Labour Problems in Rhodesia: A Trade Union Viewpoint

Abstract

I have been invited to address this symposium on labour problems in Rhodesia from the point of view of an African trade unionist, but although my primary concern is with the well-being of the members of our trade unions, I find it impossible to divorce the problems that trade union members face from those faced by the whole of Rhodesia’s African population. Labour problems originate out of the entire economic structure of the country, and cannot be adequately discussed on a sectional or piecemeal level. My paper will therefore attempt to survey the problems insofar as they affect all African workers in the country, and suggest ways and means by which we can mount a comprehensive offensive against these serious and urgent problems.