Strike wave rocks apartheid

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metal industry, which industrial port Richards Bay exploits about 400,000 was last month hit by strikes black workers, has also been in the docks, in the aluminhit by a wave of wage strikes ium smelting plant, and on As weli as these major and increasingly organised strikes, there is other ongo- black workers' movement is ing strike action across the pushing forward in struggle country. For example, the against its terrible poverty MILITANT black carworkers in South Africa have come out on a month's strike over wages.

About 15,000 workers came out last Thursday July 15 at the Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen plants in the Port Elizabeth industrial area. The workers have rejected a 7.5% offer from the regional employers' council.

The existing minimum wage is £1 per hour. Workers are demanding £1.75 as a minimum living wage.

The carworkers have a history of militant struggle. In a series of strikes from 1980 throughout the motor industry, the workers have built a strong union organisation on the shop floor and have won significant wage rises.

As with most of the recent strikes, this latest mass strike has been mounted by the workers themselves, using the organised strength they have built. It follows recent smaller strikes in the industry, over redundancies and victimisations.

Last month about 500 workers in the Volkswagen paint shop went on strike for the reinstatement of a victimised shop steward. This followed another strike by the whole black workforce at Volkswagen in May. The workers were striking for the reinstatement of 316 workers made redundant.

Such militant action shows that workers are not prepared to accept the wage cuts and job losses that the bosses are demanding. After an unprecedented period of boom, the motor industry is running into a crisis of profits. Last year 301,000 cars and 115,000 trucks were sola. This year the figures are expected to drop to 275,000 and 135,000.

Under these conditions bosses are desperately seek.. ing to protect profits at the expense of workers.

The strike action may well spread and develop in the motor industry and among other workers in the Port Elizabeth area. The carworkers' mass strike is part of a wave of mass action also mobilised in other industries and areas.

Workers: are striking despite massive repression and despite the fact that unemployment is 20 to 25%.

Only weeks ago, at least 30,000 black mineworkers came out on strike in protest against a wage offer that meant cuts in the already starvation level of wages.

The mining industry exIn the forefront - both well unionised carworkers and miners who are banned from unionising by law ploits a huge black workforce of 700,000, and the bosses were desperate to ensure that the strike did not pread. At least ten workers were shot dead, and thous. ands were sacked:

The largest section of manufacturing industry, the in recent months. building sites. The militant and oppression under the bosses' apartheid system.

The bosses and their goyernment are. growing more and more desperate to control this movement and protect profits at a time of deepening economic crisis.

As the struggle grows sharper, the black workers' movement needs maximum support from the international workers' movement and from our labour movement in particular. This is espécially true in cases where South African workers are on strike in subsidiaries of firms also based in Britain, for example Ford.

Workers at Ford Britain could mobilise appropriate supporting action, with blacking and protest strikes, to help the struggle of the workers at Ford South Africa.

Trucks

Some Ford light trucks are exported to Britain from South Africa, and Ford workers and dockers are in a position to organise blacking in support of the strike.

Last Monday, July 13, a call was made at the UN fol the international labour movement to take solidarity action in protest at the repression and victimisation of the South African mineworkers.

Leaving aside the hypo. crisy involved when some black African governments verbally support South Afri can workers, this is an important call and should be taken up as widely as possible.

For example, a period of protest blacking action against goods to and from South Africa, or protest action by NUM workers - any solidarity action taken by our labour movement will strengthen the morale and the struggle of our brothers and sisters in South Africa.

It is necessary for leaders in the labour movement to turn words into action, and to campaign and organise for working class solidarity action.

Black Sea SOVIET SOVIET UNION TURKEY SYRIA Arbil Kirkuk.

Baghdade IRAN

IRAQ