Industrial Workers of the World (South Africa)
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The Industrial Workers of the World (South Africa) or IWW (SA) had a brief but notable history in the 1910s-20s, and is particularly noted for its influence on the
syndicalist Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the left-wing of the labor movement that seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of pr ...
movement in
southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...
through its promotion of the IWW's principles of
industrial unionism Industrial unionism is a trade union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union, regardless of skill or trade, thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in ...
, solidarity, and
direct action Direct action originated as a political activist term for economic and political acts in which the actors use their power (e.g. economic or physical) to directly reach certain goals of interest, in contrast to those actions that appeal to oth ...
, as well as its role in the creation of organizations such as the
Industrial Workers of Africa Anarchism in South Africa dates to the 1880s, and played a major role in the labour and socialist movements from the turn of the twentieth century through to the 1920s. The early South African anarchist movement was strongly syndicalist. The as ...
and the
Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union The Industrial and Commercial Union (ICU) was a trade union and mass-based popular political movement in southern Africa. It was influenced by the syndicalist politics of the Industrial Workers of the World (adopting the IWW Preamble in 1925) ...
.


History


Background

Founded in 1905, the IWW attempted to gather together some of the most radical currents in the American labour movement, ranging from the militant Western Federation of Miners under the leadership of
"Big Bill" Haywood William Dudley "Big Bill" Haywood (February 4, 1869 – May 18, 1928) was an American labor organizer and founding member and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and a member of the executive committee of the Socialist Party of A ...
, to anarchists such as
Lucy Parsons Lucy Eldine Gonzalez Parsons (born Lucia Carter; 1851 – March 7, 1942) was an American labor organizer, radical socialist and anarcho-communist. She is remembered as a powerful orator. Parsons entered the radical movement following her marriag ...
, to
Eugene V. Debs Eugene Victor "Gene" Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American socialism, socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and five times the candidate ...
and his
Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of Ameri ...
. While this political eclecticism would cause a number of splits in the union, by the 1910s it would begin to develop into a distinct "global and transnational current" of its own within the American and international left, most closely aligned to the syndicalist movement, especially the anarcho-syndicalists who would later form the International Workers' Association (IWA). This would influence the IWW's position in South Africa significantly. In particular, the question of race in worker organizing in South Africa under
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
would heavily influence the direction of different organizations, with some organizations being explicitly white-only, others predominantly black, and others making attempts at truly multiracial organizing. The IWW had significant experience in multiracial organizing in the United States through its support for the multiracial Brotherhood of Timber Workers, as well as IWW Local 8 in Philadelphia, which organized longshoremen. The celebrated multiracial local, in turn, had strong ties to the Marine Transport Workers Industrial Union (MTWIU), an industrial union which formed a component of the broader IWW. The MTWIU created a point of contact between the continentally-based IWW and radical sailors and dockworkers in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. South African port cities such as
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
became home to radical syndicalist currents which were strongly integrated into the international socialist and syndicalist movement.


Predecessors

Returning to England from Australia, the famous English trade unionist Tom Mann helped to found a general union for industrial workers in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
in 1910. Though he made concessions to the rights of native South African peoples, the resulting organization was aimed primarily at white workers, something for which Mann would be heavily criticized. In addition, Mann cooperated heavily with existing craft unions, embodied by the local Trades Council. After Mann left, the union was reorganized, renamed itself to the Industrial Workers of the World (South Africa), adopted the IWW's famous Preamble as its creed, and contacted the IWW's General Headquarters in Chicago in the hopes of formal affiliation with the mainline IWW.


Prime years

The IWW (SA) established a stronghold in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
in June 1910 with a Scottish immigrant, Andrew Dunbar, as its first general secretary. Dunbar had immigrated to South Africa in 1906 and worked on railways in Natal as a blacksmith, but had been blacklisted as a result of leading a mass strike in 1909. After finding work on the Johannesburg tramways, Dunbar immediately went about organizing the predominantly white workers there. A major strike was waged in 1911 and won despite intense police repression. Despite this success, Dunbar, an anarchist, was ousted from his position under accusations of "intolerance, unpredictable behavior and intemperate attacks on comrades" in February 1912. Some accounts characterize this as a purge perpetrated by a faction led by
Archie Crawford Archibald Crawford (1883 – 23 December 1924) was a Scottish-born South African trade union leader. Born in Glasgow, Crawford completed an apprenticeship as a fitter, before joining the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, after ...
, the editor of Johannesburg's left-wing ''Voice of Labour'' newspaper. Crawford, a parliamentary socialist, was convinced that the IWW should affiliate itself with United Socialist Party in contradiction with the union's principles and Dunbar, in opposition to this idea, fell victim to Crawford's growing influence. Crawford would eventually abandon the idea of formal USP affiliation but became a leading figure in the union, going on a world tour speaking on behalf of the IWW (SA) and establishing closer contact to IWW sections in Australia and the United States. By 1913, the IWW would be organizing miners at the New Kleinfontein gold mine and staging a strike which would belatedly be joined into by the Transvaal Federation of Labour, which declared an industry-wide mining strike. The Transvaal provincial government responded by banning mass meetings and in the ensuing violence, 31 workers were killed. Striking miners responded by burning down a number of buildings in protest, as well as looting stores. The South African government targeted IWW leadership by deporting Crawford and many other socialists and prominent figures in the workers' movement in 1914, as well as blacklisting many others. This exodus of IWW figures from South Africa would lead to interesting outcomes: for example, Tom Glynn, a major figure in the Johannesburg tram workers' strike, would be a defendant in the infamous
Sydney Twelve The Sydney Twelve were members of the Industrial Workers of the World arrested on 23 September 1916 in Sydney, Australia, and charged with treason under the ''Crimes Act 1900'' (NSW) Treason-Felony. which incorporated the Treason Felony Act 1848, ...
trial for sedition in Australia due to his opposition to the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Nevertheless, the IWW in South Africa would swiftly decline after its peak in 1911-13. By 1922, the IWW had completely disappeared from South Africa as an organization, but its ideas and methods would be adopted by a number of different groups with varying agendas and political positions. Archie Crawford returned to the country and became secretary of a new organization, the white-dominated South African Industrial Federation, while Andrew Dunbar attempted to start an Industrial Socialist League modelled along IWW lines. DeLeonist factions also tried to start a new organization along the lines of the
Workers' International Industrial Union The Workers' International Industrial Union (WIIU) was a Revolutionary Industrial Union headquartered in Detroit in 1908 by radical trade unionists closely associated with the Socialist Labor Party of America, headed by Daniel DeLeon. The organiz ...
(WIIU, itself a splinter from the original IWW), but were crushed by the South African government despite having the vocal support from Zulu nationalists and anti-apartheid groups.


Successors

The IWW (SA)'s immediate successor was the Industrial Workers of Africa (IWA), which was formed out of the work of Andrew Dunbar's Industrial Socialist League. The ISL gained prominence as the First World War came to a close, and deepened ties between the coastal, largely white syndicalist movement, and native South Africans. In particular, the ISL would adopt one of its first native African leaders, Thomas William ("T. W.") Thibedi. Born in
Vereeniging Vereeniging () is a town located in the south of Gauteng province, South Africa, situated where the Klip River empties into the northern loop of the Vaal River. It is also one of the constituent parts of the Vaal Triangle region and was formerly si ...
, Thibedi was the son of a
Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...
minister and worked as a teacher at a church school in Johannesburg. After joining the ISL in 1916, Thibedi became involved in attempts to reform the mainstream South African trade unions, which generally were only open to whites. After being unable to make significant reforms, in late 1917 Thibedi and Dunbar helped to form the Industrial Workers of Africa. The IWA adopted the slogan "Sifuna Zonke!" ("We want everything!") and immediately set about publishing propaganda materials and trying to push the conservative Transvaal Native Congress to more radical positions. In 1918, in response to the jailing in Johannesburg of 152 striking African workers, the IWA announced a general strike set for July 2. The IWA, believing the move to be premature, would call off the strike, yet thousands of miners would participate anyway. In response, the South African government would accuse three prominent IWA leaders of "incitement to public violence", resulting in two of them, Rueben Cetiwe and Hamilton Kraai, losing their jobs. Unfazed, the two radicals would shift in 1919 to campaigning against the racist
pass law Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places *Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland * Pass, Poland, a village in Poland *Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits *Mountain pass, a lower place in a mountai ...
s which were enforced against native Africans under South Africa's apartheid system. With T. W. Thibedi leading the IWA in Johannesburg, Cetiwe and Kraai moved to
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
, where they established a second IWA branch. The Cape Town IWA began organizing dockworkers and helped to organize a multiracial strike along with two local unions, the Industrial and Commercial Union and the National Union of Railways and Harbour Servants. The strike was a failure, but would lay the groundwork for the amalgamation in 1921 of the IWA and a number of other black unions into the
Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union The Industrial and Commercial Union (ICU) was a trade union and mass-based popular political movement in southern Africa. It was influenced by the syndicalist politics of the Industrial Workers of the World (adopting the IWW Preamble in 1925) ...
(ICU), which embodied both syndicalism and Garveyism in South Africa. Quickly spreading to modern-day
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
,
Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
, and
Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
, the ICU adopted a preamble similar to the IWW's and presented the One Big Union concept as its model for the reorganization of southern African society. With a base among poor sharecroppers and black urban communities, it was more well-positioned for growth than white-dominated organizations, and boasted 100,000 members in 1927. Though the American IWW was consistently supportive of the ICU and chronicled its victories and tribulations in the '' Industrial Worker'', the principles of the two unions diverged as the ICU began to rely more heavily on the (white-run) court system and to recast itself as moderate and orthodox syndicalist, as opposed to the IWW's emphasis on direct action. Despite this moderate turn, the ICU would be severely repressed by the South African government and its loose organizational structure led to an unaccountable, corrupt leadership. The union steadily declined and would collapse in the 1930s, though its Zimbabwean section would prosper well into the 1950s. Meanwhile, the South African Industrial Federation had become increasingly white-oriented, though Archie Crawford continued to applaud the work of the ICU. Rather than primarily supporting black workers or attempting to unite black and white workers (as the IWW had done in the United States), the SAIF sought to establish quotas for whites in well-paying jobs, and fought with defensive strikes when the quotes were broken as employers used (primarily black)
scab labour A strikebreaker (sometimes called a scab, blackleg, or knobstick) is a person who works despite a strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who were not employed by the company before the trade union dispute but hired after or during the str ...
to undermine the more highly-paid white workforce. This stance was exemplified by one of the white miners' slogans, "Workers of the World, Unite and Fight for a White South Africa". The IWW in the United States resoundingly condemned the SAIF's efforts at "white" unionism and compared it to the American Federation of Labor's efforts to maintain a white "labor aristocracy" in the United States. In any case, the SAIF's situation would prove untenable, as it would collapse under the weight of its failed strikes and be replaced by the
South African Trades Union Council The South African Trades Union Congress (TUC) was a national trade union federation in South Africa. The council was established in 1924, as the South African Association of Employees' Organisations. It was founded at a special congress, held afte ...
, which was run under Communist Party control and emphasized white skilled crafts over black and white "unskilled" labourers, following the Trades Union Council (TUC) model common in the British Empire at the time, thus fully reconstituting the white South African labour movement on a non-syndicalist, non-revolutionary basis.


Legacy

By the mid-20th century, the SACP and later,
Communist Party of South Africa The South African Communist Party (SACP) is a communist party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), tactically dissolved itself in 1950 in the face of being declared illegal by the governing Na ...
(CPSA) would begin to write official histories of the South African labour movement, and establish a tradition of presenting all socialist groups before the Communist Party's formation as "oblivious to the country’s pressing racial problems or (at worst) overtly racist." The IWW's focus on labourers regardless of race, as opposed to skilled craftsmen, would be borne out by the growth of successors such as the ICU, despite their official repression.


Revival attempts

After the dissolution of the Workers Solidarity Federation (WSF) in 1999, anarchist and syndicalist currents reformed into a number of different projects, such as Zabalaza Books (which published and printed pro-IWW literature), the Bikisha Media Collective, and the
Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front The Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front (ZACF, also known as ZabFront or simply as Zabalaza), formerly known as the Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Federation (ZabFed), is a platformist–especifista anarchist political organisation in South ...
(ZACF). Among these was a Durban-based South African Regional Organising Committee of the IWW, which was the first time in almost a hundred years that a South African organization had been directly linked to the General Administration of the IWW. This would prove to be short-lived, however, as the committee soon dissolved. Another attempt at a South African IWW, this time based in
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
in the early 2010s, had similar results. As of late 2016, the IWW has no official presence in South Africa.


References

{{Greater Johannesburg, hist Defunct trade unions in South Africa Trade unions established in 1910 Syndicalism in South Africa Trade unions based in Johannesburg