Document 47 - “Answer to Government’s Apartheid Unions”, The Citizen. 1 3, 30 April 1956

From: South Africa's Radical Tradition, a documentary history, Volume Two 1943 - 1964, by Allison Drew

Document 47 - "Answer to Government's Apartheid Unions", The Citizen. 1 3, 30 April 1956

"THE LABOUR MOVEMENT MUST FIGHT ALL ATTEMPTS ON THE PART OF THE GOVERNMENT TO CONTROL THE FREE ASSOCIATION OF WORKERS INTRADE UNION ORGANISATIONS. IT IS THE UNCHALLENGEABLE RIGHT OF WORKERS TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD AND THEIR ORGANISED STRENGTH FELT IN BOTH THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL FIELDS" SAID MR. JOHN GOMAS WHEN INTERVIEWED BY OUR REPORTER ON THE INDUSTRIAL CONCILIATION BILL.

Mr. Gomas, well known over the last 30 years as a militant trade unionist, rejected the whole idea of "racial" kraaling of workers. "Racialism had greatly weakened the workers' struggle. Separate "racial" trade unions, as provided under the I.C. Bill, will cripple the labour movement he said.

"My attitude is simple. If the Government refuses to register non-racial unions, the labour movement must organise the workers in unrecognised, unregistered trade unions, or in other forms of worker association.

'The Government is dominated by the bosses, especially the Chamber of Mines bosses. It is wrong to think that a state, which entirely overlooks the interests of the majority of workers, should be permitted to decide whether a workers' organisation is to be registered or not, or even arbitrate between employer and employee.

"Registration of trade unions, and Government arbitration, are the means by which the Government has attempted to paralyse the labour movement and whereby it has bribed off a section of the more privileged workers, especially the so-called white 'aristocrats' of labour.

"The strength of the worker lies in his unity and discipline, in non-racial, democratic worker organisations. It does not lie in Government registration, recognition, or arbitration. Their organised strength should be the workers' final court of appeal in the struggle between worker and employer, worker and apartheid industrial legislation and even between workers and the bribed, reactionary and privileged unions begging apartheid protection.

I have associated with the trade union movement since 1919 and during that year, both the Tailors' Union in Kimberley and the I.C.U. in Cape Town - both unregistered, without industrial legislation or arbitration - organised and successfully fought for higher wages. The wages of I.C.U. worker were doubled from 4/- to 8/- per day.

It is widely known that most of the recent wave of strikes in England are not it 'unofficial' strikes.

Those who cling so dearly to 'official recognition' must never forget that most South African workers, so-called 'Africans', are not even recognised as employees and are therefore registered when organised into trade unions.

“ It is organised unity of the whole of the workers and not registration which will strengthen the labour movement.

“ Had the workers of South Africa been organised and united in non-racial trade unions, they would easily have dealt with such legislation as the I.C. Bill. And more than the face of a united labour movement, the apartheid system as a whole could hardly survive", said Mr. Gomas.