Southern African Collections : Trade union unity

Southern African Collections

Material related to the formation of the Trade Union Co-ordination Committee: Minutes of the meeting of the Interim Committee of dissenting unions held at Durban on 7th Oct. 1954; Minutes of meetings of the Trade Union Co-ordination Committee 19 Oct. and 3 Nov. 1954; Membership letter from the Trade Union Co-ordination Committee to the Wholesale Meat Factory & Cold Storage Workers' Union, 9 Nov. 1954; Memorandum of the South African Congress of Trade Unions submitted to the Select Committee on the Industrial Conciliation Bill, Mar. 1955; Resolutions proposed by the African Chemical Workers' Union to the Co-ordinated Committee Conference on the 5th & 6th Mar. 1955; Resolutions proposed by the Trade Union Co-ordination Committee; Correspondence related to the Trade Union Co-ordination Committee's invitation for Alex Hepple to address its inaugural conference, dated Feb. to Mar. 1955.This file forms part of a series of files, being material collected by Alexander Hepple while researching the history of the trade union movement, workers' organisations and industrial relations in South Africa. For material relating to the 'Guardian' newspaper see <a href='/view/MS-RCMS-00199-00002-00002-00002'>RCMS 199/2/2/2</a>, for articles and pamphlets on this subject see <a href='/view/MS-RCMS-00199-00002-00002-00003'>RCMS 199/2/2/3</a> and for excerpts and research notes see <a href='/view/MS-RCMS-00199-00002-00002-00004'>RCMS 199/2/2/4</a>.Alexander Hepple (1904-1983) was born in Johannesburg on 28 August 1904. He was the leader of the South African Labour Party, 1953-1958, and founder and chairman of the Treasons Trials Defence Fund, 1956-1961, and of the South African Defence and Aid Fund, 1960-1964. With his wife Girlie he established the International Defence and Aid Fund's Information Service in London in 1967, which they managed together until their retirement at the end of 1972. Hepple was the author of 'Verwoerd' (Pelican, 1967) and 'South Africa: a political and economic history' (Pall Mall, 1966), as well as numerous pamphlets and articles on political and trade union affairs in South Africa. He died in Canterbury, England, on 16 November 1983.