Black unions fight apartheid

Scan page 6

struggles with companies like tion, calling the police in, national workforce BL. Workers here and black abusing them, playing off another. which are fighting bitter refusing them union recogni- another, they also mean the oppression of such organisation. On it that racism does not only unions are the first stage of workers in South Africa face coloured against Africans, But workers too can attack against all workers. It a political movement capable blacks; it also means an black workers hope to build unite across national bound- is the mark of an uncivilized of overthrowing the entire Multi-nationals like BL aries: supporting each and brutal society. The best apartheid state: its pass like to treat workers here in operate all over the world other's trade union and poli- hope of defeating it lies in laws, and its "special areas" treat South African workers: 'colour' of workers against They not only try to set one tical struggles. the organisation of workers. for blacks, its gaols, its In South Africa, trade policemen. eid is a terrible kind of cism institutionalised in • South African state.

The black majority do i have the vote, often do * have the right to join • trade unions of their pice, do not have the right , Live where they wish, do i have the right to equal ucation, and so on. At the ine time, the economic intent of apartheid is a sysin of brutal exploitation of our, thanks to which a multi-national compani and their white servants ! mercenaries get rich, file the mass of the blacks impoverished.

Blacks have never taken pir oppression and exploiion lying down. In partilar there has been a long i heroic history of black irkers fighting back.

Suppressed In 1920, 80,000 black neworkers went on strike; the 1930s Trotskyists re active union organisers ong poor white as well as ck workers, in 1946 a se African mineworkers' ike was again suppressed, 1960. a general strike spt the country; in 1973 ; kids of Soweto tempora-: I outstaged the workers. Today, many black wors have once again built for. themselves powerful trade unions. At Fords, BL, GEC, General Motors, Smith & Nephew, Volkswagen, Associated Engineering and many other of the brand names famous here, black workers have organised themselves, fought for union recognition, improved wages and conditions, the right to negotiate. They have gone on one strike after another - all illegal - and they have often won.

The foundation of apartheid is the exploitation of black labour. If black trade unions can continue to build as they have done - despite police attacks, spies, arrests, murders and deportation -they will rock the foundation of apartheid. Already, thanks to their strength on the factory floor, they have compelied the state to make timid concessions to their right to exist.

They now organise over 200,000 black workers. They have come together in national federations, the biggest of which is FOSATU (Federation of South African Trade Unions) with about 100,000 members. They are having a number of "unity meetings" among themselves to sort out differences of policy among them.

One of the most important tasks for us is to show solidarity with these unions, the same enemy.

BL management would 'race' against race'.

set one against What apartheid. shows is By Bob

Scan page 7

• a totalitarian police state TiE next major event for you all to put in your diaries is May 14. The Colin Roach Family Suppor Committee is organising a demonstration and rally for an independent public inquiry into the death of Colir Roach at Stoke Newington police station in January.

Since Colin died, there have been almost 10C arrests of people campaigning for the independeni public inquiry. Every march has been harassed, pro voked and harried by the local police - but suppor ters of the campaign have not retaliated to this polic There has been state harassment of the campaigr too. At the moment a legal battle is raging abou whether the inquest on Colin should be held in St Pancras, as the coroner wants, or in Hackney Towr Hall, a much bigger place, and where the Roact family and the campaign and Hackney Council wan Home Secretary William Whitelaw has refused public inquiry saying that an inquest will serve th same purpose, but they want it to be held in such Small room that it will practically be held in private If it was held in St. Pancras, not only would very fer people be able to attend, but it is also well away fron The campaign needs support and we must fight ti make May 14 a challenge that Whitelaw and th The Roach Family Support Committee can b contacted c/o 50 Rectory Road, London N16: Th Stoke Newington and Hackney Defence Campaig can be contacted c/o Oxford House, Derbyshire St Black trade unionists Hall, London SE 1 N16. WORKERS ACTION The Tories are pushing a which will drastically increa EDMANDS outlines what tr A FEW days ago I happened to turn my radio on 'which was tuned to a local station and caught the following snatch of an interview with the editor of our local daily Tory rag (Coventry Evening Telegraph).

.. The Bill represents the new nature of Britain, a totalitarian Police state ..." - Now he and the newspaper he manages aren't exactly renowned for their left wing or even liberal views, so 1 was SE DAM: interested to hear more about what-was causing such agitation.

Well, it might have escaped your attention, given the minimal amount of public comment and opposition, but there is a piece of comprehensive legislation going through Parliament at the moment - the Police and Criminal EvidThis is directly aimed at working class people, particularly in its operation at the unemployed, youth and blacks.

•The only widespread criticism of it I've come across have generally been voiced in Parliament and the media. These criticisms have comé from professional AÅ:irr and middle class bodies such as journalists (NUJ)

or doctors (BMA) and the churches.

And these criticisms have been restricted to one small part of the Bill concerning the confidenBill through Parliament ie police powers. BRYAN e Tories are proposing.

cerned about its effect on them!

Hardly a word about the very real, threatening features of this Bill (the main parts) which are going to affect you, me, all of us, everyday, if this becomes law. • These features can be summarised in eight points: 1. Stop and search on the streets. 2. Arrest for minor offences (e.g. litter, parking) if you cannot provide evidence of your name and address. 3. Detention for 4 days in police stations without being charged. 4. No access to solicitors, family, friends for 36 hours. 5. Enforced taking of fingerprints ar id intimate body searche! s (i.e. you cannot refuse to cooperate). 6. Police will be able to set up road blocks in areas for indefinite periods for spurious reasons. 7. Searching of homes, etc., of people not directly suspected of any offence. 8. Seizure of evidence that may relate to any (and not specified) offence during searches.

From this you can see the police are given licence to virtually do anything they want at any time to anyone. It means the legitimation of methods that separate, These features are already part of everyday First, tell as many peopleas you can about working class. about our future. It will help to 77772 .:

Class Fighter, May 1983 Puge 7 provocation.

it to be.

Hackney and Stoke Newington.

police can't ignore.

London E2.

ror an inaependent inquiry into the death of Colin Roach!

Roach Family Support Committee, 50 Rectory Rd, London N16 SOLIDARITY Contact:

Neville Adam Conference: June 115 Neville 4 and 5, County Rd, London

----- pull-quotes -----

records/files. In other words, they are only con-