The Railway African Workers' Union (R.A.W.U.) was a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

which represented black African railway workers employed by the

Rhodesian Railways The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), formerly Rhodesia Railways, is a state-owned company in Zimbabwe that operates the country's national railway system. It is headquartered in the city of Bulawayo. In addition to the headquarters, it has ...

History

The RAWU was formed through the merger of the

Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...

African Railway Workers Trade Union African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

(ARTWU) and the

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...

n Rhodesia Railways African Employees' Union (RRAEU) at a meeting in

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

in July 1955. Dixon Konkola, the president of the ARTWU, was elected president of the new unified body, but was prevented by the government from visiting

, despite the union being based in

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council cl ...

. The combined union had a membership of 22,000. Several key leaders in the movement for majority rule in Rhodesia were active in the RAWU, including Joshua Nkomo (General Secretary), Aaron Ndabambi Dlomo (President) and Knight Maripe (Secretary-General). Following majority rule in 1980, the RAWU became the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Railwaymen's Union (ZARU).

References

Railway labor unions Trade unions in Zimbabwe Trade unions in Zambia Trade unions established in 1949 1949 establishments in Africa {{Africa-trade-union-stub

History

Further reading

References