SA dockers join international day of action

In September 1995, 500 Liverpool dock workers were locked out by the bosses after refusing to cross a picket-line mounted by dockers on strike against sub-contracting and retrenchments. Today, these workers still locked out.

A central part of their fight has been to build international workers unity. In January 20 1997, there was an international day of action at 105 ports in 27 countries.

On September 8, 1997, there was a second day of action. Ports were shut down in Australia, Holland, Sweden, and USA. Other actions took place in Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, India, Japan, France, Canada, and Ireland.

In South Africa, thousands of workers attended a mass rally in Durban, and there was a national day of port action in support of dockers' struggles in Australia and Liverpool. In August, the Transport and General Workers Union launched a solidarity boycott of exports to Liverpool and Sheerness ports. The TGWU expressed strong support for the Liverpool workers, recalling how these comrades blocked imports of South African and Namibian uranium in 1988 as part of the struggle against apartheid.

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