ANC were uncomfortable with militant protests and strikes as they preferred persuasion, deputations and appealing to the Queen in Britain. This was despite having been ignored both in 1914 and 1919. Meanwhile the fi rst general African national trade union, The Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICWU ) was formed by a Malawian immigrant, Clemens Kadalie. This union led its very fi rst strike action in the Cape Town docks. Its popularity was however, shortlived as it

Education