I love a true story, especially when it’s one about fighting evil, and if you can add in a big business more concerned with money than people then all the better, writes Michael Holland.
Strike! tells the tale of a group of Dublin shop workers – mainly women – who in 1984 stood by their union’s advice not to handle anything to do with South African goods in Dunnes Stores as a protest against that nation’s apartheid policies. When one lady on the checkout refused to sell a grapefruit to a customer she was suspended but all her colleagues walked out with her. Their IDATU rep said well done and that they would be back in work within a fortnight. Almost three years later their strike action finally ended with mission accomplished. But what a story they wrote for themselves in that time.
When they were informed that they would only receive £21 strike pay there were initial concerns but they stood by their decision, and as they manned the picket line in the early days there was a lot of banter between them. But as the days turned into weeks life got harder; holidays were cancelled, treats were off limits, Christmas was not the same. Eventually, one striker crossed the picket line as she said she needed the money. Another had to negotiate with the bank about her mortgage payments but was taken to court where the judge told her to ‘Go back to work’. She refused. One young man, standing guard against sneaky middle-of-the-night deliveries, was beaten up by thugs. Still they toughed it out, losing friends and dividing families.
A South African, Nimrod, who had been arrested with Nelson Mandela and was in exile, came and supported the shop workers on the picket line every day and his stories of the abuse of his people in South Africa gave the strikers some context to their struggle. When he was asked why he came to Ireland he answered: ‘I was told that here the whites oppress other whites’. They were fighting for Nimrod as well as the oppressed people thousands of miles away.
Where they did not get any help was from their own government.
The dockers turned up in force to support the strike; Mandela visited Ireland and mentioned their struggle; Desmond Tutu came and invited them to South Africa. They went, after raising £7,000 in Dublin pubs for fares, but were met by armed police and refused entry because the apartheid government declared a ‘state of emergency’ at the airport to stop the little group of shop workers coming in and seeing apartheid in action.
It was this event that became international news and spurred the group on to do speaking tours to raise awareness of the horrors of apartheid: London, Berlin and the U.N. in New York.
Eventually, in 1987, as a result of public pressure supporting the strikers, their own country banned the import of South African goods and they went back to work.
Of course, life was never the same and not everyone hailed them as heroes, but they have been recognised with a street in Johannesburg; a plaque in Dublin, and have had songs written about them. Mary Manning, who refused that customer the grapefruit, was invited to Mandela’s funeral. Their legend will live on in the minds of decent people.
This is a play that oozes Irish charm from the pen of writer Tracy Ryan and has enough comedy to stop the strikers’ pain becoming too painful to watch. It is a worthy piece of work on a story that should never be forgotten.
It is an ensemble production by Ardent Theatre Company where everyone put in as much as those strikers 40 years ago.
Bravo.
Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BD until 6th May. Times: 7.30pm. Admission: £28.50 / £23
Box Office: www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk – 020 7407 0234
