TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF INTRO 1137

Testimony of Kate Pfordresher, Coordinator, New York Labor Committee Against Apartheid. The testimony says the New York Labor Committee Against Apartheid is a coalition of thirty NY area unions established to develop solidarity links with the independent trade union movement in South Africa; our mandate is to maintain contacts with South African trade unions, assist in the development of bi-lateral relations between South African unions and their American counterparts, and to encourage the participation of local union members in anti-apartheid campaigns. The testimony says we whole-heartedly support the Council's initiative to strengthen New York City's sanctions against companies doing business in South Africa and occupied Namibia; the swift passage of Intro 1137 will send a clear message to the white-minority government of South Africa that the people of New York City have not been fooled by disingenuous promises of "reform" and "diplomatic solutions". The testimony says the apartheid system is morally repugnant and must brought to an end. The testimony says we also support language introduced by Council Member Ruth Messinger to extend sanctions requirements to non-mayoral agencies and to strengthen enforcement generally. The testimony says most importantly we call on City Council to amend Intro 1137 to recognize the rights of South African and Namibian workers to be notified in advance of a company's disinvestment and to negotiate over the terms of withdrawal. The testimony says the two major labor federations representing black workers in South Africa, COSATU and NACTU, have openly endorsed comprehensive, mandatory sanctions as a way the international community can isolate and pressure the apartheid regime; their support for sanctions is especially courageous given that it is against the law to even speak on the subject; South African unions also know that as multi-national companies pull out, the jobs of their members will be affected and in some cases lost; they are willing to make this sacrifice for freedom. The testimony says however, South African unions also report that companies have used disinvestment to deny union recognition, break contracts, lay-off workers and shed responsibility for pension funds, benefits, severance pay, and other negotiated agreements; take, for example, the case of Sterling Drug which was brought to our attention last September by representatives of the Chemical Workers Industrial Union, a COSATU affiliate; approximately 300 workers, who are represented by CWIU, produce Sterling Drug products at a plant in Durban; when Sterling Drug was bought up by the Kodak Company last spring, it sold its South African division to Adcock-Ingram, part of the large South African conglomerate Barlow Rand. The testimony says Sterling Drug received high praise in the American press for "disinvesting"; however, part of the deal gave Adcock-Ingram the exclusive right to produce and market Sterling Drug's brand- name medications; under this arrangement, Sterling USA was assured a steady profit from apartheid South Africa while avoiding sanctions penalties. The testimony says prior to the pull-out, Sterling denied to the union that it had any plans to withdraw; workers in the plant and the union only learned of the sale to Adcock-Ingram when it was announced in the business press; the newly reorganized Sterling Drug/S.A. then refused to meet with the union to discuss the status of current collective bargaining agreements, despite a five week strike. The testimony says the question has been asked whether adding labor rights standards to Intro 1137 will overburden the City's enforcement agency; we say it will not; our proposed amendment does not significantly increase the City's enforcement workload, but it will lead to a new level of awareness by New York City agencies, the companies they contract with and the public at large; we see the enforcement agency as a place where documented incidences of labor rights violations can be brought by our organization, South African unions or the anti-apartheid movement in general. The testimony says currently, the City has no clear procedure or place to handle inquiries or complaints from city employees who find products from companies barred under sanctions in their workplace; we sincerely urge it to do so; it is worth remembering that the movement for Public Law 19, NYC's first sanctions law passed, was sparked by city workers' discovery of South African canned pineapple in a city shelter; as our presence at this hearing attests, city workers and their unions sincerely care that sanctions enforcement be as strong and effective as possible. The testimony says in concluding, we should again note what has happened in South Africa aver the last year; on February 24, 1988 -- almost exactly one year ago -- the South African regime banned 17 leading organizations of the democratic opposition, including the United Democratic Front, leaving the independent trade union movement as the strongest, most important opposition organization still able to function legally. The testimony says South African unions, most notably COSATU, have assumed this responsibility publicly and organizationally; on June 6th, three million South African workers answered COSATU's call for a three-day national protest against the government bannings and repression against trade unions; the action sent shock waves through the business community; in September, COSATU called a meeting df all anti-apartheid opposition groups to formulate new strategies; the meeting was banned by the government the day before it was to happen; COSATU continues to attempt to negotiate an end to Inkatha-inspired vigilante violence in Natal. The testimony says in September, South Africa imposed draconian new labor legislation, which severely limits the right to strike, allows companies to sue unions for monetary damages resulting from job actions, undermines the ability to bargain collectively and reinstitutes racially-segregated unions in the workplace; this legislation rolls back virtually all the legal protections won by the black trade union movement in the last ten years. The testimony says black trade unions' continued strength is crucial to maintaining the South African opposition movement generally. The testimony says we believe that adding labor rights standards and requiring New York City to monitor violations is the first step to meeting this crucial demand. The testimony discusses the Dellums/Cranston Comprehensive Sanctions Bill (H 158), COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions), NACTU (National Council of Trade Unions), the House of Representatives, the Senate, the AFL-CIO, the City Council, the American labor movement, labor rights violations, companies providing goods and services to the City, the right of South African and Namibian workers to prior notice of disinvestment, Moses Mayekiso, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), non-violent community organizing for better living conditions, comprehensive, mandatory sanctions, and the United Democratic Front (UDF).