Trade Union sanctions now!
NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY! IN June this year a State of Emergency was imposed by Botha's racist state in an attempt to crush the rising wave of resistance from the black South African workers. That same month at the NUM conference in Britain Cyril Ramaphosa - the miners' leader in South Africa - demanded that the British trade unions start imposing sanctions themselves on the apartheid state.
Lambeth and Birmingham Trades Councils took that call seriously and organised a successful lobby of the TUC General Council in July. A bigger lobby of Congress itself was held in Brighton in September.
Lambeth Trades Council took the lead in organising the campaign which has drawn support from a number of trades councils, union branches and Labour Party branches.
Engineers, bus and railworkers, hospital and local government workers have shown their support on these lobbies. The campaign organised one of the best attended fringe meetings of the week at Brighton, where David Kitson spoke in support of the campaign.
The responsibility of the labour movement is immense. Since Ramaphosa's call to action (repated by Oliver Tambo) the Commonwealth conference came and went and the meeting of EEC ministers broke up with Thatcher and Chancellor Kohl successfully vetoing meaningful sanctions against South Africa. The TUC let all this pass in silence. Congress resolutions last month gave the green light for some action, yet nothing has been done. We aim to put that right.
The task of the next weeks and months is to translate our aims into action, widespread political support turned into practical boycotting action in the workplace; a boycott of goods and services to and
YOU'RE ALL UNDER ARREST!' from South Africa and a boycott of goods and services of companies with links and investments in South Africa.
We exist in order to develop local action such as that achieved by the Dunnes workers in Dublin or the Portsmouth hospital workers. Labour Party members were active in getting the local council in Bristol to take action.
We aim to push the TUC beyond adverts in papers and into encouraging direct action in the workplace. We seek to work with all forces, especially those in the AAM and the Labour Party who are prepared to work for these aims. Individual action by consumers is not enough. Collective action in the workplace is long overdue.
To organise the next stage in the campaign the sponsors of the TUC lobby, including the Lambeth Joint Shop Stewards Committee and the City of London AAM, have called a conference in December. Its purpose will be to launch a National Campaign for labour movement sanctions. We urge you, your Labour Party, your union to be represented there. Get involved. Heed the call of the South African masses now!
Conference for Trade
Union Sanctions against
South Africa
Saturday December 13 11am-6pm For further information please ring Bronwen Handyside, 01-274-7722 x2010 Socialist Viewpoint No. 14 November-December 1986 p16