LEATHER WORKERS VICTORY

LEATHER the two year old "clean up" struggle of Leather workers In Pietermaritzburg reached a new peak as the overwhelming majority of more than a thousand workers voted against the Benefit Fund Committee that had been nominated by supporters of the National Union af Leather Workers (NULW).

rhe ballot took place on Saturday 29th November at :he Royal showgrounds following a court s e t t l e nent in a case brought by ;he elected "clean up :ommittee" against the rUCSA affiliated NULW and Xs branch secretary Mr. 'uckree Gooriah. Workers packed into the ihowground meeting c h a i r id by Mr. Brian Law, a ienior Natal advocate Workers had to after pass i credentials committee i n s i s t i n g of the legal •epresentatives of both sides. rhe meeting burst forth jubilantly after waiting nearly two hours for the ballot papers to be countid a n d it was finally announced that the FO5ATU supported "clean up" ;ommittee had " romped tome in a landslide

WORKERS victory. The announcement was a new step in a two year struggle to 'have several alleged i r r e g u l a r i t i e s in the fund investigated by workers after alarming allegations of maladministration and corruption were brought to l i g h t . One of the most important elements of the open struggle which developed was the i r r e g u l a r i t y of two changes made to the fund's constitution. The fund was established by leather workers in Pieter-

VICTORY maritzburg in I960 and was entirely non-racial until 1976 when the constitution was quietly c h a n g ed by the TUCSA union benefit fund committee to exclude African workers. A further irregularity (now conceded) came in March t h i s year when that union tried to usurp control of the fund by changing the constitution a g a i n . A certificate was put up to the Registrar in both cases stating the amendments were done in accordance with the rules

(Cont - Page 4)

'Clean u p " c o n m i t t e e men b e f o r e c o u r t

settlement

LEATHER VICTORY of t h e fund b u t t h i s now seems h i g h l y u n l i k e l y . The f i g h t for t h e truth h a s been t o u g h . C l e a n - u p committee members were suspended from NULW membership, had court interdicts stopping them holding meetings a n d were pressured by employers. The NULW c o n t i n u a l l y d e f e n d e d i t s a c t i o n s by t r y ing to d i s c r e d i t i t s c r i t i c s by linking them to FOSATU. However w o r k e r s d i d ' n t seem to see t h i s a s a problem a t a l l . Mr. G o o r i a h left the s h o w ground meeting abruptly when he r e a l i s e d he a n d h i s committee h a d been t r o u n c e d . When c o n t a c t e d b y FWN t h e n e x t d a y h o w ever he was already p l a n n i n g on how to s t a y on in f u n d . "I am more t h a n h a p p y to work w i t h the new committee" he said. Asked w h e t h e r he would c o - o p e r a t e with an i n v e s t i g a t i o n by t h e new commit t e e he s a i d " I ' l l h a v e to w o n ' t 1 b u t i t s a n awful

( c o n t . from Page

1.)

w a s t e . The fund h a s a l r e a d y s p e n t R30 000 i n vestigating. That money c o u l d h a v e b e e n u s e d for benefits foV the workers". In a tough reply a "clean up" committee trustee B r o t h e r N. N a i c k e r s a i d : "One of t h e f i r s t t h i n g s we a r e g o i n g to do i s i n v e s t i g a t e w h a t t h a t R30 000 w a s spent on a n d who authorised the expenditure. We've had much more t h a n we c a n take a n d we a r e not g o i n g to l e a v e a stone u n t u r n e d . Justice is g o i n g to be done a n d s e e n to be done in t h e new y e a r " . One worker spokesman summed up t h e s i t u a t i o n in t h e following w a y : " I t seems c l e a r now t h a t t h e o l d e r t y p e of c o n s e r v ative trade unionism which r e l y m a i n l y on t h e a c t i v i t i e s of few o f f i c i a l s and organisers will be forced to g i v e way to d e m a n d s of more c o n t r o l from t h e s h o p floor by workers".