6 June 1988: South Africa general strike

6 June 1988: South Africa general strike

From On This Day in Working Class History by Working Class History

June 6, 2026 · 1 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the general strike in South Africa on June 6, 1988, organized by Black unions and anti-apartheid groups in response to state repression.

On this day, 6 June 1988, a general strike was declared in South Africa by Black unions and anti-apartheid groups. Up to three million took part in the stoppage, in protest at the two-year-old state of emergency and further proposed restrictions on the right to strike. The strikers held out against police, who opened fire on crowds in townships, until 8 June. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10638/anti-apartheid-general-strike Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/today Browse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/date Check out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.com Check out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com If you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform…

People in this episode

Host: Working Class History

Topics covered

  • general strike
  • anti-apartheid
  • South Africa
  • working class history
  • protest
  • labor rights

Keywords

  • South Africa
  • general strike
  • anti-apartheid
  • labor movement
  • protest
  • working class

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Black unions, anti-apartheid groups

Places: South Africa

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