Browsing by Author "Goode, Richard"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A history of the Food and Canning Workers Union, 1941-1975
    (1986) Goode, Richard; Hirsch, Alan; Kaplan, David
    Canning workers were organised into the Food and Canning workers Union in large numbers when the union grew along with the growth of the South African canning industry, stimulated by the demand for canned goods during World War II. Formed in 1941, by Ray Alexander, a member of the Communist Party, the union spread into the small canning towns to become established with a base in the fruit canning districts of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and in the West coast fish canning industry. As a consequence of developing within a geographically dispersed and seasonal industry, the union assumed a particular organisational form, promoting the autonomy of branches and seasonal fluctuations in union strength. The Food and Canning Workers Union was a non-racial and militant union that brought tremendous improvements in wages, working and living conditions to the workers who joined its ranks and participated in the struggles it led. The union also played a major role in the affairs of the labour movement and participated in political campaigns that occurred in the 1940s and 1950s. Through a relationship to the Communist Party in the 1940s, to the South African Congress of Trade Unions during the mid-1950s to early 1960s, the Food and Canning Workers Union reveals an approach to politics that gave priority to the economic position of its members and also sought to contribute to broader political campaigns. This dissertation provides a critical history of the union from its inception in 1941 to 1975. The primary material that it is based upon are the records of the Food and Canning Workers Union and oral interviews.