NACTU leader hails unity forged in general strike
1988 1988-08Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 11 →
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SOCIALIST ACTION AUGUST 1988 11 The following are excerpts from an interview with a member of the executive committee of the National Council of Trade Unions (NACTU) of South Africa. It is reprinted from the June 1988 Frenchlanguage socialist monthly Tribune Internationale.
Question: The three-day general strike in early June was the first time that the two labor federations of South Africa, the National Council of Trade Unions (NACTU) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), jointly issued a call to strike. Could you tell us how this came about?
Answer: We consider that this protest action was historical and that it demonstrated the need for united action—i.e., for the unity of the working class to show its potential power. I should note that we had always dreamed of the day when we could achieve unity in action among all tradeunion federations. But, above all, we think The COSATU took the decision to call the three-day "stay away" protest before NACTU had reached a similar decision. Nonetheless, NACTU considered that it was important to consult COSATU to see if it was possible to issue a joint call to unite the entire working class in this protest.
NACTU wrote a letter to all organizations—and to COSATU in particular—to invite them to sit down at the table and discuss calling a joint action. Fortunately, COSATU agreed to this meeting. The meeting was held, all the problems were discussed, and we reached the conclusion that on this particular action COSATU and NACTU could march organizations is still in place, there is no basis for meeting or negotiating with government ministers. Worker Power MAY DAY
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that the workers in our country should be united under one single banner.