Rhodesian Railway Strike (1945)

The Rhodesian Railway Strike of 1945 was a strike in 1945 by railway workers for wage increases and fighting against anti-black racism by bosses in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia).

Background

Workers in the British colony of Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe and Zambia, bore an increased workload to support the war effort during World War II as extraction of mineral resources increased, employees of Rhodesia Railways worked upward of 65 hours per week to transport the minerals to ports on the Indian Ocean. While white European railway workers had strong unions representing them, black African employees received inferior treatment and lower pay grades than whites.

The Rhodesia Railways African Employees Association (RRAEA) was formed in spring 1944 in response to poor working conditions, and soon rew to include several hundred members, most of them in the hub city of Bulawayo. By 1945, it had submitted many written requests to the company, all of which were ignored. Company managers believed Africans were incapable of organizing themselves to demand more rights.

Black workers wages were massively cut without them being informed, combined with an unequal, intimidating work environment in which superiors would regularly “joke” about firing employees or cutting wages. Upon payday, unrest began on the 20th of October, 1945.

Events

A crowd of black workers and supporters waited outside the Rhodesia Railway Headquarters. Managers ignored them, leading to a strike two days later involving 2,708 workers. They demanded:

• 500% wage increase
• Informing of wage changes
• Payment in cash rather than rations
• Termination of the current management

The company refused to negotiate, and the strike spread across the country, shutting down railways. Supplies of food and coal dwindled across the economy, leading to the formation of a government commission to investigate the causes of the strike.

Results

After two weeks, the strike ended. The independent commission established as a result of the strike raised the workers' wages by 25-30%, improved sick leave practices, and weakened the power of the Supervisor of Natives. However, the wage increase fell far short of the requested amount (and still below the country's poverty line), and other requests, including the right to be paid in cash instead of rations, were not met.

References

Global Nonviolent Action Database - Black Rhodesian railroad workers strike for better pay, 1945