Catalogue Number
NBS I/D 363
Object Name
banner
Title
BTR NEGOTIATE WITH OUR UNION OR GET OUT!
Place
South Africa; BTR headquarters & London & England & UK
People
black
Events
Strike; pickets & BTR workers
Date
1986
Creator(s)
NBS National Museum of Labour HistoryNBS National Museum of Labour History
Description
In 1985 870 workers at the South African Howick factory of the British multi-national BTR Sarmcol went on strike over recognition of the Metal and Allied Workers Union (MAWU). Within three days the entire workforce had been dismissed.
The strikers and the union then embarked on an innovative campaign to win reinstatement. This involved a long-running legal battle in the Industrial Court and a mass action campaign which reverberated throughout South Africa and beyond. Some of the strikers were killed during the dispute.
The banner was used during a picket by members of MAWU of the BTR headquarters in London in 1986.
Materials: Paint on plain cottton ground.
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