I n October 1934 t h e women s t r e e t sweepers o f Kwa Mashu d e c i d e d t h a t i t was t i m e t h a t t h e y d i d some- t h i n g about t h e i r low wages and bad w o r k i n g c o n d i t i o n s .
They had been w o r k i n g f o r P o r t N a t a l A d m i n i s t r a t - i o n Board s i n c e 1 9 8 1 , They had spoken t o t h e i r i n d u n a about t h e i r low wages. A l l t h e y h e a r d from him was "A l e t t e r has been s e n t t o P o r t N a t a l " . N o t h i n g happened.
The women d e c i d e d t o go t o t h e u n i o n . They were n o t u n i o n members but one o f them remembered g o i n g t o t h e u n i o n when her husband and her 16 y e a r o l d w o r k i n g d a u g h t e r d i e d .
She t a l k e d t o t h e o t h e r women about going t o the u n i o n . She s a i d : " I went t o t h e o t h e r women. I met them i t t h e s t a t i o n , on t h e s t r e e t s - I had t o walk and t a k e t h e t a x i t o meet a l l o f t h e m . Most were a f r a i d . They s a i d t h e y had no money t o go t o t o w n . So seven o f us went t o t h e u n i o n o f f i c e . We came t o t h e o f f i c e on t h a t T h u r s d a y a f t e r n o o n and we f o u n d t h e o r g a n i s e r . Ue t o l d her o u r s t o r y . She was g l a d t o see u s .
She s a i d t h a t she was proud t o see women coming t o g e t h e r w i t h one p r o b l e m . She s a i d she would t a k e our case w i t h care as i t was t h e f i r s t t i m e she saw women i n t h e o f f i c e i n - t h e way we came. She s a i d even d o m e s t i c w o r k e r s d o n ' t earn R52.00 a m o n t h , a l t h o u g h t h e y a l s o have p r o b l e m s .
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There are a l t o g e t h e r 200 t o 300 o f us who work sweeping s t r e e t s , 28 o f us work i n t h e h o s t e l s and c l e a n p u b l i c t o i l e t s . B e f o r e 1981 men d i d t h i s w o r k . They were p a i d R200.00 a m o n t h . Women were s t a r t e d at R43.00 a month * and now i t i s o n l y women who sweep t h e s t r e e t s . The o n l y man now w o r k i n g I s t h e i n d u n a . When we t o o k t h e s e j o b s t h e y t o l d us t h a t t h e j o b was f o r one t o two hours
i n one s t r e e t . He t h o u g h t we c o u l d do w a s h i n g o r o t h e r j o b s f o r e x t r a money when t h e two hours were o v e r . But t h e j o b 1s now from 9am t o 2pm. He work 5 days a week.
We get no s i c k l e a v e , no h o i 1 day l e a v e . When we a r e s i c k t h e induna says we must s l e e p on t h e r o a d . Me get no Workman's C o m p e n s a t i o n . He d o n ' t get adequate p r o - t e c t i v e c l o t h i n g .
Our j o b i s t o p i l e r u b b i s h up f o r t h e t r u c k s t o p i c k up - j u b a b o x e s , o l d c a r s , b o t t l e s , t i n s -
a l l t h e s e t h i n g s . We work i n t w o ' s and two rf us have t o c l e a n two s t r e e t s . We have t o burn some o f t h i s r u b b i s h . I t i s a l m o s t a l w a y s w i n d y and t h i s makes i t d a n g e r o u s . We have t o duck t h e f l a m e s . One woman was b a d l y b u r n t when her d r e s s c a u g h t a l i g h t . Her u n d e r c l o t h e s s t u c k t o her and she had t o be r u s h e d t o t h e p o l y c l i n i c and f r o m t h e r e t o t h e h o s p i t a l .
Sometimes we have t o c a r r y p i e c e s o f s c r a p c a r s
and f u r n i t u r e . One woman b r o k e her t e e t h when a s t u d i o couch she and her p a r t n e r were c a r r y i n g s i I p p e d f r o m t h e i r h a n d s . A n o t h e r woman l o s t her s i g h t i n one eye t h r o u g h an a c c i d e n t w h i l e w o r k i n g . They g i v e us gum b o o t s , g l o v e s and a l i t t l e b i b * l i k e a b a b y ' s . They d o n ' t g i v e us o v e r a l l s . We are g i v e n a r a k e t o r a k e up t h e r u b b i s h and t h e n we p i c k t h e s e up w i t h our h a n d s .
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A f t e r we went t o t h e u n i o n t h e u n i o n w r o t e t o P o r t N a t a l and wages were p u t us f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e i n November 1984.
When t h e o t h e r women saw t h e ^ women who went t o t h e u n i o n s t i l l had t h e i r j o b s t h e y were no longei a f r a i d .
We a r e s t i l l f i g h t i n g f o r h i g h e r wages, o v e r a l l s , hoi i d a y s and sick - o ^ v o . We M « t BVtrjl S a t u r d a y a b o u t 40 t o 50 o f us t o d i s c u s s and a l s o t o s i n g and dance t r a d i t i o n a l Z u l u and Pondo d a n c e s . He have a c t e d o u t a p l a y and we t o o k p a r t i n t h e May Day m e e t i n g , where we d a n c e d .
Kost o f us a r e e l d e r l y . Ue a r e widows o r our husbands have l e f t u s . We a r e t h e s o l e s u p p o r t e r s o f our f a m i l i e s , o f t e n we c a r e f o r our g r a n d c h i l d -
ren as w e l l . Ue have t o work t o g e t f o o d t o e a t . And so t h a t our c h i l d r e n d o n ' t g e t K w a s h i o k o r . Some o f us worked i n f a c t o r i e s b e f o r e but l o s t our j o b s , m o s t l y t h r o u g h r e t r e n c h m e n t s . When we went l o o k i n g f o r work at f a c t o r i e s t h e y s a i d :
'We d o n ' t want o l d l a d i e s and f a t women - we want young ones - t h o s e who a r e f a t c a n ' t r u n " .
I t 1s worse f o r us because we a r e women- But we are d e t e r m i n e d t o f i g h t our p r o b l e m s . Now a l l t h e
•,'nntn a r e 1n t h e u n i o n - WE ARE NOT AFRAID!
