Solidarity with South African workers 16 months - still no TUC action on Rowntrees strike

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Trevor Haigh speaking on the July 3 solidarity demonstration THE solidarity campaign in support of black workers on strike at Rowntrees in South Africa puts the following demands -recognition of SAAWU as the sole, representative union, reinstatement of all sacked strikers, release of all detained trade unionists and an end to police harassment of the union.

Socialist Organiser fully supports the aims of this campaign. However, we are critical of the ineffective manner in which this campaign has been conducted by Anti-Apartheid.

In particular we have When did you first hear about the Rowntrees diapute?

The first contact was from Chris Barrett of the local Anti-Apartheid in March of 1981 ...

What did you do?

National officers of the GMWU called a meeting in conjunction with TGWU and USDAW with management to establish what the facts of the dispute were. Management wrote down their version.

They said that there was no dispute; that new employees had been engaged; that earlier on management in South Africa had agreed to talk with SAAWU about recognition but only alongside the Sweet Workers Union (the stooge company union) and SAAWU had refused; that the workers had dismissed themselves by not turning up for work for three days; and that they had gone on strike for refusing to do what had been a routine job for 20 years.

Did you believe them?

It didn't add up. You don't do a routine jab for 20 years and then organise a majority strike against it. If the workers were technically dismissed, then the problem is with the technicality.

What did you do next?

We had to educate the rank and file about the issue. We went through normal consulting procedures and discussed it ROUGHLY 10% of humans are left-handed, a statistic that remains remarkably constant geographically and historically.

In the past, left-handers have been looked on with suspicion, being accused variously of being devious, daft or diabolic (during witch-hunts, for example -the Latin for "left" is "sinister"). Left handedness has also been equated with clumsiness (cackhanded") while the words "dexterity" or "adroit" both • originate from "dexter" Latin for "right"

In a pseudo-scientific attempt to justify prejudice against left-handedness, Sir Cyril Burt estimated that while 5% of called for the formation of direct links between independent unions in South Africa and unions' here at all levels. We have also been unhappy about the substitution of an ineffective boycott campaign of Rowntrees products [plus writing to MPs, etc., ete] or working class solidarity.

Superticial top-level protest has, we feel, been substituted for any serious effort to mobilise British Rowntree workers as allies of their brothers and sisters in South Africa.

This interview with the senior GMWU shop steward at Rowntrees in York JOHN HARRIS shows the support for black South African •workers that exists at the grass roots level, points to problems of taking effective solidarity action and in particular shows the potential importance of forging direct inter-union links.

We cannot offer Rowntree workers a way. of corinnal cunnortino Sonth DELUDI DYE African strikers without a risk of "an insecure result" , but anti-apartheid activists can and should listen to what sympathetic workers say, map out practical plans for solidarity, and on that basis fight to convince workers, of Free Trade Unions. the International Union of Foodworkers sent us information later but it didn't add to what we knew. Were they able to provide you with enough information?

No, we were still not sure of the facts. We proposed to Rowntrees management that they fund exchange visits between the unions, for SAAWU reps to come here and for GM WU reps to go there. You asked management?

Yes, I don't see why we shouldn't get them to pay for it. But they refused anyway. We then proposed to the union head office that we should organise an exchange. formed. If we had, it would have re-affirmed my view that visits can be useful to express, solidarity and to learn the detailed facts about the struggle.

What happened next?

The national officers of the GMWU, TGWU and USDAW arranged a meeting with management. We didn't know that meeting was going to take place until after the event, so we weren't able to ask our own questions and that creates a problem.

What was the outcome of this meeting?

They put forward their demands for re-instatement, recognition of SAAWU and the workers' Ine position of the company was that they would agree to reinstate sacked workers as and when vacancies occurred. If SAAWU could demonstrate a realistic membership at the plant they would discuss this with the SWU present.

But it doesn't make sense. Having sacked so many SAAWU workers it would of course reduce the number unionised in , the plant. I think there is a condition of employment at Rowntree that workers join the SWU, but I'm not sure. What is the status dispute now?

It is registered at the national level as an official item of dispute management.

Is it possible to raise the issue locally as an official dispute?

No. It now goes through the normal bargaining procedure at the national level. It has been put on the annual round of negotiations for two years but with no visible result. What do you think is the next step?

I honestly don't know. We're hoping to do it round the negotiating table but if that doesn't work we'll have to think again.

Did you know that SAAWU put an invitation through the International Union of Foodworkers to unions here OUR Trevor Haigh's statement is useful not because we agree with him, but because he has revealed why national union officials and local level stewards have failed to offer any concrete solidarity to the Rowntree strikers. But even now this sitsation cans te SItuaLUI can bi changed.

It is plainly a scandal that the TGWU - with its telephone contact with SAAWU - and GMWU, the main Rowntree union, have called no national action. But the answer has to be a fight from shop floor level for action -preferably solidarity strike action, and blacking of supplies to the South African operation; but if necessary token stoppages, combined with a fight for action throughout Rowntree UK, to send a fact-finding delegation over to South Africa?

I am not aware of that. I am aware that SAAWU has direct telephone contact with the TGWU.

Would you tell us why you oppose the boycott?

I think it is important that British workers show solidarity with South African workers; but it's a contradiction if their unions have a successful boycott and the end effect is an insecure result for our workers. The solidarity would break down. This is not a way forward.

POLICY would be a step forward.

The TGWU should be imposing fuli-scale blacking of Rowntree not only in the food industry, but on road haulage and at the docks. TGWU national secretary Bob Harrison, like Haigh, showed sufficient interest to turn up on the march - but he too has done little or nothing in practice to mobil. ise the colossal power of his union in concrete solidarity action.

The bitter lesson of the strike is that union officials in Britain will - almost without exception - run from any fight for genuine international solidarity.

A new, revolutionary leadership is vital to expose this situation and offer real support to workers internationally in their struggle.

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