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CUSA slams detentions

CUSA STRONGLY c o i t o M l tmis bo^ i 4ei« tta* of v m i l kry fifmm wW ^ e s r * « d ^ die lw#-iey ets yswey k» tW Tnum saLAmong Xfaae -VrMml vac CUSAV

f-assru’i prau^kxtL, Chns Diamini n d Ok 7m *rm . orgmmcr of the Metai cdc A llied TFarken' Union, Moacs Mxtcbbc.

The lxu» *p *» o f < a me • few dart aiter the iiayrwa y called by tbe Tranrvaai Siayawty Comcunr .

the man riiswmsa’ of 6 300 ken at Saaol They were nwneduM- ety paid off aod mo: Lad boene.

However, the labour mo^cmau m km prepared to ndr wnk the bkrwt any tocigcr It has came oct fighnng and.• appealed for suppor. fro® Ihc imeraauooa! trade muon

CUSAmem HTjrwcfcaif N after the latestdetentions, aod declared iu troooo- dmonaJ tapper (or ~al' muon aod awooms wt»o were presently under Stax* attack ".

It aiao deaenbed the desesuom as “nothing kaa than a a soernpi to euGc the asp ira tio n s of all freedom-kmDg peopk in South Africa".

Focatu's office* in Gemuctoc wert aho *mder*-»rfew dayi after . the lu x ti tr . cay* wav CUSA Mid thu was “a t artac l on intrm*- uooai labour practice regarding the tnvioiabiiiTy of trade union pre- ni»es"

Police aho landed the offices of the United Democratic From a few days after tht aayaway Several UDF aflOliaia wen m the Core* front of lbejoayaway.

These included Coaas. Fedaaw. the RekaK Minrtr'u Gomgaoce, the Soweto Youth Congress and Pretoria. Sowetc Vaal. Easi Rand jod Akaaodfs O ne As»ocienons.

fiu; tbe m ar severe form of reprtaatoc aftes the stayaway was

oi aQ 5«km products. and • a d a o w a i further acnoe.

Tbe itiuoc groupings involved in the trade uzuon oary tabu also have a meeting scftcduicd lor later urn month. Of theae groupings CIJSA. Foaam and Ccawuaa took par. a the nay*way.

The nayaway wiL there*orr po <kxit> he high oo the ageooa

Foaatu has already cadkxi on then affiliates aad ma.ioa i—wi—Tv to regard lha fcar*» O tt-t t — as a Black Christmas and not to buy axmhing ochrr than caamaaia-dnr mg th* penod

The p*riiapai»oe at unaoca tc the urary talks m u a Black CSsnsi- mas w\L probably be drwrmanri as 'Well as thr parucpatson of other unions who w ot wvofvod m tbe nayaway.

Tbeae mduOe the SA Alised Workers’ 'Jn*o:_ the General and Allied Workers’ Union, the Municipal and General Worken Union and tbe United Mmmj and

. Meta! Workers’ Utuon of Sooth Africa.

Another victory for the workers!THE SIMBA BOYCOT1 e«d«i is a rictory for Ihr workers —the oompaar Staaha Qaix agreed to rvimatate morr ffeaa 400 workers fired at its piaat ta laaado after a aatioowtde horcott of Slmba prod acts w*s iam»:hed.

The boycon v u launched to put -pressure oc Simba to re-employ the workers fired m SepteroOcr after they tfowwc tools m support of three other fnrd worken

The wortei/Sinjbe confronta­tion starred wtsen Simba fired two workers for refusing to work double time and another for throwing a potato into a container

Simba even refused to negoiiate with tbe worken' representative, the Sweet. Food and Allied Wor­kers' Union, claiming that it was then nghi to hire and fire worken.

It was ther mat 464 worken downed toots, a consumer boycott was called and committees set up throughout the country to co­ordinate support for the Simba

wcrkenCUSA also .ae* <->« m fi£ sup­

port o» the boyccU “W* »fi da tur^rd a’ mar? w t*cu of tb** manafemcm a>cx*on a< Simba Quix/"~t saic w a mcskAgr of sup­p e r tc SFAWL .

‘ Wc there: ore piedgr unrjqu)^> calh our support to t K worken 10 demand theu job* b - r t

“CUSA's afTihaiea Mvd tne Food Beverage Workers' Unsoo m par­ticular confirm tha: we wvL sup­port the straggle and uar whatever mr- ,% possible to assu; to resolve tha injusucrs ”

Several potmcal. church and nudent organisaiions also came out in support of the Simba boy­cott — a degree of unity only sur­passed by the two-day stay-awav this month.

The result of tbe boycott was an agree men: that:• tbe fired worker* will be rein­stated on January 1 and• tbe worten will receive finan­cial rebel until then.

Uwity fa

CUSA general secretary detained

An attack on the labour movementCUSA UNANIMOUSI Y cam/: w it rtroD^ly in suppo rt of iu detained genera! necrettry . Phiroshaw C am ay, a t it* coalepeace ic johannesbm -g on Novcrobe- t8.

It cntifumr'? fca q ^ iu a t- mcr: m gta>rr» ^^crrtxn tot Ibc nexr rwo

The ccnfercnct tjanrrt^ ' his dc tm uxi, and caJcc tot hu rekaae mj well s> olother derainecs.

Phiroshaw is c u rre rt’y bemg hcid uncer Secooc 29 of the Internal Sccunry \ clr ^

jrk p :d rc up at horne cy .rv paacc ceKovcrrioa .4 *

H a £*>~3r n u sctrche-- and he wa> titer lasxc ujCUS \ - o fiias i t l-jhamyr burg The oflicci were exter.si /e!v aearcbec sad severs! document* we-’ reroovtrl

CUSA released a v*sz- raeTit tznmeoiaceh after ob detention. “ CUSA oun- deirrr, his detention and that of other union leaden m £he strongest tertrs,” it said

“ Tae action taker, against unioc leaders a a direc attack on tne wboie laboiir movcmenL V c demand ihxi all those detained should be released immediately.

‘T c *r* cocvmccd ZLM detamed unionists arc beir-g bcid for ibeii lejgumag

acrvjars ”

• C.USA aptxnatrd Mar- .osro’v* 'ikoaana a? j r r r r i . t f j r r t i r y » t e FhirosLa* u ui aetenucs_ jkmes Mrjlaweia ■Vi.*'* .sis^uzo wrtz elected der.f and vicc-pretK isar rrspcrrively

I>eiesjidc-» ar ^ie ctbct- r e r c t also r e a f f s r a e f CUSA’i policy c f worxer coctrvl and reaf^rmed 3 support for and par^npaocc in the ru rrm t union talas

‘T be ie 14 a desperate rscsd fox the uairy of the worfc=^ maises,” said CUSA ins *>- temen; after the cowerrsar •*T!Ce i r e eco nom ica l? exploited, socially d a c r^ .- aatcd against and m isar.y oppressed ”

IZWILETHU NOVEMBER 1984 PAGE

What the law has to E say about women

THIS IS tfcc arcMMl extract Ir tm the paper co np iW d by CUSA'i Lnforautioe Officer. Dale Tlfflin, on why it b nrce*- %mrj for CUSA to b * t I Wo«x>- t a 's La*t~

T k » e x tra c t takes a look a t l e p d a b a a a ffec tiag wom en. A th ird aad fia a l e x tra c t wili be pobbahcd ia the aex t Im m of lzwiietktL

LEGISLATION TO DATE

A2 attcrBematory Iqpalacaoo a the Laoour Relations Act has beespfeaaed ool

Tbc protection that woenes had (rut o»erco£ aod nifhi ihifc bat,

been removed, noc baa h|iilaTaa bees im­

plemented far pre*x*ni woenen Pgn«) wages a n paid to both wckdcs aod me» ® the m ac job

completely. he will receive ■ lump n o i of twxx Her monthly wages and a monthly pennon of one third of her monthly » i f a

If there are children. the pennon wili be more If her husband is not disabled. he wili receive nothing.

If sne docs do; have i husband, h o chidren will get a mooth)v per>- bon until they art 18 ycarv old. Each child will receive one sixth of •oex monthly wage

m a teintty leaveAccording to the Baste CooCb-

bona cm Employment Ad of 1983 at amended m 1984, preplan: women are no* allowed to wort from 4 v«cii before they pvt btrtt to 8 v edu after birth unkai the child ■ anllbom or dies wtthm 8 weeks of birth.

No legal rights couat m Sooth Afnca for a women's job to be krp* opes for her when oa maicnuty tenrc. However, m tecent yean

WOIIMFVSCOMPENSATION

If her hnabood is diaabiad and be < k t having anpported bus

imtod mairmg) agreementsThese agreement* guarantee I*-

onpkrnncai and an cxtenstoc of the statutory maternity iaavt pn>

MMEKNITY BENEFITS None of the Wietiahr Cotnmis

nor * recofnmrrwlauc-ru regarding maternity leave benefits or aJkv wauces or jn t security for nvxhe- and father* were accepted

A woman worker a u.uiked to * weeks leavt before confioetnen; and % weeks teavc after confiuc- ment and ■ maternity allowance of 45% of the weekry rate earned a: her Lasi job as s coctnbuto* for a period not exceeding 18 week* pnor to the expected date of con­finement. and for a penod not exceeding 8 weeks after btrtb & a live child o* 4 wcrk s after the berth of a anil burn chili.

For every 6 weeks worked, the Unemployment laauraoce Fund pays o

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE FUND

The UIF was established uncka the Unemployment Insurance Act of 1946. wbtcc came into operanoe on 1 January 1937 and waa super­seded with effect flora 1 Januar- 1967 by the UnccvpiovrocxH Im>- ranee Act of 1966

Tbc purpoae of the Fund is to

help workers who are unen. pi oyed and looking fot efcptoymcnt Agricultural and domor* wor ten art excluded from the UIF arc sc are person earning mcrt than P 18 000 01* pe> ai;nurr.

AGEJCULTURAL 9kCREEPS There art approun-a:ty 2 mi>-

boi agriculture' worker, m South Africa Such workers are douM? penalised when the becomc unemployed, as they ieac both their income and their accocm -datjoa.

DOMESTIC WORkQS

There arc approximately 800 000 domes uc worken r. South Afnca. These workrn arr static mejnben at the workforce, work king hours and are ofirr breadwin- nen in tneir Camiliea

As with agr-cuituraJ worken,

l>mif Ti ltMthr; arc oouhfy pena.:«ed wi unercployed as tney io«e th income and their a-xemmodav-

Recommendarxjns have br nude to the Deparuneztt of kt. power to havt 'J*c*c wort induded ic the Act No poaii response ha> beer, fonhcoci from thi Department ho

Ma Molefe in action

Building unity in the Cape

S»mK oftC A H i~'t e/JF.ami: * ri^fc*rf-^» l.mrr 1* rr<nr.rejtMA • t* »o fr T ibi), Anoi, fcwcx j 'o e u r

Wmkem, A! |w me* *f. C tr*fy*. * .«f 'k N -x fr*** li ftntfkt J A ifi-* c i a n ■«. j)W. il« a . I < iT W \ ¥Ummdc 4/g*.« S Sitjmmyn, »).« K.-^:«rv

5 /4 LAUNDRY. Dryd t mumf m d D *m*t W ortun ' Uiu*» fn* r» I fcrrtu ry A p tti Moiefr k t i tm rrmdtmmomrw m Jm r m Umg ftm*. ifrr* ak« u M a / n i 7 n r po#« - Mttmmdxng to w o rk e r

Mn Mot eft Ass Woi vitA SA1DD* i tme* a wms formed at Jmkmimtxbmrf ■ May 7972 ^4/ Jud mo> as cx* c* xri m em ber mf ik* mmtm savor ums

rh« sb m nm-tmd off with emir 5*9 mttmkm.. /a membenki? a a#w mimort JO umci taar tmmc* SALDD1VU mm mm • / r tr /naaWr noRSm #/ CUSA. f t wai ^an */ rgf A4-±oc C*mmme* formtd im

wtmc* r*€MtM*0y 1*4 to the /ormmum f f CL'SA. *MrtkioUfe pUy*dB*tmsf!pmrt m tMene S»e wilt me d»m6- t* tnmmdjoi e Umg ttm* to cam*. Ketf

atp (Jm fs«< seer*. Mm M oU fof

Offices around the country:Head Office: Lekioa Hoaae Ttk FWor 5 * a a W m Straei J o k s m tiv ; Tel: 29S031 Dnrh* Qaara Street Darbaa Td: 319-797Prerona. WUiie TWroa BmlAag Bosaas Street Preaorls TeL 364242 PtetaraMrfciberg 570 Ckareh Street PWterMntzhar| Te: S4a42Port Eiixabetk U Pran Home Lespatoe RoW Port L lira bet a Tel: 413*93 ^Vtrtf f f 24 Laalie Street Vereemgreg TaL 212428Pabikaed by the CooadJ of Uosms of Somtb Afnca (CUSA;. P O Box 19*:S. Jakae-Mr imrg. 2000 Pre^eooa by Typaaaaag Service*. Raadhafg. Pnwed br S,»r*gs Ad»en»er, U Thud Street, Spnagv.

CUSA’s Bsiklin^. < and Allied ofke^v I tw, a b making p e s t %mdes oatM. * tb? Transvaal. Last mortb hvdrthu earned reports on its prc^rru ic Natal.

This moath wt ta ie a took it the work of the antoa in the Eas­tern Cape through the eyes of BCAWU orgaaiser Mpbiwe MtamreliMY TRADE ur.x>r apenm .? began in 1978. wher 1 was employed at Vercenigmg Refracto­ries and later Vitro and Ciav Pipes.I joined BCAWU that 'ts -

In that same year. I was elected a shop steward In June 1941. the national executive oouocii recom­mended that 1 work tu:rCar for the union as an orgamaer

I was then sent to the BCAWU offices in Johannesburg and Vereeoigmg for training In December 1982 the then general secretary of the union. Frani MohJala, brought me to Pori Eli­zabeth.

5-TA^U t« no* Devr'Tr. f '* o n g rn r*ort z i a a e tu J*e eJir: dcd of - o.r*_r. tng tc. Ca To»n as we!' reenr. >.

A serious prr: r-z-. is tha. • buii^ing and cous u ..v/r is a moving incus'~ — a\ a ro the membership ot ife utuor fu,. uaies s lot.

ArK-tne* serious p'oblem ic a r *nar m -ig m en ’. n r

ttmising worken anocr the c guise of rttrtncbrrents.

But I am confident tb BCAWU wii! be able to star branch in the Eastern Cape soor

already nave a cumber * factory branches A. Strydom Bassor A Tan {PE B Corobrick iGriaamsiowr;,C. Frankipile SA-PE)D Algoa Bnci A. Toes (PE)E. Frankjprie SA ’Cape Town)

BCAW’J may sipj tweognnt- agreemenLi at two cornpaa*. soonA Frankipile SA fPE anc Cap Town)B Algoz Bnck t Ties (COEG near PE).

IZWILETHU NOVEMBER 1984 PAGE 3

Chemical workers furious about government decision

CL’SA’* Scmxt K inc u C W *- cal Workers' Lmoo h I Knots abort the M im w of Manpo­w ers rejectioa * tfceu apptic* Ooe for a coactkaooa boarc La a dispat* with Tnem i.

The dispute evolves 440 workers ■! Trsoenfs fertilise: piant in PotcaeiKroom. They w trt fired or ApnJ 13 when they refused tc saie pan in a breath* Ivaer tes^

The workcn a* c downed tools in protest T n o m fs management thez gave them III ulunurutr. — re tc u to work by lOaxn the nex: da> or tace dis­missal

Bui the workers refused to return tbe ner. c x j As aTesuh, 16 of them were arrested and another three acid subse­quently. Ali •e re charged unde: the ln u aa iaao n Act

However, the case waj aqua* thed in the Potchefstrootn Regjana'. Coun oc June 23

when police failed to produce any evidence of imimidauon (*ee Irwilrrhu Vol 2 No 4, Page3).

The case Lhc 19 wor­ker! —amorift :nerr' S ^JW U ftcp stewards — with­drawn after Su te witnesses fai­led to suppjv lacu about the inumidauo^ charges

SACWV the® applieri to lix- M inister o f M xrp^wer to appcinr a conciliation boaro in an aitcrupT to get th'* 440 wor­kers wbo w rrt fired reinstawd. (See IrwitriAu Vo! 2 No 4, Pag-. 2)-

Now thai the Minister has rejected SACW\J'» applica­tion the unio^ hai to effect bern barred from taung the dispute to the Indus tn a ’ Court to aeek the workers' reinataie- menL

SACWU organise:, Manece Saxnela said the union intends

Anotherslapin theface

SABMAWl?i general aecretarv Pfcilip Dlacrur.^ hat b*« p a amulet slap ,e tae face bv thr gvrenmev: — after rn a ia s i gttag him $ psvpoct La September, ii has u « lo i

As • m ull be wai unable lo gu

M ANESb Gixmf u>9 Uk> Smprcm .- Cvmr>

to lodge a r area) ir thr Supreme Court ag&Lns? the Munster's deasior.

Once again this show* that tbe labour movemr nt is no lon­ger prepared to be kicked la the teeth by managemen: and the Sute . U will light back every time.

Yet another price increaseW O R K E R S art la cad by yrt aorr pner feero a m * before C W

cm of tk« y r t f — Pates wtU I k t c u i (u haS K Ts oa Oacxn- ber X aa<i tkc f n a a( neat » a y ri*» b d o * r I

TbcaemcrcMn*in( lad crt «cni£r*ry “ U * “ a * ol wortm , whc art already b»l- tung to cope wna recent in o w a .

Now Puico jaaease its fare* ua tbe Transvaal try 12.5%. The de% fares hsw amawty been spproved trf the Haixm*] Trans­port Comn-Tta fw.

And rrccCtN tar Meat Board said it “suspeaed" mst the pnee of me*; will increa*t ftdort Chrui- mas — oecau« laere will he ao trtaeasc <s ocma aC dunn| tb» pcnod-

li a always tbe wortei wbo has to bear tbe brani of this perverted k>f3c as weiJ as ibe mcrrascs * the operational costs of transport ser­vices

But, instead of tbe fovemnxar. protecting w orsm against aoch

, it apfvwes ibem Tba tbe snahowoco. oS the

government'* profea*rd ccncero for tbe kas-pnvUcfod

HYPOCRISYIt also npowes tbe bypoensy cd

tbe fovrmmen'. s rei arm at ptan» — after all, most of tbe worker* sr. this ccuntn are blaca, sc wby should ii care

li only has to take ' b« need* of the resi of tbe country into account at eiectson time or when a referei/-

dum a being beid to rubher-sianip some morr p*e\xio-rekrrmi.

The nr* increases wii. fallow an already long list of incrrasa this year — c the pnee of mairr c u t fc .pr. tx r^ and canoed food&

Other increases this year tnclude sxKruses m tbe pnee of petrol, water, ekctriaty tanffs. rym pos­tal tanfli Transvaal bosptul lees and transport fees.

Yet ti^ worfcei ts expected to nisi grra and bear b.

AnC wr cE the frus:ra:»on «pU> des m ptaco like Craxifxi and tne V». there t> surprise and dismay — evtc reaentment and bmr* .<aa.

Bui, in tact, i t» oniy ibe naiurs’ aix2 torn tab if outconx c*. s ioof-

J fnutrauor.

tc Egyp to rkrltver s paDei a. s.. inter;^!*oru Labour r a c e r.g Cairo

Th; IXoanmen. oi lr.»rr 4 : A fla ^ n rtiu*< j t > -n d o ra r as» n .

PfciJl.; » i** ta. •* ’•as gjveri •'-r- rciur> .a-s'iv t:. tSe f'ni* j s r r 7 Septr n > r <1 was psrv**»v- re;as>i . naasport iwicr — tt«f.rUTX 1.'. AalfuH »'.au

Nt- rt-j.-K. <has fiver- why wai refut" • pnnpor

lr 15Si PV.Jlip tr«e<J agair to fr a pa.<nnor* — thw t i n tt> s: etv3rh- anr»ua. of Puo^.i S rvices !flifTua^-Muj m Stngaporx I* ut oocr Kgaid hr «*ai juxtjc iw t i

Ear itct thu year be applied for a paatpori to attend a labour semin»: of tbe Africa region of tbe PS1 — a world fedrrauoo o traoc unions organising w arten m tht pLblic arctot m Zimhabwa

Phillip’s passport was granted 10 late for him 10 go to Harare, and ts only valid for ux months Anomer rcstncuoD on hi* paupon a that n only allows turn to travel to Zim­babwe and Amerkca.

r h i i u r D L A M /v r .p*np+ r ' mm m ‘

According to the Dcparaaen; of latrmx* AfTan. Phubp caz appiv lo bavt tbe su-tnonil period exienoec But the ^sKscior remains wn« his passpon be ^een reK.-KTod m the firs: place

The ocfy annwer is that a ■ pan of adeliberair and sywemaat cam pa,gn of fcara*smer.r agams mm

0, DEAR*, t CAN'T (>6t !K N E W M E » . t E t > £ i

T n i V

‘iOKTH1

Wtvr tooc

WHO

Mineworkers making history againONCE AGAIN «h< Naboaal Laioo of M iaew «aen made kis- tw, ^ at d k m i t * -

October It h e o » e the Hrstialoe u> bokl two legal strikes la

Tbe one stnke was at Rand Refi­nery and the other a: the Johannes­burg depot of Tebs 'the Employ­ment Bureau of A*nra'i

Tbe strike at Raoc Refjiery — the only gold refisasg piant ui tbe country — ended after one da} The mmeworsers decided 10 accept the offer cMwe Chamber of Mines 00 October 2

The settler**:, wtuch would be effective from Ocz^toci 1. pushed up the wsfet of the lowest-paid

worker to R240 a wombWorkers in tius category also

receive food and accommodation worth another R9G a month.

The workers deoded to accept the October 5 offer — made at a conciliation board meeting — because the Chamber bad come up wiih an even less acceptable ofTc: after tbe one-day stnae on October 22

At Teba striking workers went back 10 work NUM reopened negouauon* with tne Chamber. Talks had broker oewn over wage demands

The 300 stnsoig workers went back 10 work on October 23 (the same day they downed tools;

However, legal strikes arc

becoming a farce —- at both Rand Refinery and Tcba. striking wor­kers were given pamphiets warning them that the Chamber had the right to fire them if they did not return 10 work.

So wha. are tbe real advantages of going on a lega’ strike? Or is n mereh ar attempt by tbe State to extend iu control over workers’

The police art ton dunnp the Septemorr strike of NUM mem ben also flashed a lot of warning signals

“Our members are beginning to ass themselves wnetner or no: 11 b worth it to engage in a legal stnae when police action was jusi as harsh as in the event of an illegal strike.'' aaic the union

NATIONAL I S I ON OF M lS£W O *l EXS / W «r »rmuif »erkm r. 0 *9 of Ike munei. The mmu»m ktxtery nrvtxti} - x m*3

tht f\rr 10 h»id Two irgel smJta u o*t ■»**-

IZWILETHU NOVEMBER 1984 PAGE

Health and safety a!work

Responsibilities

A aeahh and u fnv rrprocnta- tm trvrrmJ key responsibib- aex Taor arc:• Mpectiog the workplace,• !r%T*!.g»iing hazard* and corc• itakreg representations lo

• clocking when inspectors vbii the wcrcplace;

• the right 10 emrTftno access to aenior management when disputes WK,• agreement thai management will not operate s proceu when there are doubts about ssfety. until these doubu have been tatislacior- iiy cbecaed.

• igreemen; that member! wiL’ raxtve pay when work a Bopped for safety rm otu

A & m

Information from HS inspectors

• ksemng m touch with the unioc on hcmn£ and safety mailers; and

• kr o ^ m touch with CUSA's Inicraaoon Unit for any health axkC misxy information needed

H e a l t h and Sa f e t y Agreements

W a s negotiating • health and safer- agreement with manAgt* tnecL. * m unponant to mdudc the folkswtLg cu .J tn• thr ngm to all in/^fmioor rele­vant oeahh »ad uJe:y amua.

Investigate ^ potential hazards

Procedures for dealing with beaiti and safety

problems

The lines of communications for dealing with problems related to matters of health and safety should be established as follows and may be read with the diagram

Step ] The worker ntspj-a pro b lcm .'identifies a hazard . Reports it to hi: supervise' for

acticfc and informs his safety representative. It is either set­tled or no» settled. If it is not acrtJed:

S:ep 2 The worker raises the marter with the safety represen­tative. The safety rrprrventa- ove may be able tc satisfy the worker. If not, the safety repre­sentative raises the matter with the supervisor. It is either set­tled or it is not. lf it is not:

S;ep 3 Tfcc safety reprsseaia- uve raises the matter with the nest level of local management. The matiet ts either settled or not sealed If the matter is Sti!! n r : settled and time allowv

iic t '^ T tir cafei\ representative rcrx .ts the problem u» ibe safety committee anc *dvnj^ the m anatrr ane the worker oi bis acticn. A: this point, if s satisfactory solution cannot be reached

• Where k problem related ro matters of health and saf' ty ari­ses and ts taker a* a grievance, it will be dealt witn through the agreed gnevancc procedure — whether collective or individual as appropriate.

• Workers covered by agree­ments should refer to their appropriate agreement.

saietv comrr.irrrt reports t r c upistances so Ihe depa: ment manager »ith a cop* < the report to tae union If the can no' resolve the maner:

Step 6 TheyunMr. nfPirr »

J

It IO tfc iay need i

sees: outside expert advice.The speed w.ir wr.ich i: ro­

be necessan to cove from Sic J tr Sltp 6 vary in accc1 dance with the degree of nsk I some cases ihs problem may fc resolved/the naza/d minimise or removed in S:ep 1 Where major change ts being scugt and possible Sarjr expend ?tui involved, it c ay take mao months to arm * a: a satis 12 tory result.

Siep 5 Where a problem has not been resolved in Steps I-4 but is not formally taken up as a grievance

The chairman of the local

Contact your union regardin'; health and safety issue and representations you wish to make to m ange men

If yoa need further information, contact Dak Tifllin a CUSA’j Information Unit or phont her at (811) 29-8031

INVESTIGATECOMPLAINTS

Makeinspections

andre-inspections

7)—\ Sv&erviso:-r *

“1 Conr-'tJfe* ;Sofe:>

Lstafciit r»e~> e v rr ^pK x<0x>ej

union o? r ed^*rB?'0^ I

Cfr.ee i

Onr. in U r;or

f Executive ! Managerner:

IZWILETHU NOVEMBER 1984 PAGE 5

B B

Ban the killer dust!CUSA ¥L~LL\ supports the campaign of the Black Allied Mining and Construction Worker*' Union to have asbestos mining in South Africa banned.

This country b one of the world's largest producers of blue asbestos (crocidoiite) — regarded as one of the most dangerous of the six types of asbestos fibre.

It is also the only producer of brown asbestos (aroosite) in the world.

If a woncer inhales asbestos Lores, the r r s n i car. be asbesto- sa. a cnppur*g fibrosis of lung disease, mesormeuoma, a fatal cancer of the hiLg lining; and b ro n ch o g en ic c arc in o m a, which is f c a i .

Tbere is a s international t o bar. th e m in in g of

asbestos — t has been banned in Scandinava and Holland, and strict dust levels is deman­ded by lav ie Bntian and tbe res; of Europe

And the campaign in South Afnca canoe oc dismissed as amply jumping on the interna­tional bandwagon or political opportunism. Asbestos has already nuned tbe lives of many peopk

Figures o f the medical Bureau for Occupational Eh*- f t t r t *ho» that there were 5 140 asbestos victims between !% ' and 19¥3. 211 compen- aated of mesothelioma,and 57 of bronchogenic carcinoma

So far 704 woe te n ha ve died fron. the thr»e diseases And these hom fym f statistics are only records of official figures

The European Economic Comnuniry isauedan \sbestoc Durcnve in Setr ember 1983 in■n ■p^mp* ED p^tCCt WOftenfrocr exposure io esbestot. It is no* nearl> eoo*-gh.

Bui is does gr*? an indication that there is a growing aware­ness thoughout me world of the killei dust. Extracts from tbe EEC Asbestos Directive are reproduced beiow-

.Article !

1. This directive nas as its aim the protectioe o f workers agaihs*. ftsks tf thetr health, including the prevention of such risks, artung or likely to anse from exposure to asbestos a: work. It toys down limit values and ocber specific requi­rements.

2- This directr*e shall not pre­judice the ngm of Member Sla­tes io app<> o r introduce laws,reguiaoons or administrative provisions ensuring greater

protection for workers, in par­ticular as regards the replace­ment of asbestos by less dangerous substitutes

Article 2

For the purpose of this direc­tive, “asbesu*” means the fol­lowing fibrous silicates Actinolite. Asbestos grtocnte (am o site ), A n tb o p h y lln e , C h ry s o ti le . C ro c id o i i te , Tremolite

Article 3

1. This directive shaL apply m activities in which workert are or may be expoaed in tne coun t of their work tc dust arising from asbestos or materials con­taining asbestos2. Ic the case of any activity likely to involve a ruk of expo­sure to dusi arising from asbestos or materials contain­ing asbestos, this ruk mas. be assessed m such s way %s to determine the nature and degree of the workers’ exposure to dusi arising from asbcatos .tt materials containing asbestos 4. The assessment prov »ded for id paragraph 2shai’ be Jjesub­ject of consuitatior wid the workers and/or their represerr- ta lives wuhin the undertaking or establishment and shali be resised where there is reason to believe ihat it is incorect or there is a material change m the work.

Article 4

I. The activiues referred to in Article 3( IJ must be covered by a notification system adminis­tered by the responsible auth­ority of the Member State.2 The notificauoo must be submitted by the employer to the responsible authority of the Member State, in accordance with national laws, regulations and administrative provisions. This notification must include at least a bnef description of:• the types and quantifies of asbestos used.

the activities and processesinvolved.• the products manufactured.3. Workers and/ or their repre­sentatives <n undertakings or establishm ents shall have access to the documents which are the subject of notification concerning their own under­taking or establish men: in accordance with naoonal laws.4. Each time an important change occurs in the use of asbestos or of materials con­taining asbestos, a new notifi­cation must be submitted.

Article 6

For ali amvjtics re*’erred u> in Article 3(1). tbr exposure of workers to dusi anstng from asoestot or m atenas contain­ing asbestos s ’, tbe place of work must be reduced to as low a level as is reascoabiv practi­cable and »n any cat v dcio»* the limit values laid do* in Article 8, tn particular through tbe following measures if appropriate:1. The quantity o f asbestos used in each case must be lim­ited tc the minimum quantity which is reasonably practi­cable2. The number of workers ex­posed or likely to be exposed io dusi arising from asbestos or materials containing asbestos must be limited to the lowest possible figure3. Work processes must, in principle, be so designed as to avoid the release of asbestos dust into the an.

If this is not reasonably prac­

ticable. the dust should be eli­minated as near as possible to the pom; where it is released4. All buildings and/or puint and equipment involved in the processing or treatment of asbestos must be capable of being regularly and effective!v cleaned and maintained5. Asbestos as a raw materia! must be stored and transported in suitable sealed packing.6. Waste musi be collected and removed from tbe place of work as soon as possible in sui­table sealed packing with lables indicating that it contains asbestos. This measure shall not apply io mining activities

Article 8

Tbe following limit values shall be applied:(a) concentration o f asbestos fiores other than crocidclite in the air at the place of work;

1.00 fibres per cm* measured or calculated m r e l a t i o n t o

eight-hour reference penod,(b) concectrauon of croctdolite f t res in the air at the place of work

0.30 fibres per cm5 measured or calculated in relation to an eight hour reference penod

(c ) c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f asbesios fibres in the air at the place o! work in the case ol nurtures of crocidoiite and other asboios fibres

The iix.it value is at a level calculated oa the baau of the limit valors '.aid doax in (a} one (b ' taxing i/jio account ;iu proportion* of crocidoiite and other asr. ~'i>- typ^s in tne mixrure

A rticle 1C

I. Where ihe limit values laid down in Article £ arc exceeded, the reasons for the limits being exceeded mus: be identified and appropriate measures to remedy the muauon must be taker, as soon as possible

Work may not be continued in the affected area until ade­quate measures have been laken for the proiecuon of the workers concerned.2 In order to chcck the effecti­veness of the measures mentio­ned in the first sub-paragraph of paragraph 1, a further detcx- minauon of the asbestos-in-air concentrations shali be carried out immediately.

3 Where exposure cannc: reasonably be reduced by outer means and where the wra-r.£ of individual respirator pro­tective equipm ent prcre> necessary, this may not be per­manent and shall be kept t : stnck minimum necessary i<»- each worker

Article II

I. In the case of certain acxr»- ues in res p ea of which it is fore secable mat the limit values lair down in Article S will be excee­ded and in respect of wtu;c technical preventive measures for limiting asbestos-tn-air ct>r~ centrauons are not reasona^y practicable, the employer determine the measures inten­ded to insure protection of tae workers while they are engaged in such activiues. in pamcuia the following.(a) workers shall be issuec with suitable respiratory equ*p-

tective equim«nt. which mustbe worn; and(bj %ammg signs shaU be pul up indicating tha; it u fcte- aeeable that the limit values ta*d dou-n in Article 6 will be excee- dec2. Tne workers and/or therr re; resenutives il. th: unce:- ta iingor establisiimcntina. consulted on these measures belore the activiues concereed are ou-

Article 14

I in the .-»se of all acti'ntie referred to m Articic appropriate measures sha. >* ■asen to ensure :na. woiXe-s and their represeniatves ir tne unceitakin^ or esiablishm; \ receive acequate miorrr^Dc^. concerning:« the potential risks to health from exposure tc dust araic* from asbestos or materials cor- tainmg asbestos,• the existence of stanittK? linur values and the need forti«e atmosphere to be monitorec• h yg ;ene re q u ire m e n ts , including the need to refrain from smoking,• the precautions to be taken as regards the wearing and use of protective equipment and clothing,• special precautions designed to m im m ire exposure io asbestos.

IZWILETHU NOVEMBER 1984 FAGEf

< m m m m m m m m m

The year Spain will neverforget

Tkc mxpmmf pmzu r La k«-*oa*or.* dr */ the 'Sftma* w * rk * n ' t j r * 4jc,> tei!* m: *— >r

Spam was in ibr grip of * revolutionary spirit through­out tne 1930s. It was one of the m ot: backward capitalist coun­tries a! the um t and was unable to meet norma! capitalist expectations.

It war unable to develop an advanced agriculture and a stable capitalist oetnocracy More than half the land *as owned by a mere 1% of Lbe population.

M IS E R Y

The peasants and labourers lived m absolute misery. They used a n c a i implements — as a result, the productivity of the land w*i low and made it diffi­cult 10 support a large working class

The Republican government failed to improve this position. They even dropped their pro­mises of reform in 1931 when they came across opposition from the capitalists, landow­ners and the army.

The Socialist Parry (PSOE) was defeated in the 1933 elec­tions and then swung into a revolutionary direction. It stressed that there was an urgent need for fundamental reforms

Tti-. sooaasi trade unions then began tc organise military training for its young members. In Astunas the UG7 and the anarchist CNT signed a., agrrt- mem aoout revolutionary trade union activity.

The workers' movement wl« dearly organising to take over power in Spain. It formed **A1»- ama* obreras" (workers alli­ances) throughout the country.

It was one of the stormiest penods in the history of Spam —strikes w c.t outlawed, the Press was censored, wages were reduced, elected socialist coun­cils were scrapped, and fascist and monarchist activities were protected

D E M A N D S

The largest party in the Spanish parliament, CEDA, a reactionary coalition, slowly prepared to turn the country into a fascist state. In 1934 the final blow came.

On October 4 the leader of the CEDA. GU Robles, one of A d o lf H itle r ’s a d m ire rs , demanded a majority of the cabinet seats. They were pro­mptly given three cabinet posi­tions.

**SootjC7 c late, v - wo ^ hav» | t- f*-_r a re-uiw.-o'* . > coup,*’ saia K ot.ci “ It alw^y» be nrrfera^ie to fe.x it from a position • *t ^ower before the enen) were better pre­pared "

C LASH

The scene was thus se: for t head-on clash between the working class and the ruiing class

Only a few months earlier, the PSOE leader Largo Cabal­lero had waroed: “ If legaiitv is of no use tc us, if it hinders our advance, then we shall by-pass bourgeois democracy and pro­ceed to the revoiuuonary con­quest of power.**

At midnight on October 4 the working class acted — it declared a national strike. Asturias was one of the main areas in which workers respon­ded strongly.

The Fascist Faiange hunted down striking workers to break the stnke and regain cor.tro! — several socialist leaders were arrested, while several workers were killed and injured

In Catelonta. 47 workers were killed and 117 injured. Bu; in Astunas the worker? respon-

.«*. J •' •.< CC» ' i_v * ’ru«k..‘ •ncry <•: ;.•?>>*/

j . J * k *s rker *rx. a witn o .▼axitc shot/ •'* aikj r.,1es -- took pan tn revol* T^ic mifiewoiker* loi- mec the backbone o rne Strag­gle ir the nuriiit. basin M eres. the hear, of the re 'oi:.

Soon mc*t o’’ the prcvtr<c«* was in tne bands of tfie wor­ker* A revolutionary comrr.ji- tee, based on the workers' alliances, governed the pro­vince and local committees sprang up all over the sue**.

COM M U NE

The Commune organised transport, hospital facilities and food distribution within days, and elected officer from their own ranks.

The municipal revolutionary commute in Sama even dec­lared the “ dictatorship of the proletariat" and the formation of a “ Red Army’* But the government was not about to throw in the towel.

General Franco called in the foreign legio'n to back up Spain's domestic troops. The workers were no match for this combined onslaught, but heron caii) put up a fierce fight.

} 1 a ; T . * jtober 1“'r t <ilw. ‘ Tien * i.

Mil* •• 4er Me co-i. o ot th*revc u jra r, cc -m.veer. KmrreuCer *•'is- nefouated th*next da j — but - 2 was onitne r-egjr r?;’\g r.: i — * horror

R £ V E \C E

The capitalists l>:< revengr ir. a hirter orgy o ' aonure an- violence — it lei' more thar.2 0(a aead, 7 OOC wcunoed and 30 000 in jail.

But mat did still aot destro thf workers’ visios of a ne* society They piavec a leading role in the straggle against the Franco d ic ta to rs^ in the 1950s and 1960s

The struggle of tar w orker in Spain — like thai of w orker elsewhere in the *orid — is thus an ongoing one. The words of Belarminc Tomas, the Astunan m m eworien' secre­tary general, still rrcg ioud anc dear today

“Our surrender today is simpiy a halt oe etc route, where we make o tr m s take* prepanng lor the aex: fcattlr which must end in t^e final vic­tory o f the exploiter * he said.

Thar message s ver- impor- tant tc us in Soutfc Afnci

IZWILETHU NOVEMBER 1984 PAGE 7

stay-awayanother

forward

THE TWO-DAY STAY AWAY in the Transvaal this month was a major step forward for the working in this country. Hundreds of thou­sands of workers staved away in various parts of the province.

It was a historic step in the struggle for libera­tion — it was a dear and forceful message that the working class was not prepared to be oppres­sed politically and economically for much lon­ger.

The nayaw yw a* an alliance of w o iten other cU» groups i t the comm unity — the Tr.„«v».j R c p o u ) Stayaway Committee included civic, poi- ihcsl. student and other com- tcuOif) organ rsauons.

But there s «*> doubt what- joever (h it tbs cay»wt> could not have been u successful if it did not h»ve the full backing of the labour naowment ui the T tam '»ai

CUSA as p«n of the Tiara- vaaJ Regional Stayaway Com­mittee was is the forefront of the call to stay aw iy from work on November 5 and 6.

UNION GROUPS

Other on SOT groups on the committee nKauae the Federa­tion of SA Trade Unions, th t Commercial, C itering and Allied W orkers' Union of SA, the* SArA!!<e£ Workers' Union, the General and Allied Wor­kers' Union and the Municipal and General Workers' Union of SA.

Their rote ® the stayaway was a b e t ' declaration that workers clearly recognise the link betweer tfear plight at the workplace a»d the broader community

It demonstrated forcefully that the labour movement in South AJnca was not only con­

There u a lot of common ground — the nature o 'oppra*- Lon in thia country (capitalist and radsro) make* this po*- «bie The two-day stayaway •bowed that cimm alliance polit­ic* can be uaed dynamically.

But, of cocrae, it does depend on the particular con­text and the particular arcum- stancea in wtucn this weapon u

cerned with higher w aps aad bener working coodiuom.

DEMANDS

The demands drawn up by the S tayaw ay C om m ittee shows this clearly;• the withdrawal of tfc< army and police from towns raps• the stopping of all ren: increases,• the resignation of all com­munity councillors,• the release of all political prisoners and detainees.• the reinstatement of all dis­missed workers.• the stopping of busfare increases, and• tne withdrawal of general sales tax

It was a major test of the strength of the trade unions and other political and com­munity g ro u p — and they pas­ses it with flying colours.

It also demonstrated that class alliance poliucs in South Africa has a lot of potential. It adds a lot of exaung dimen­sions to the struggle for libera­tion.

It makes possible, for exam­ple , a working relauoruhipbet­ween unions (by and large working class) and the United Democratic Front (some affili­ates have a predomirianily mid­dle class background)

‘A clear message that the worhng

class is not prepared to be

oppressed much longer. ’

It cannot be dc&iod that there are immense danger* in such an alliance. The working clas* must ensure that it 1* not elbowed into bong * junio: partner in such an aluance

It is the working ciaas which is ultimately going to bnng about change in this country And this chanpr is going to come about much soorei if the workiug class leadi and directs this struggle

LONG-TERM DANGERS

There are other senous, long-term danger* in class s t ­ance politics.

But there are times when this " level of struggle can be success­

ful — the two-day stayaway was one such example. It also seems to tndicatr that it is going to play a significant role in South African po iucs.

And the government is aware of this danger — days after the stayaway it hysterically swung into action. It detained several people who played a leading role in the suyaway.

Among those detained were CUSA’s general secretary Phi-

ro&haw Camay and Fo*aru’» pre­sident Chris Dlaruni (uso presi­dent of the Sweet, Food and Allied Workers’ Union).

It mas the same old story of krugdadigi,eid. But it serves absolutely oo purpose. Tnose detained were merely articulat­ing the aspirations of the oppressed

Tuere is n o way the govern­ment wii! be able to crush rrsis- ta rje completely

Tbe stayaway itself was not anything new — this weapon har been used before, the first time in May 1950 when the African National Congress ca!- led tor a suyaway.

Tne protest then was ro t directed at anything new either — low wages and the banning

of anu-aparthcvd actrvasa (in this caar, leaden o! Ifci SA. Communist Parry).

There were five othe- saya- usysin the 1950* toe — c Dur­ban. P ort E iu ab e :- and Joaaanesburg mosu> — used with varyinge.rg7ees o*. s-cjcso

Like mis m onth’s sa«a»ay> previous suyawavs wrr: £»osi effective when unions aM pol­itical groups combined urces It is sui! an im p cru rt lesser for us today

This month'* stayswa» was very important• it was a majoi oer:^:. stra­iten of unity, and• it showed there an urgent need for fur.^u ■senial change

These are the main a^=s of a stayaway. And it was ased *ith maxmun- e fleet this rccath

• What did you ikink o f the stayaway? Do you m n k it achieved anything?

Write to iz VTILE THU and share your ideas a n * n p m - ences with other workers: TZWILETKU. P 0 Box i&28, Johannesburg, 2001.

” 1

CUSA conferenceC VS A "s adjourned congress will be held on November 18. A special issur o' IZW ILETHU will be published afterwards, with full reports on the congres:

JZWILETHU NOVEMBER 1984 PAGE

Collection Number: AK2117 DELMAS TREASON TRIAL 1985 - 1989 PUBLISHER: Publisher:-Historical Papers, University of the Witwatersrand Location:-Johannesburg ©2012

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