Job reservation in South Africa

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32568, 30 March 1971, Page 16

Job reservation in South Africa

Sir,—While I, like many Other loyal trade unionists, support Mr W. J. Knox, secretary of the Federation of Labour, regarding apartheid throughout the world, as reported in “The Press” in his address to the conference of the New Zealand Race Relations Council, I sincerely trust that the Federation of Labour delegates to the International Labour Organisation and the Internationa! Confederation of Free Trade Unions will challenge in the strongest possible manner the accusations of Mr G. Beetge, general secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers of South Africa, who intends direct action opposing the introduction of Bantu Africans by the South African Minister of Labour (Mr Marais Viljoen) to the building industry in Transvaal on an equal footing with whites, as reported in "The Press” the same day. I would remind him that, by organising every union, conditions of life for all can only be improved and likewise relations between workmen and workmen.—Yours, etc., JOHN A. H. KRAMMER. Motueka, February 23, 1971. [Mr W. J. Knox, secretary of the Federation of Labour, was invited to comment on this letter. No reply has been received.]