Nomonde Ngubo held a news conference on June 13 at the City Hall Press Room to announce results of a June 11 labor conference on South Africa held at the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) in Chicago. Ngubo is a founding member of the National Union of Mineworkers, South Africa's largest union, and an International Representative of the United Mine Workers in Washington, D.C., where she works to build international labor solidarity and to coordinate the work of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), South Africa's largest labor federation, with U.S. unions. She reported to Illinois union representatives on last week's strike by COSATU, the largest general...
Nomonde Ngubo held a news conference on June 13 at the City Hall Press Room to announce results of a June 11 labor conference on South Africa held at the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) in Chicago. Ngubo is a founding member of the National Union of Mineworkers, South Africa's largest union, and an International Representative of the United Mine Workers in Washington, D.C., where she works to build international labor solidarity and to coordinate the work of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), South Africa's largest labor federation, with U.S. unions. She reported to Illinois union representatives on last week's strike by COSATU, the largest general strike in South Africa's history. At the press conference, Alderman Danny K. Davis called for the City Council to again ask Congress for Comprehensive Sanctions against South Africa and to ensure that the City of Chicago does not do any business with corporations which operate in South Africa. Union leaders and members adopted an intensified plan of action to support trade unions in South Africa and anti-apartheid action in Illinois. Unions adopted resolutions calling for increasing pressure on Shell to pull out of South Africa and for all companies to end trade with South Africa. They also called for Senator Alan Dixon and U.S. Representatives from Illinois to support the Comprehensive Sanctions Bills, S. 2378 and H. R. 1580, which will embargo virtually all trade with South Africa. The press release says conference participants are mobilizing union members for the June 16 Soweto Day Demonstration at the South African Consulate in Chicago, sponsored by the Chicago Committee in Solidarity with Southern Africa. More than 100 union representatives attended the June 11 labor conference, which was sponsored by the Illinois Labor Network Against Apartheid. Contacts are Kathy Devine and Harold Rogers.
