S. Africa Rail Firm to Rehire 17,000 Blacks

The state-run transport company agreed today to rehire the more than 17,000 black rail workers fired during a violent three-month strike, union leaders said.

Jay Naidoo, general secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, hailed the development as “a major victory for railway workers . . . a victory over apartheid arrogance.”

Naidoo’s organization is the country’s largest labor federation and represents more than 650,000 black workers, including those who went on strike in mid-March against the South African Transport Service.

During the strike, six union members were killed by police, and five blacks who continued to work for the transport service were killed, allegedly by members or supporters of the union.

No Loss of Benefits

In late April, the transport service fired more than 17,000 strikers, and its subsequent offer to rehire dismissed employees on an individual basis had been largely ignored.

Under the agreement announced today, the strikers will not get pay for the days they missed work, but they won’t lose any benefits as a result of the strike.

The agreement also guarantees that members of the rail workers’ union who are in detention will be given back their jobs upon release. The union’s president and its chief spokesman are among the estimated 200 members being detained without charge.

According to Naidoo, a major reason the transport service decided to rehire the strikers was that they were “a fairly skilled work force, not easily replaced.”

He said the company had agreed to spend about $5 million to upgrade conditions at hostels where many black rail workers live. He also noted that Transport Minister Eli Louw agreed to end a policy of giving only white workers permanent status.