The African Mine Workers’ Union launched a major strike on the Witwatersrand after mine owners ignored demands for a ten-shilling daily wage, better food and improved conditions. More than 60,000 workers stopped work. Police and military repression broke the action; workers were killed, injured, dismissed and arrested. The strike was led by the union and its members, with ANC and Communist organisers in solidarity, and exposed the violence underpinning cheap migrant labour.
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What were African mineworkers demanding in 1946?
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Explanation
The strike advanced demands including ten shillings a day and improved conditions.
The 1946 African mineworkers’ strike was led by the African Mine Workers’ Union.
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Explanation
The union launched the strike after employers ignored workers’ demands.