Trade unionists

Jack Jones was the General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, 1968–78, and Chair of the TUC International Committee. He fought in the British Battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil war in 1936 and campaigned in the trade union movement against the dictatorships in Spain, Greece and Chile. Jack Jones was a Vice President of the Anti-Apartheid Movement.

This is a complete transcript of an interview carried out by Christabel Gurney in 2000.

Jack Jones was the General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, 1968–78, and Chair of the TUC International Committee. He fought in the British Battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil war in 1936 and campaigned in the trade union movement against the dictatorships in Spain, Greece and Chile. Jack Jones was a Vice President of the Anti-Apartheid Movement.

In this clip Jack Jones describes how tried to visit David Kitson in prison in Pretoria, and managed to secretly pass him a message of support.

Jack Jones was the General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, 1968–78, and Chair of the TUC International Committee. He fought in the British Battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil war in 1936 and campaigned in the trade union movement against the dictatorships in Spain, Greece and Chile. Jack Jones was a Vice President of the Anti-Apartheid Movement.

In this clip Jack Jones describes how he tried to explain the injustice of apartheid to British trade unionists.

Chris Child became involved in the campaign to make Barclays Bank withdraw from South Africa when he was a student at Durham University. He was an Anti-Apartheid Movement staff member from 1976 to 1982, initially as Trade Union Secretary and later as Deputy Executive Secretary. He was responsible for the AAM’s work with trade unions, the disinvestment campaign, Namibia and liaising with local AA groups.

This is a complete transcript of an interview carried out as part of the Forward to Freedom AAM history project in 2013.

Chris Child became involved in the campaign to make Barclays Bank withdraw from South Africa when he was a student at Durham University. He was an Anti-Apartheid Movement staff member from 1976 to 1982, initially as Trade Union Secretary and later as Deputy Executive Secretary. He was responsible for the AAM’s work with trade unions, the disinvestment campaign, Namibia and liaising with local AA groups.

In this clip Chris Child describes how the AAM tried to change the unions' policy of engagement with South Africa to one of isolating apartheid.

Ron Todd was the General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, 1985–92, and Chair of the TUC International Committee. He visited South Africa on a trade union mission in 1986, and was a strong supporter of the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the independent trade union movement in South Africa.

This is a complete transcript of an interview carried out by Christabel Gurney in 2004.

Ron Todd was the General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, 1985–92, and Chair of the TUC International Committee. He visited South Africa on a trade union mission in 1986, and was a strong supporter of the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the independent trade union movement in South Africa.

In this clip he talks about his visit with Norman Willis to Alexandra township, Johannesburg, in 1986.

Mike Sparham represented the civil service union NUCPS on the Anti-Apartheid Movement trade union committee from the mid-1980s and served as its Chair from 1990 to 1994. He was later the Chair of Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA).

This is a complete transcript of an interview carried out as part of the Forward to Freedom history project in 2013.