Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union

The Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU, including Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union; German as: " Trade Union of Industry and Trade Workers " ) was in the 1920s, an influential trade union in South Africa. At times, she was the leading opposition organization.

History

The ICU was established in 1919 in Cape Town, as the representative of the local black and Coloured shipyard workers. Secretary-General had since the founding Clements Kadalie (1896-1951), the (now Malawi) originally came from Nyasaland. By 1921, the ICU was merged among others, the Cape Town branch of the Industrial Workers of Africa and organized several strikes. The aim was to create a comprehensive trade union within the meaning of the ideas of Marcus Garvey Pan-Africanists and the syndicalism of the global labor movement Industrial Workers of the World. Kadalies deputy was from 1923 to 1926 the Communist James la Guma. 1925, the headquarters was moved to Johannesburg. In 1926 it came to the separation of communist members, also of la Guma. While the executives initially came from the working class, now more and more black medium- took the lead. Until 1927, the ICU had over 150,000 members, making it the largest union in Africa. Most of the members were black, next to the ICU were several thousand coloreds and some whites to. The movement also spread to other areas in southern Africa. In the 1920s, the ICU won many supporters in the rural areas. So some Swazi Chiefs were thousands of farm workers members of the ICU in the area around Nelspruit in the wake. In the industrial centers of the ICU has organized numerous strikes. She led numerous processes for its members, which often led to success.

Towards the end of the 1920s the ICU increasing repression of the government was exposed. Many union activity farm workers were laid off in the farms of the whites. 1929 resigned Kadalie and had to leave the country. The ICU had no consistent strategy and fell apart in the 1930s, into a militant and moderate camp. 1935 had the ICU in the foundation of the opposition alliance All African Convention. Part of the ICU set up in the 1950s its activities in Southern Rhodesia ( now Zimbabwe ) continued.

The ICU was different from the then opposition movements African National Congress ( ANC) and the Communist Party of South Africa ( CPSA ) a mass movement, while ANC and CPSA at that time were rather elitist organizations which hardly contributed to improving the lives of blacks.