CONDITIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Grey River Argus, 20 November 1946, Page 2

CONDITIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA

- — - Letter from the General Secretary of the World Federation of Trades Unions to Field Marshal J. C. Smuts, Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa.

Sir.—We have carefully examined the position of the African mineworkers on the basis of information received from the trade union organisations of your>■ country. We therefore draw the following facts to your attention.

(1). More than 90 per cent of .the native workers engaged on the gold mines in South Africa are indentured labourers compelled to live away from thei? families and land-holdings and are housed in compounds under conditions which cannot by any stretch of irpagination be considered as satisfactory.

(2) The cash wages of African miners are about 2s 2d per shift wh : ch is about one-tenth of that p’aid to European miners. (3) For the last 50 years the wages of African workers in the mines have remained stationary, and no inci'eases have been granted to them in spite of the very considerable rise in the cost of living. (4) Under the. “maximum average wage system” individual mines are prohibited from exceeding the average wage per shift per worker' of 2s 3d to 3s 4d. G 5). African male workers are entirely excluded from the Industrial Conciliation Act and hence have no right to bargain collectively with their employers, nor have they any other channel through which to ventilate their grievances. (6). On the other hand, it is common knowledge that the Mining Industry in South Africa has experienced very great prosperity in recent years' and is entering upon a sphere of greater expansion. We are further informed that the representations of the African trade unions to the Chamber of Mines have been completely ignored.

Undei’ the circumstances we understand why the African workers resorted to strike action to make good their claims. Yet when they chose this course we learn from reports that a number of Africans were killed, many injured and a large' number imprisoned, including the President of their Union.

The W.F.TU. and the whole civilised world cannot possibly remain indifferent to such events and we feel in duty bound to approach you on the subject We consider* it most unjust that African workers should any longer be deprived of these elementary rights. Every worker irrespective of race, colour or creed should have the full right to join a trade, union and to unite with his fellow workers for mutual protection. Unless workers are provided with facilities to bargain collectively with their employers what other remedy is, open to them to obtain redress' for grievances but stoppages of work? ■ You, Sir, have on several occasions expressed yourself in favour of the Atlantic Charter, and the uplifting of the standards of low paid workers. In these circumstances' may we express the hope that your Government will abandon its policy of repression and turn towards solutions compatible with a policy of social progress for the hundreds of thousands of African workers', a policy which is bound to benefit the whole of South Africa. —lnformation Bulletin. World Federation of Trade Unions. ’Louis Saillant, General Secretary,