LABOUR GROUP URGES SUPPORT FOR RAILWAY STRIKERS
South Africa's largest labour
federation has issued a broad call to the country's trade union
movement to support thousands of striking black railway workers
and criticised the state-owned rail company for threatening to
replace the strikers with whites.
    Jay Naidoo, general secretary of the Congress of South
African Trade Unions (COSATU), which claims a membership of
over 600,000 workers, most of whom are black, urged labour
unions to show solidarity with the striking railwaymen, adding
that a key issue in the strike was the freedom of workers to
join trade unions of their choice.
    Naidoo criticised the government-run South African
Transport Services (SATS) for refusing to recognise the South
African Railway and Harbours Workers Union, which represents
most of the strikers.
    He also accused SATS of applying "racist labour policies," by
threatening to replace the strikers and added that the
corporation's decision had further "inflamed the dispute."
    The strike began on March 14 when workers walked out
following the railway company's refusal to go to formal
arbitration talks over the dismissal of a train driver.
    SATS says that some 13,000 workers are involved in the
stoppage, but union leaders put the number of strikers closer
to 18,000.
    The Cosatu official said a number of its affiliate unions
had resolved to "take solidarity action" and would inform South
Africa's Labour Minister of their decision. He also urged the
country's two largest employer groups, the Association of
Chambers of Commerce and the Federated Chamber of Industries,
to intervene to resolve the strike.
 REUTER
