Railway African Workers' Union

R.A.W.U.
Full name Railway African Workers' Union
Founded 1949
Date dissolved 1967
Key people Joshua Nkomo, General Secretary; Dixon Konkola, President
Country Rhodesia

The Railway African Workers' Union (R.A.W.U.) was a trade union in Rhodesia which represented black African railway workers employed by the Rhodesian Railways.

History

The RAWU was formed through the merger of the Northern Rhodesian African Railway Workers Trade Union (ARTWU) and the Southern Rhodesian Rhodesia Railways African Employees' Union (RRAEU) at a meeting in Broken Hill in July 1955.[1] Dixon Konkola, the president of the ARTWU, was elected president of the new unified body, but was prevented by the government from visiting Southern Rhodesia, despite the union being based in Bulawayo.[1] The combined union had a membership of 22,000.[2] Several key leaders in the movement for majority rule in Rhodesia were active in the RAWU, including Joshua Nkomo (General Secretary), Aaron Ndabambi Dlomo (President) and Knight Maripe (Secretary-General).[3][4] Following majority rule in 1980, the RAWU became the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Railwaymen's Union (ZARU).[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Vickery, Kenneth P. (2011). "Odd Man Out: Labour, Politics and Dixon Konkola". In Jan-Bart Gewald, Marja Hinfelaar and Giacomo Macola. Living the End of Empire: Politics and Society in Late Colonial Zambia. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill. p. 10. ISBN 978-90-04-20986-2. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  2. 1 2 Harold Lewis (11 November 2008). "In Memory: Anderson Mhungu". itfglobal. International Transport Workers Federation. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  3. ↑ Immanuel Ness (2009). "Maripe, Knight (1927-2006)". International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest. Blackwell Reference Online. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  4. ↑ Nompumelelo Moyo (18 July 2012). "ZAPU founder laid to rest". Radio VOP Zimbabwe. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
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