:

i!

Strike movement grows
in face of repression

The chain reaction of strikes
by organized and unorganized
black workers in Natal continues
unabated. According to reports
appearing in the South African
press, there have been so many
that even the highly organized
police departments. say they
cannot keep count.

The total_number of workers
on strike, according to one es-
timate, is over 35,000, affecting
scores of industries. The police
raided the offices of two Black
organizations, the South African
Students Organization (SASO)
and the Black Peoples Conven-
tion (BPC). Five Indians belong-
ing to these organizations have
been remanded in custody on

charges of “promoting racial
hostile and incitement’ to
strike.”

Among those industries that
have been hit by this new wave
of activities by Black workers
for higher wages and better
working conditions are the fol-
jowing:— “

City Council Workers

More than 3,000 Blacks em-
ployed by the Durban City Coun-
cil stopped work, bringing road
and drain works to a standstill,
and disrupting the Electricity
Department. A march through
the city, stopped a refuse lorry
on its rounds and, brandishing
sticks, chased the driver and
joaders down the street. —

In ahastily called meeting, the .

all-white Durban City Council
granted an immediate 15% pay
increase to its 16,000 African
and Indian workers. The mini-
mum increase is about $2.50 per

week.
Brick and Tile Workers
Perhaps the most militant

strike in this new spate of ac-

tions is the one organized by
the Brick and Tile workers.

The strikers downed tools and
en masse marched out of the
factory—The Coronation Brick
and Tile Factory — to a sports
stadium 6 km. away. All traffic
on the main road in front of the
factory had to crawl behind the
strikers who spread over the
road and adjoining pavements.
They were led by one striker
who ran ahead with a red fiag
in his hand.

Later in the afternoon an offi-
cial of the Department of Labor,
a Mr. J. Skene, asked them to
return to work while negotia-
tions took place between his de-
partment and the management.
(The workers are not allowed by
law to negotiate their own
agreements and must appeal to
the Government-appointed ‘Na-
tive Labor Bureau’ of the Labor
Department if they have any
complaints).

With roars of “No!” echoing
round the field; he then asked
the workers to form a commit-
tee to speak on behalf of them
all. This was also rejected as
the workers feared that elected
spokesmen would be victimized.

Wages lower than minimum

The last wage determination
in the clay and allied products
industry, which covers the acti-
vities of the Brick and Tile in-
dustry, was made in 1967 and
laid down a minimum wage of
$10.78 a week in urban areas.

This minimum wage is cur-
rently below that of the general
unskilled determination of
$12.78 a week for African men
over 18 years of age, and far
below the poverty datum line
(PDL) of $25.98 a week.

An investigation shows that
the company had made consist-
ently higher profits after taxes

_ After the elections

"ANTOINE ACQUAVIVA

‘Overcome the grave eco-

difficulties”: such is the

observers were waiting
4 spectacular — to see
Wee sould become of the mili-
ge Allende’s new: cabinet.
The three high-ranking generals
—among them the army com-
mandeér-in-chief—who had occu-
pied the positions of ministers
of the Interior, Mines and Pub-
lic Works, were not reappointed.
They have returned “to their
normal activities,’ as President
Allende put it. Three civilians
have replaced them.

_An equilibrium among the po-
litical forces associated with the
government has been achieved.
Both Socialists and Communists
fave the same number of port-
folios as before. The Socialists
fill four cabinet positions, and
the Communists three, one most
important at present, that of the
economy,

The sharing of cabinet port-
folios among Radicals, indepen-
dent. .1 Christian Left confirms

the desire of Popular Unity not ~

to exclude the middle classes
from the transformations under-
taken since 1970, and not to
allow them to be used by coun-
ter-revolutionary forces against
the government.

The naming of Allende’s new

government takes place in a situ-
ation more favorable to Popular
Unity, reflecting the political
reality which showed itself in
the results of the March 4 Con-
gressional elections. Popular
Unity can count on the support
of 44% of the electorate, and,
more important, the decisive
support of the working class, the
peasantry (who benefitted from
agrarian reforms) and the youth.

Contrary to its own calcula-
tions, the right was not able to
produce the two-thirds of the
vote which they sought in order
to provoke “a legal coup d’Etat.”
The right lost both votes and
seats in Congress. All attempts
at sedition can no longer be
cloaked in “legalities.”

In all political estimations, the
right has been largely disowned
by the vote.

When the military entered the
government in Nov. 1972, the
country had not yet emerged
from an extremely serious crisis.
Reaction had prought Chile to
the brink of civil war. But its
plans were foiled by the vigorous
and discplined resistance of the
working class.

The presence of the military
in the Nov. 1972 cabinet then
replied to a double preoccupa-
tion: to assure the return to
calm, and to guarantee that nor-
mal, democratic parliamentary
rule would continue.

All dangers have not been

LIBERATION NEWS SERVICE PHOTO

Brick and Tile strikers march led by worker with Red Flag.

since 1967, and last year made
$1,210,379. Profits for the year
1969 and 1968 after taxes were
$1,175,760 and $685,048 respec-
tively. Its turnover for 1971 was
$20 million and in 1972 $22.5
million, an increase of 9% over
the year.

Monopoly

The Coronation Brick and Tile
Company has a monopolistic po-
sition in the area, strengthened
by municipal by-laws preventing
the use of any other materials
but bricks in building construc-
tion. Coronation has interests in
26 companies making bricks and

tiles and supplying sand and.

stone. Nine of these are wholly
owned “subsidiaries -while Coro-
nation has the controlling in-
terest in the remaining 17.

Workers win bu? ...

As a result of the strike,
the company granted the work-
ers a meagre $2.93 a week
more, bringing the basic wage
to $16.33'a week, a third of the

in Chile

overcome. Reaction has not
given upits recourse to violence,
nor its attempts to sabotage
production, nor its threat to im-
pede urban development. An-
other outbreak. of “operation
chaos,” such as that mounted in
Octobe-, cannot be excluded.

But Popular Unity — and this -

is essential — has come out
strengthened from the succes-
sive crises it was forced to con-
front. Its authority and influence
is greater than: ever. Its actions
are clearer. It is now in a better
position to tackle the problems
of the economy.

A debate is now going on
within the ranks of the left. It
revolves around the tempo,
rhythm, extent and delays in the
process of the transformations
undertaken two years ago.

Should the ground already
taken be consolidated so as to
move more surely, more effec-
tively, and finally, more quickly
in the future? Or should an all-
out offensive be launched, with-
out worrying about isolating the
main enemy first, or without
stopping to consider the conse-
quences, desired or otherwise,
of a passionate, but extremely
delicate experience?

The next congress of Popular
Unity will provide the answer.
Already the new cabinet reflects
the decision. And so a new stage

opens in Chile.
—l’Humanité

wages demanded by the work-
ers and Still almost $10 a week
below the poverty datum line.

Using the big stick the author-
ities, quoting the. Native La-
bor (Settlement of Disputes)
Act, which makes all.strikes by
African workers illegal, threat-
ened the workers with arrest un-
less they accepted this increase.

The workers have accepted
but we have no doubt that we
shall hear more about the Coro-
nation’ Brick and- Tile workers.

Textile Strike

Over 7,000 workers, employed
by the Frame Group of Textile
Companies won an across-the-
board increase of $1.80 to $3.60
after. a lightning 24-hour strike
by the total labor force employ-
ed at their Durban factory —
the Consolidated Textile Mills.

Police patrolled in riot cars as

‘the workers were told at a fac-

tory gate meeting: of the pro-
posed pay increases.

Lock-outs and Suspensions

300 Indian and African wo-
men employed as sorters at a
wool waShing . and processing
firm in suburban Pine-town were
locked out after they refused an

unspecified pay offer after they ~

went out on strike.
At a nearby pipe factory about
600 Africans rejected a $1.08 a

week increase and were also
locked out,

200 African workers at an-
other nearby engineering found-
ry were also locked out after
the employers told them that
they will not get any increases
“at this Stage.”

All, ‘but one of the depart- .

ments at the Natal Canvas Rub-
ber Manufacturers came to a
halt, anq workers surrounded
the factory gates before disper-
sing aS Police reinforcements ar-
rived. About 180 Sugar cane
workers struck to back demands
for a minimum wage of $18 per
month. They receive $9.60 a
month at present. .

Police Probe

Meanwhile South African
press reports jndicate that as
usual the authorities and com-
pany directors affected by the
strikes ate blamming ‘‘commun-
ist influences”, The South Afri-
can Bureau of State Security
(BOSS) is, as usual, very active
and accQrding to a statement
published jn a Natal newspaper,
Colonel Frans Steenkamp, Na-
tal’s chief of BOSS, is reported
as stating that his department

does not rule out the possibility
of “overseas involvement” in
the strikes.

This ludicrous assertion, when
everyone, including a very large
body of employers and econo-
mists know, that the majority
of the African workers in indus-
try earn far below the poverty
datum line, is in keeping with
white South African thinking
whenever Blacks rock the boat
of their apparent tranquility.
Half starving workers do not
need to be organized by people
from overseas; their empty bel-
lies are the best organizers.

These strikes Clearly show the
alarm felt:among South Africa’s
six-million Black workers over
the spiralling cost of living and
no amount of police intimidation
or liberal economic claptrap is:
going to step this trend among
the workers. So far organized
workers-are the only ones who
have taken part in strikes. It
would not be belong before the
majority of the other workers
who are not organized into trade
unions also strike for a living
wage.

News has just been received
that over 30 industries have
been affected by strikes in Dur-
ban and its environs. The Pepsi-
Cola bottling plant has been
brought to a standstill by a hun-
dred per cent stoppage.

A call for a general. strike
through the boycott of all pub-
lic transport has also gone out.

5.5 million attend
‘People’s schools’

MOSCOW—Over 544 million
students now attend some 26,000
“people’s universities” in the
USSR. These provide university-
standard lectures and courses,
available free to anyone who
wishes to take part. The teach-
ing staff includes many noted
scientists and all work without
payment on a completely volunt-
ary basis.

Typical of the larger People’s
University is that of Kiev, with
17 departments and 14 branches,
and 2,700 students.

Each department and branch
is based on one of the city’s col-

leges, research centres or factor-
ies.

Organized ten years ago, it
has become an important educa-
tional centre. ~

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 1973—PAGE 9