The Making of an African Working Class

Pnina Werbner

Description

It is now 50 years since E.P. Thompson published his classic, The Making of the English Working Class. The Making of an African Working Class follows Thompson in exploring the formation of working class identity among low-paid African workers. In arguing for a radical public anthropology of worker identity, the book seeks to analyse the cultural, legal, ideological and experiential dimensions of labour activism often neglected in other labour studies.



Pnina Werbner shows that by fusing cosmopolitan and local popular cultural forms of protest, unionists have created a distinctive, vernacular way of being a worker in Botswana: one that does not deny workers' roots at home or in the countryside, while being cognisant of a wider world of cosmopolitan labour rights. The assertion of working class dignity, honour and respect, Pnina argues, is a powerful motivating force for manual workers.



Against legal-sceptical approaches, The Making of an African Working Class argues that in challenging the government - their employer - in court, manual workers' protests and mobilisation are deeply embedded in ethics, social justice and the law.

List of Figures

List of Abbreviations

Series Preface

Preface

1. Introduction

2. A Labour Elite? Strategising Women and the Spectre of Unemployment

3. Women, Leadership and the Dignity of Labour

4. Lekgotla la Babereki, the Court of the Workers: The Trade Union as Public Forum

5. 'Legitimate Expectations': Ethics, Law and Labour Justice in the 1991 Strike

6. The Politics of Infiltration: Factionalism and Party Politics

7. This Land Is Our Land: The 2005 Manual Workers' Union Grand Tour of Botswana

8. Solidarity Forever: Mobilising the Trade Union Movement in Prayer and Protest

9. Winning against the Odds: Speaking Truth to Power and Dilemmas of Charismatic Leadership

10. 'The Mother of All Strikes’: Popular Protest Culture and Vernacular Cosmopolitanism in the Public Service Unions' Strike, 2011

11. The Political and Moral Economy of the 2011 Strike: Public Rhetoric, Conflict and Policy

12. Legal Mobilisation, Legal Scepticism and the Politics of Public Sector Unions

13. Concluding Remarks: Class Identity, Dignity and the Agency of Labour in Botswana

Appendix

Notes

References

Index

Sujets

• Droit et juridique
• África
• Social class
• Labour economics
• Anthropology
• LAW
• Employment
• Africa
• Labor
• Labour
• Botswana

Informations

• Publié par: Pluto Press
• Date de parution: 20 juillet 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783711796
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Making of an African Working Class
Anthropology, Culture and Society
Series Editors: Professor Vered Amit, Concordia University and Professor Christina Garsten, Stockholm University
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The Making of an African Working Class
Politics, Law, and Cultural Protest in the Manual Workers’ Union of Botswana
Pnina Werbner
First published 2014 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA
www.plutobooks.com
Copyright © Pnina Werbner 2014
The right of Pnina Werbner to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 0 7453 3496 7 Hardback ISBN 978 0 7453 3495 0 Paperback ISBN 978 1 7837 1178 9 PDF eBook ISBN 978 1 7837 1180 2 Kindle eBook ISBN 978 1 7837 1179 6 EPUB eBook
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data applied for
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental standards of the country of origin.
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For Ben and Donna
Contents
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
Series Preface
Preface    1 Introduction    2 A Labour Elite? Strategising Women and the Spectre of Unemployment    3 Women, Leadership and the Dignity of Labour    4 Lekgotla la Babereki , the Court of the Workers: The Trade Union as Public Forum    5 ‘Legitimate Expectations’: Ethics, Law and Labour Justice in the 1991 Strike    6 The Politics of Infiltration: Factionalism and Party Politics    7 This Land Is Our Land: The 2005 Manual Workers’ Union Grand Tour of Botswana    8 Solidarity Forever: Mobilising the Trade Union Movement in Prayer and Protest    9 Winning Against the Odds: Speaking Truth to Power and Dilemmas of Charismatic Leadership 10    ‘The Mother of All Strikes’: Popular Protest Culture and Vernacular Cosmopolitanism in the Public Service Unions’ Strike, 2011 11 The Political and Moral Economy of the 2011 Strike: Public Rhetoric, Conflict and Policy 12 Legal Mobilisation, Legal Scepticism and the Politics of Public Sector Unions 13 Concluding Remarks: Class Identity, Dignity and the Agency of Labour in Botswana
Appendix Further Grievance Cases Settled by Lilian MaMoshe
Notes
References
Index
List of Figures 1.1 Map of Botswana 2.1 Monthly destitute rations at village shopkeeper’s store 2.2 The Manual Workers’ Union Women’s Wing (2005) 4.1 The old Manual Workers’ Union headquarters in Gaborone until 2013 4.2 The General Council meeting 7.1 Map of the Manual Workers’ Union’s grand tour of Botswana 8.1 Assembling for the demonstration 9.1 Johnson Motshwarakgole addressing the strikers 10.1 Under the morula tree 10.2 Carrying branches from the grounds of Gaborone Secondary School 10.3 Parasols 10.4 Rangers choir 10.5 Confrontation between MaBakwena and Johnson Motshwarakgole 10.6 Bruising battle 10.7 Khama smashes a car 10.8 Khama, ‘I’m gonna squeeze ’em’ 10.9 Khama tied to a tree 10.10 Masisi 10.11 Dancing outside the mall 10.12 Government news blackout 10.13 State-owned media poodles of government 10.14 President Khama at a village campfire 10.15 Advocate Chilisa at the Industrial Court 10.16 Unionists at the Industrial Court 10.17 The Industrial Court orders workers back to work 10.18 Doctor bins court order 10.19 Nurse, You’re fired! 10.20 When disaster ‘strikes’ 10.21 Thin and fat men before and after the strike 10.22 Ministerial flight 10.23 Peace meeting 10.24 Facing the police 10.25 Police in riot gear 10.26 Police banner 12.1 The new High Court and Court of Appeal 12.2 Advocates at the Court of Appeal 12.3 Lawyers in the Court of Appeal 13.1 National Executive Committee meeting
List of Abbreviations ANC African National Congress (South Africa) BALA Botswana Association of Local Authorities BCC Botswana Council of Churches BCSA Botswana Civil Servants’ Association BCP Botswana Congress Party BCWIS Botswana Core Welfare Indicators Survey BDP Botswana Democratic Party BMD Botswana Movement for Democracy BNF Botswana National Front BFTU Botswana Federation of Trade Unions BIAC Botswana Institute of Administration and Commerce BLLAWU Botswana Land Board and Local Authorities Workers’ Union BMWU Botswana Mine Workers’ Union BOCCIM Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower BOGOWU Botswana Government Workers’ Union BOFEPUSU Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions BONEPWA Botswana Network of People Living with Aids BOPEU Botswana Public Employees’ Union BOSETU Botswana Secondary School Teachers’ Union BTU Botswana Teachers’ Union BTV Botswana Television BULGASA Botswana Unified Local Government Service Association BURS Botswana Unified Revenue Service CEDA Citizens’ Entrepreneurial Development Agency CKGR Central Kalahari Game Reserve COSATU Congress of South African Trade Unions DCEC Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime DIS Directorate of Intelligence and Security DMSAC District Multi-sectoral Aids Committee DPSM Directorate of Public Service Management GSS Gaborone Secondary School HIES Household Income and Expenditure Survey HLCC High Level Consultative Council ILO International Labour Organisation IMF International Monetary Fund ISPAAD Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture ITUC International Trade Union Confederation LIMID Livestock Management and Infrastructure Development LRC Legal Reform Centre (South Africa) MWU Manual Workers’ Union (National Amalgamated Local and Central Government, and Parastatal Manual Workers’ Union of Botswana) NACTU South African National Council of Trade Unions NASM new alternative social movements NEC National Executive Committee NEMIC National Employment, Manpower and Incomes Council NGO non-governmental organisation NJICC National Joint Industrial Coordinating Council NPSBC National Public Service Bargaining Council NSM new social movement NSMU new social movement unionism PBRS performance-based remuneration schemes PSI Public Service International OECD Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development RIPCO Rural Industries Promotions Company SADC Southern African Development Community SATUC South African Trade Union Coordinating Council SHHA Self Help Housing Agency SMU social movement unionism SWAPO South-West Africa People’s Organisaton TAC Treatment Action Campaign TAWU Trainers’ and Allied Workers’ Union UCCSA United Congregationalist Church of Southern Africa ZCC Zionist Christian Church
Series Preface
Anthropology is a discipline based upon in-depth ethnographic works that deal with wider theoretical issues in the context of particular, local conditions – to paraphrase an important volume from th