With industrial action by black workers continuing to increase and with growing unemployment as a result of deepening economic recession, the apartheid regime has intensified its actions against workers and labour organisations.
Actions by the regime since the middle of 1982 have included direct police intervention on a large scale in strikes and the promise of new legislation which will strengthen employers in relation to workers.
Figures released by the Department of Manpower Utilization in early August showed that the number of workers going on strike during the first six months of 1982 (51,000) rose sharply compared with the first six months of the previous year (30,000). This increase continues a trend beginning since at least 1978, if not before, as noted in FOCUS 41 p.11.
The figures for the second half of 1982 could well be higher, as tens of thousands of black workers took industrial action in July alone -- over 10,000 in the Eastern Cape motor industry and nearly 30,000 in the mining industry (RDM 8.7.82; FT 17.7.82).
Pay increases were the principal issue in these two disputes, but issues of trade union organisation and negotiating procedures were also involved. The question of trade union recognition was the focus of another major dispute, which after 11 months culminated in action by about 1,000 dock-workers in Port Elizabeth at the end of August (FM 16.7.82, 13.8.82; S. Exp 1.8.82).
Against this background the Minister of Manpower Utilization promised the introduction of new legislation to 'streamline the machinery for settling labour disputes', and shortly afterwards called on employers to resist what he called 'militants' (S 13.8.82; RDM 2.9.82).
The kinds of support which the apartheid regime gives employers were sharply illustrated during the disputes referred to above and during others.
- On the day that the Minister was urging employers in Port Elizabeth to resist 'militants', Railway Police in camouflage uniform went into the Port Elizabeth docks and put hundreds of dockers onto buses after they had been sacked, and took them to townships outside the city. The dismissed workers (variously reported as being between 400 and 900) were ordered to vacate the hostels they lived in and which were owned by their employers, South African Transport Services (SATS). It was reported that the men, mainly migrant workers from the Transkei and Ciskei bantustans, were to be sent back to the bantustans (RDM 3/4.9. 82; New York Times 4.9.82).
The workers who were treated in this way were amongst 1,000 SATS dockers who had started a go-slow two days previously. They were protesting against the refusal of SATS to recognise the unregistered non-racial General Workers Union. The GWU had been trying unsuccessfully for 11 months to talk to SATS about recognition (RDM 31.8.82).
- During June police attacked workers on strike at Richards Bay in Natal. About 1,700 workers at the Alusaf plant refused to participate in a pension scheme about which they had never been consulted. When 1,000 workers gathered at the plant during the dispute to hear if any progress was being made with their demands, they were confronted by police. After being given an ultimatum by the employers to return to work within five minutes, they were charged by police with dogs, teargas and batons. Eight workers were taken to hospital (Workers Unity August 1982).
During the same dispute, use was made of the new Intimidation Act. The trial of two workers involved in the dispute is reported in this issue (see POLITICAL TRIALS).
- Over 20,000 black mineworkers went on strike at the beginning of July. The wave of unrest, the biggest since the big mine-workers strike of 1946, began shortly after black miners were told of the low pay increase they were being given. The fact that white miners had already been given a bigger increase added to the miners' anger (RDM 8.7.82).
Several gold, platinum and coal mines were affected by the unrest for over a week. By the end, 10 black miners had died. The cause of all the deaths is not clear, but at least some of the miners were shot dead by police (RDM 3.7.82; FM 9.7.82; SASPU National August 1982).
On several occasions police and mine security officials attacked miners with guns, teargas and batons. Heavily armed police entered mine compounds, large numbers of workers were put on buses and sent to the bantustans from which they had been recruited (over 1,300 in the first two days, and at least another 2,000 a few days later) (RDM 3/8.7.82).
