Merlin Press Ltd. THE HISTORY OF BLACK MINEWORKERS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Volume 1: MINING IN SOUTH AFRICA & THE GENESIS OF APARTHEID: 1871-1948
by V.L. Allen
South Africa's prosperity was built on the wealth dragged out of the ground by mine workers: the first volume of three runs up to the defeat of the mineworkers' strike in 1946 and the election of the first Nationalist Party government. Key Features include:
Information on the early days of the industry from slavery to compound labour.
Explanation of the coercive forces that drove workers to the mines and of the creation of a permanent supply of cheap black labour.
Strikes and Protests from the 1920s to 1946.
With 35 b/w drawings & photos, 2 b/w map, 3 tables, xx+491pp. 223x 143mm.
ISBN. 0850365651
2005 Hardback

REVIEWS OF THE FIRST VOLUME:

well researched and packed with detail.
Morning Star

This history is unique. It is essential reading.
The Miner

The strength of the book is its stress on the resistance by black people.
International Socialism Journal

An inspiring story of heroism and resistance.
T&G Record

one of the most convincing explanations for the development, maintenance and control of cheap labour supply for the mines.
Sunday Times (South Africa)

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Price: £40.00

Volume 2: APARTHEID REPRESSION AND DISSENT IN THE MINES: 1948-1982
by V.L. Allen
Surveys developments from the establishment of the Apartheid state to 1982 when it was being challenged in the mines, factories and townships. After the Soweto Revolt, the government slowly began to compromise and by 1982 the conditions were present for the formation of a new union for black mineworkers.
Key Features include studies of:
Recruitment, harsh working conditions and work-related deaths and injuries, including a detailed account of the Coalbrook Colliery disaster in 1960 when 437 were killed.
A wave of dissent by black students and industrial workers arose in the 1970s. The Guardian newspaper conducted a successful wages campaign for black workers. Black mineworkers joined the protesters in 1973-1976 when more than 200 of them were killed. These protests were followed by the Soweto uprising, by township violence and by a state response that was both oppressive and conciliatory.
The development of a career black mine labour force in the period up to 1982.
24 illustrations. xx+489pp,
ISBN. 085036566X
2005 Hardback

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Price: £40.00

Volume 3: ORGANISE OR DIE: 1982-1994
by V.L. Allen
The formation of the National Union of Mineworkers in 1982, its aim for solidarity amongst mineworkers, opposition from the Chamber of Mines and the struggle for survival after the strike defeat by the Anglo American Corporation in 1987. As the crisis of Apartheid intensified the NUM played a crucial role in winning support for both the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party. It aided both organisations by re-creating their infra-structures through the provision of accommodation, national and local officials and finance
Key Features include:
The Human costs of mining: housing, women, HIV/AIDS and the ongoing impact of Asbestosis, compensation.
The NUM and the crisis in Apartheid: the formation of COSATU, its adoption of the Freedom Charter and the emergence of Workerism, violence and assassinations in eastern Transvaal and KwaZulu Natal. Mine disasters, strikes and violent internecine struggles. Political conflicts and developments leading to the first democratic election in 1994.
Vic Allen was present in South Africa for much of this period and had unique access to leaders and documents behind the scenes.
2 Maps, 5 tables, 39 b/w illus, 223x 143mm; xxxiii+746pp.
ISBN. 0850365678
2005 Hardback

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Price: £50.00

THE HISTORY OF BLACK MINEWORKERS IN SOUTH AFRICA: 3 VOLUME SET
Save £30 when you buy all three volumes.
ISBN. 0850365694

Price: £100.00