Labouring for a better life: the struggle of Anna Scheepers and Lucy Mvubelo for better labour conditions, 1960-1980
English: This dissertation aims to highlight the importance of two formidable female trade union leaders, Anna Scheepers and Lucy Mvubelo, women from different cultures, in their struggle to improve labour conditions. Through an extensive examination of private collections, periodicals, books, dissertations and archival material a picture of who these two ladies were and their contribution made as leaders in the garment industry could be constructed. The dissertation has no pretensions of providing either a comprehensive history of the Garment Workers Union (GWUSA) or biographies of Scheepers and Mvubelo. Instead themes were highlighted. These themes were examined in the light of the overall theme of the dissertation - "labouring for a better life". Documents from the GWU archives illuminated the history of the open industrial unions and contained interesting information on general left-wing labour polities. This information on the early history of the GWU and National Union of Clothing Workers (NUCW) provided the necessary background information on the environment and times Scheepers and Mvubelo worked in. The personal papers of Scheepers and Mvubelo gave insight in the correspondence between these ladies and their professional relationship. The Garment Worker/Klerewerker proved invaluable in determining a chronology of events in their lives. The Wiehahn- and Riekert (government) Reports introduced a new era for Black labour in South Afriea. Mvubelo and Scheepers fought for all their recommendations. A short biographical overview of the history and character of each of the two ladies were given in order to understand why they dedicated their entire lives to the garment worker industry and to be able to determine what or who moulded them to become the persons they were. Finally the study attempts to ascertain how Scheepers and Mvubelo achieved better conditions and the problems they experienced in the above-mentioned struggle. This research aims to show that Scheepers and Mvubelo had much in common. Their views on job reservation, racism, disinvestment and apartheid underline the similarities in their attitude toward these issues. Scheepers and Mvubelo had an enormous impact in ensuring a better life for all workers.
Afrikaans: Dié tesis beoog om Anna Scheepers en Lucy Mvubelo, twee fenomenale vroue uit verskillende kulturele agtergronde, se belangrike bydrae as leiers van werkersunies te belig. Met behulp van uitgebreide navorsing van privaatversamelings, tydskrifte, boeke, tesisse en argivale material, kon 'n akademiese prentjie geskets word van wie hierdie twee vrouens was en wat hul bydrae as leiers van die klerewerkersunies was. Hierdie tesis beoog geensins om 'n historiese oorsig van die geskiedenis van die Klerewerkersunie van Suid Afrika of 'n biografie van Scheepers en Mvubelo te gee nie. In plaas daarvan, is temas uitgelig. Herdie temas is nagevors terwyl die oorhoofse tema van die tesis - "om te werk vir 'n beter lewe" - voortdurend in gedagte gehou is. Dokumente van die argiewe van die Klerewerkersunie, was onontbeerlik om die geskiedenis van die klerewerkersunies behoorlik te verstaan en het eweneens interessante inligting oor algemene linkse arbeiderspolitiek verskaf. Hierdie informasie oor die vroeë geskiedenis van die klerewerkersunies het die nodige agtergrondsgeskiedenis verskaf om die milieu en die tydsomstandighede waarin Scheepers en Mvubelo gewerk het, ten volle te begryp. Die privaatversamelings van Scheepers en Mvubelo het verder die nodige inligting verskaf oor die briefwisseling tussen hierdie twee vroue wat meer lig op hul professionele verhouding gewerp het. Die Garment Worker/Klerewerker was van kardinale belang om die kronologie van gebeure in hul lewens te bepaal. Die Wiehahn- en Riekert-regeringsverslae het 'n nuwe era vir swart arbeid in Suid Afrika ingelui. Mvubelo en Scheepers het deurgaans vir al die voorstelle van die twee verslae geagiteer. 'n Kort biografiese oorsig van die geskiedenis en karakter van elk van die twee vrou word uitgelig ten einde te begryp waarom hulle hul hele lewe aan die Klerewerkersrunie gewy het, asook hoe hulle as arbeidsleiers gevorm is. Ten slotte poog die studie om te bepaal hoe en waar Scheepers en Mvubelo daarin geslaag het om beter werksomstandighede te skep en die probleme waarmee dit gepaard gegaan het. Die navorsing beklemtoon eweneens die baie ooreenkomste in die lewe en werk van dierdie twee arbeidsleiers. Hulle sieninge oor werkreservering, rassisme, disinvestering en apartheid korreleer verbasend. Hierdie twee unieke vroue het 'n enorme impak gehad in die daarstel van 'n beter lewe vir alle werkers.