South Africa: 

A New Union for dockers 
and other workers in Durban 

Subject: STATEMENT BY DTGWU (fwd)
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 97 06:54 SST
From: David Hemsom <dhemson@pixie.udw.ac.za>

STATEMENT ON THE LAUNCH OF NEW UNION FOR DOCKERS AND OTHER WORKERS IN DURBAN 16 NOVEMBER 1997

The dock workers of Durban have resolved to form a union with the
proposed name of the Democratic Transport and General Workers Union to
represent their interests and those of many thousands of workers in the
transport and general sector. The union will campaign to end casual
labour, to build good labour conditions, and to finally do away with the
cheap labour which has characteristed capitalism in South Africa. The
union will give particular attention to the needs of the millions of
unemployed workseekers in South Africa many of whom are working in all
forms of short term contract and casual labour. When the workers of South
Africa have succeeded in fighting for jobs, a living wage and decent
conditions, many of the horrors of life in South Africa of crime,
homelessness, and violence will also be solved.

The union is formed around the idea that workers solidarity has to be
built and rebuilt nationally and internationally. The Liverpool
dockerswho have been on strike for almost three years have been held up
only through the solidarity in the form of moral support and funds from
workers in the United States, Denmark, France, and many other countries.
The Australian maritime workers who are under attack by a right-wing
government determined to take away the labour rights they have enjoyed
for decades depend on the support they can get from other workers. In
both cases thesse workers have given generously in the struggle against
apartheid. They deserve the support of the South African workers.

The union has been formed after the workers decided that there was no
alternative. For years the dock casual workers have not been regarded as
members of the TGWU and have not felt welcome in the offices. They were
not surprised when Willie Cirah, the docks organiser for the TGWU in
Durban who represents their interests was suspended by the national
officials early last month. Through his work Willie has organised the
dock casual workers for the first time in the history of the Durban
docks. Through his efforts and the work of other organisers in the
sector, negotiations for the National Docks Labour Scheme are succeeding.
The Scheme will bring to an end casual labour and labour brokering in the
Durban docks. His suspension by the natioanl officials after Willie stood
as branch secretary for the Southern Natal branch undermined the Scheme
and has brought about disorganisation among the dockers. It is
unfortunately clear that the national officials are determined not to
resolve the suspension through conciliation but by forcing through all
kinds of wild disciplinary charges and by refusing to pay Willie's wage.
There is clearly a political attack on a comrade who dares to express a
socialist point of view on the issues of our time.

The new union is being launched only after long discussions among the
workers who have decided that the TGWU leadership has abandoned the dock
workers and effectively dismissed the only organiser who has fought for
them. The new union will reorganise the workers. It will aim to support
all the campaigns of COSATU to bring about decent basic conditions of
employment, for trade union rights on the farms and in domestic service,
and for jobs and a living wage. Unfortunately we have found many of the
union leaders to be more concerned with union investments and profits
than with theconditions of the workers. Many unions are now characterised
by undemocratic and corrupt practices which make them far from being the
worker-controlled bodies they are meant to be. Willie Cirah's suspension,
for instance, was simply faxed through to the employers without the
workers even being informed. We call on COSATU workers and leaders to
rededicate the movement to the idea of worker control of unions and an
end to the many suspensions and attacks on comrades who express the view
a genuine socialist perspective. We also appeal for international
solidarity with the Liverpool and Australian dockers: if their struggle
succeeds so will ours.

The new union appeals to the TGWU leadership to reconsider the hostile
attitude towards the dock casual workers in Durban and to Willie Cirah.
We have had to go our own way because the leadership has given us no
other option. We are prepared to work with the leadership in common
campaigns in relation to the cleaners, to security guards, and to secure
decent conditions for drivers. We can work together and reunite if the
TGWU leadership is prepared.

FORWARD WITH WORKERS UNITY!
FOR WORKERS DEMOCRACY AND SOCIALISM!
FOR INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY!

REPORT ON THE LAUNCH OF THE DEMOCRATIC TGWU, DURBAN, SUNDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 1997

At an enthusiastic rally of 2000 dockers the Democratic TGWU, a new union
representing dockers and other harbour workers was launched last Sunday.
The launch was marked by greetings from socialist organisations and many
militant speeches from the workers present.

Highlights from the meeting were greetings from Jo Higgins, Socialist
Party MP in Ireland, and speeches from comrades of the Socialist
Alternative, the Marxist affiliate of the Committee for the Workers
International. Fally Veeran, the national organiser of the cleaners in
the TGWU, 3000 of whom are presently on strike gave a stirring call for
solidarity. These workers have come out on strike against their contracts
being terminated by the Department of Education in an IMF inspired
series of budget cuts.

Painters, chippers and sanders from the dry docks; lashers in the
containerport, stevedores of all kinds, tally clerks, crane drivers,
winchmen, workshop and warehouse workers were all present. Their
contributions showed a determination to build a fighting and worker
controlled union and their support for Willie Cirah who has been
suspended by the TGWU bureaucracy from negotiating on behalf of the
workers. These workers, casuals and permanents, lined up to give
declarations of support from every major company in the docks.

There were workers dressed in traditional Zulu dress, some in rastafarian
hairstyles, some smartly dressed others in work overals, many in their
hard hats: all had come to celebrate a new beginning.

There were contributions from workers form other unions who complained
that their unions had become capitalist organisations with many officials
now employers and directors of companies. They were determined that this
new union would be genuinely worker-controlled and the creation of the
workers themselves.


Willie Cirah, a former tally clerk dismissed for leading a strike in
1991, and the organiser of the Democratic TGWU, explained how he had been
suspended by the TGWU bureaucracy for being a supporter of the Marxist
tendency and fighting for the dockers' cause.

"This union will campaign to end casual labour, to build good labour
conditions, and to finally do away with the cheap labour which has
characteristed capitalism in South Africa. We will give particular
attention to the needs of the millions of unemployed workseekers in South
Africa many of whom are working in all forms of short term contract and
casual labour. When the workers of South Africa have succeeded in
fighting for jobs, a living wage and decent conditions, many of the
horrors of life in South Africa of crime, homelessness, and violence will
also be solved.

"The union is formed around the idea that workers solidarity has to be
built and rebuilt nationally and internationally." Willie pledged
solidarity with other workers nationally and internationally and gave
support for the Liverpool and Australian dockers.

He said that the worekrs had to build organisations to represent
themselves both industrially and poitically. At the moment they were
divided in their loyalties between different parties (IFP, PAC, NP and
ANC) and the matter had to be resolved by the formation of a genuine
workers' party.

Skumbuso Ndumndum spoke on behalf of the Socialist Alternative. He said
Socialist Alternative stood for the defence of socialist ideas when many
workers organisations were failing to represent the real needs of the
workers. The funds from the organisation which had been loaned to the
union had been collected by workers who were committed to building a
workers' party and fighting for socialism. Without a workers' party the
workers would be prey to the middle class leadership of the various
parties which were committed to capitalism.

Other speakers provided a historical perspective: "The black dock workers
of Durban have lived in oppression fromthe 1870s. They have fought, under
great leaders like Zulu Phungula, and seen these fellow workers banished
from the city. Now at last was the chance to give their story a happy
ending with an end to cheap labour through the new union," said David
Hemson, writer and photographer of the Durban dockers.

The successful launch of the Democratic TGWU is of great significance for
the SA workers' movement and marks the beginning of the rebuilding and
re-emergence of workers' democracy in the labour movement which in its
leadership is often characterised by scepticism and a hostility to
genuine socialism and democracy.


David Hemson
Social Policy Program
University of Durban-Westville
Private Bag X54001
DURBAN 4000

Tel: 031 204 4752
Sec: 031 204 4670
Fax: 031 204 4535

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