Yours for the Union: Class and Community Struggles in South Africa

Description

“Yours for the Union stands as a landmark history of the making of the black working class in South Africa. Drawing on a wide range of sources, it covers the crucial period of 1930–47, when South Africa's rapid industrialisation led to the dramatic growth of the working class, and uncontrolled urbanisation resulted in vast shanty towns which became a focal point for resistance and protest. Importantly, Hirson was one of the first historians to go beyond the traditional focus on the mines and factory workplaces, broadening his account to include the lesser known community struggles of the urban ghettoes and rural reserves. Written by an author with first-hand involvement in South African labour struggles, Yours for the Union broke new ground with its account of the effort to mobilise urban squatters, domestic workers and rural peasants, and remains an indispensable resource for the study of the South African labour movement.” Front Cover African History Archive About the Author Title Page Copyright Contents Photographs and Illustrations Foreword by Tom Lodge Abbreviations Preface 1. The African Worker: Class and Community The Growth of an Urban Community Community, Identity, Class Struggle The Search for an African Working Class The War and the Working Class Notes 2. Desperately Lean Times: The Socio-Economic Background A People Trapped in Depression South Africa during the Depression Unemployed ••• and Unemployable The 'Golden' Road to Recovery Boom Time – Boom Town The 'Casualness' of Urban Employment War, Industry and the Economy Notes 3. Industrial Legislation and Minimum Wages 'Civilised' Labour The Wage Act of 1925 The Amended Wage Act From Wage Boards to Union Organisation Notes 4. Rebuilding the African Unions, 1932–40 Trade Unions in the Colonies Organising the Work Force The State of the Unions, 1930–35 New Beginnings Max Gordon and the Liberals Gordon's Victories and Ultimate Downfall Notes 5. Organising Domestic Servants Cheeky Servants Must Go! 'House-Boys' and 'House-Girls' Unions for Domestic Servants A Case of Corruption? The Union of 100 Notes 6. Vereeniging: 'To Hell with the Pick-up!' A 'Lack of Organisation'? From 'Old Location' to Sharpevilie Law and Disorder in the Location 'To Hell with the Pick-Up!' The First Riot The Second Riot White Town ― Black Location The Aftermath Working-Class Action Notes 7. The Politics of War and the Black Working Class Indifference Recruits for the Army Division on the Left African Responses to the War Subversion? The War and the Unions The Strike Wave of 1941–42 The March against Passes Notes 8. Trade Unions in Struggle The African Distributive Workers Daniel Koza ― Trade Unionist Strike in the Coal Yards The Council of Non-European Trade Unions The Right to Strike Notes 9. Organising Under War Conditions Yours for the Union 'How to Get Higher Wages' The 31 Workers of Oliphantshoek Marabastad: The Troops Move in Splits and Expulsions Notes 10. Rural Protest and Rural Revolt Urban Organisations ― Rural Constituents The Bakwena-Ba-Mogopa Committee Land and Land Apportionment 'Betterment', and Much Worse Maliba's 'Seven-Point Programme' The Five Morgen Limit on Land A State of Permanent Instability The Balemi Silenced Notes 11. Azikwhelwa! ― We Shall Not Ride The Road to Alexandra The First Boycott New Political Combinations Findings of the Commission of Enquiry The African Democratic Party The Fifty Day Walk The Meaning of Victory Notes 12. Umagebule ― The Slicer Orlando, the 'Model' Township The Sofasonke ('We Shall All Die') Movement The 'Slicers' New Squatters, Uew Leaders A Priest at 'Tobruk' Communists at the Tail End A Rent Strike and Riot: The End of the Road Notes 13. Organising the Migrant Workers Egoli, the Golden City Compound Organisation Organising the 'Unorgauisable' Migrant Workers and the VFP The Witwatersrand Mine Native Wages Commission Action and Reaction: Strike One! Action and Reaction ― Approaching Strike Two Notes 14. The 1946 Miners' Strike August 1946 Strike! Congress and the Strike Unions in Trouble Disintegration of the Unions Facing the Future Notes 15. Conclusion Bibliography Index