I am raising the question of the recognition of a teachers' union in South Africa. I appreciate the willingness of the Department of Foreign Affairs to deal with this subject on what I recognise as very short notice. I thank them for their efforts. I have received information from the South African Embassy in London and from Geneva this afternoon which indicates that the Department of Foreign Affairs have, as usual, been working very hard.
The source of the matter I am raising lies in the organisation of workers in South Africa. Apartheid is an education system as much as anything else and determines the organisation of education in South Africa. Legislation still on the Statute Book there dictates and requires education to be carried out on racial lines; unions are also organised on racial lines. Consequently, there were separate unions for coloureds, black teachers, etc. The union to which I refer tonight is SADTU — the South African Democratic Teachers' Union. It is the only organisation in South Africa which is organised on non-racial lines. It is an attempt to pull together the different racial groups. Groups like the Transkei teachers, the coloured teachers and others are now coming into the South African Democratic Teachers' Union.
This union was established on 6 October 1990 and has been operating very successfully since. It is a non-violent teachers' organisation and condemns violence. It is the only teachers' organisation in South Africa which is organised on non-racial lines. Legislation in South Africa, unfortunately, still requires education to be organised on racial lines.
Having been established in 1990 it is still struggling to obtain recognition and is being asked to meet impossible conditions by the National Education Department. I would like the Minister to ask his Department to deal with this. The South African Embassy today made the point to me that this union has not formally sought recognition. That may be the case, but I know they have had a series of meetings and have been given a number of impossible conditions to meet prior to recognition. One such condition, for instance, is that they should be recognised by each of the 15 provincial Departments of Education before they could get national recognition. That is impossible as things are organised in South Africa at the moment. In one of those areas it is unacceptable for a teacher to be a member of SADTU, in fact, it is a sacking offence. Now the Government are saying that, unless the union is recognised by a provincial education authority, which is sacking any teachers who join, it will not be recognised nationally. This is an impossible criterion for them to meet.
It is with a sense of anger that I raise this matter because this union is affiliated to the same international organisation — the World Confederation of Organisations of the Teaching Profession — as my own union. I have spoken at length with them, with the International Labour Organisation and with the organisations of the South African Democratic Teachers' Union. They have all indicated that they have done everything possible to comply with the Government's demands and the Government have refused to meet them. This has been exacerbated further by the fact that the Government have, in the intervening period, given recognition to a number of other unions which are organised to accommodate the racial organisation of education in South Africa.
The NAPTOSA union is a classic example. It is with a certain sense of anger that I have learned that that has been organised. It is a slap in the face to a progressive teacher movement under the leadership of SADTU which, by international recognition is working on the basis we would require, accept and recognise. The recognition of NAPTOSA by the outgoing Minister for Education would seem to me to have been a sweetheart deal by a retiring Minister in order to give support to a union whose operation is still dictated by the apartheid system.
SADTU believes in freedom of association and in the rights of other teacher organisations to enter into recognition agreements with anyone of the respective Departments of Education in South Africa but it is fundamentally opposed to any teacher group being organised on more favourable grounds than itself which is what is happening at the moment. The non-recognition of SADTU smacks of discrimination.
At a time when South Africa is endeavouring to create a better international image it is impossible to understand why it does not give freedom of negotiation and full recognition to the South African Democratic Teachers' Union which is attempting to bring to education in South Africa the ideals, freedoms and the developments which we, in the rest of the world, have demanded of South Africa for many years now. This act by the National Education Department in not recognising SADTU and in recognising another organisation of teachers which is organised on racial lines, seems to be one of the last vestiges of apartheid rule and it has greatly angered those teachers in South Africa who are opposed to racially organised education. Energy always finds an outlet. It is impossible to suppress this kind of commitment and it will express itself and manifest itself in violence, at some stage, if they are not given recognition, the freedom to negotiate and the freedom to represent their members.
The South African authorities must move to ensure that full rights and recognition are given to SADTU. It is intolerable that South Africa should remain in contravention of the ILO conventions. I am asking the Irish Government to make their opposition to such discriminatory arrangements known to the South African authorities and to use our influence in the European Community to ensure that certain things happen, and especially that ILO conventions are recognised. Also, the Department of Education in South Africa should be asked to recognise SADTU or, if they do not recognise it, that they outline clearly the conditions they must meet in order to gain recognition.
I also ask that the Government request South Africa to note the intransigence of the Ministries of Education which is leading to frustration and anger among these politically correct, constitutional, non-violent teachers who want to do their business properly, as is the international norm. I ask the Irish Government to put pressure on the South African Government to recognise that a legally constituted teachers' organisation will, on behalf of their members, provide education and bring a teacher perspective to the changes which we believe must take place in South Africa.
I thank the Minister for responding on this matter. It is an important, when South Africa is worried about its international image, that we should be seen to be keeping the checks and balances in place to ensure that apartheid is removed, that apartheid legislation dies and it is replaced by an acceptable form of education and organisation within South Africa.
