Act to support South African strikers. By Jim Farnhan

Scan page 5

Socialist Organiser calls veyca I0 WOIKCIS In DINaUL, take up the fight in the the books to investigate the THE militant strike movement of the black working class of South Africa is reaching new heights as workers take forward the struggle for their needs against the profit-hungry bosses. and their vicious apartheid state.

October saw an unprecedented monthly figure for workers on strike-at least 20,000 according to newspaper reports, with probably thousands more involved in untennited atrike action The main demands of the workers have been for improvements in the starvation wages, against victimis ation by bosses, against a new law that threatens the already inadequate pension. scheme system, and for union recognition. • Thousands of -strikers : 33 have been sacked, with hundreds more arrested. Mass meetings have been banned. Many strikers have been evicted from their accommodation. But this brutal repression has a not broken the militancy and fighting determination of the workers' movement.

•Effective ‚The workers' movement of South Africa needs the maximum supporting action from the labour movement in Britain. In particular, workers on strike at British subsidiaries can be given effective support of their class brothers and sisters in Britain.

Two such strikes have developed in the current wave of action-and the workers involved urgently need effective: solidarity action from our labour movement. At Johnson Tiles (Whose British parent company is Norcros), about 300 strikers were sacked after demanding union recognition, re-instatement of a dismissed shop steward, and the dismissal of a superVisor.

Appealed At Telephone Manufac turers (controlled by GEC and Plessey), 1600 were fired after striking in solidarity with three victimised workers. The strikers were attacked by police when. they gathered at the plant, and at least nine were arres ted and charged.

MAWU (Metal and Alliod, the union at the TM plant, has app ted to: the Intemationa Metal Federation of wrions for support in the workers' struggle for unconditional re-instatement. BCAWU (Building, Construction and Allied), the union involved at Johnsons, has appealed directly to the TUC.

Reports suggest that TUC officials have met Norcros bosses to discuss the case. But the strikes of workers in South Africa will never be given the support and strength they need through discussions between TUC bureaucrats and bosses. It is only action by workers in Britain-through appropriate blacking and suppertive strikes-that can add a real strength to strikers inside South Africa.

Allies

The strike at WiisonRowntree (subsidiary of Rowntree Mackintosh)

illustrates this.

It continges todad, without any move being made by the TUC bureaucracy to give British workets any information-let mobilise class action.

When the needs of South African workers are so great, the bureaucracy must not be allowed to stand in the way. The bureaucrats must face an organised pressure from workers, demanding mass meetings with union officials being forced to give information on the requests received from South African unions, and to take steps to mobilise the strength of the unions in cunnortive action.

on workers and militants to -4. 6.44 Strikers reed urgent support labour movement for a programme of class solidarity action in support of our class allies in South Africa. The outlines of such a programme are contained in the resolution sent to the recent Anti-Apartheid Movement AGM by Oxford Trades Council: The resolution called for:

1) The building of direct workplace-to-workplace links so that the needs and demands of South African workers can be directly con2) For workers to open ACTION