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SIRS' and Duffy's trip to South Africa has now been cancelled.

My information is that the FOSATU unions belonging to the International Metal Workers' Federation (IMF) had no knowledge of the visit and that no visits to BL or to Smiths Industries had been planned on the trade union side.

Either the white-dominated Boilermakers' Union invited them, or the IMF executive, or they invited themselves.

This makes a mockery of Sirs' and Duffy's statement that they would only go if black unions wanted them.

This being said, we should also be wary of SACTU's condemnation of the visit. Their policy, along with the African National Congress (ANC) and the Anti-Apartheid Movement, is that South Africa should be boycotted, that no direct contacts between independent black unions in South Africa and unions over here should be made, and that unions over here should instead focus their attention on the disinvestment campaign.

However, black unions which actually organise workers in South Africa, like FOSATU, are very keen on forging direct links with British unions at all levels and particularly on visits by British shop stewards and other union officials.

They rightly oppose the strategy of boycott if that means the boycott of black workers in struggle; they are not happy about calls for disinvestment when black workers are struggling to keep their jobs as well as improve their conditions; and most of them do not recognise the right of SACTU (which has little or no union organisation inside the country) - any more than that of the TUC International Committee -to vet who they invite over or to put blocks on their much-needed fight to develop international trade union contacts.

Simply because Sirs' and Duffy's proposed visit had no legitimacy and was based on misleading or false assertions, we should not go along with SACTU's attempt to prevent those visits which independent black unions do want.

Our principle is clear in my view: to support the right of independent, non-racial unions in South Africa to invite whom they will and to do all in our power to build up effective and practical solidarity at all levels of trade union organisation; and to oppose any visits organised by the reactionary, white-dominated unions in South Africa which do not have the support of black unions.

The dividing line between 'yellow' and black unions in South Africa is in general a fairly clear one; in any case we cannot afford to neglect the differences.

At the forthcoming AGM of the Anti-Apartheid Movement in November, we will be supporting a resolution in favour of direct contacts between South African and British trade unions, a policy at present explicitly opposed by AAM. Support is much needed.

BOB FINE, London.