Carol Anne Grayson

SAFTU MOURNS THE PASSING OF NICHOLAS ‘’FINK’’ HAYSOM The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) mourns the passing of Nicholas Fink Haysom. He was a giant of the labour movement, a principled patriot, and a lifelong servant of justice. Haysom was not simply an outstanding labour lawyer. He was part of a historic current that helped shape the modern South African working-class movement. His life and work must be understood within the tradition of struggle that gave rise to independent black trade unions in the late 1960s and early 1970s. We pay tribute to the student movement of the late 1960s, including progressive white students. These students broke with the comfort of privilege and aligned themselves with black workers' struggles. Alongside emerging worker leaders, they helped revive and rebuild the trade union organisation under severe repression. This work found powerful expression in the Durban strikes of 1971–1973, a turning point that reasserted the agency of black workers and laid the foundation for a new wave of militant, independent unionism. These struggles directly contributed to the mass uprisings of 1976 and compelled the apartheid regime to make concessions, including the 1979 Wiehahn Commission, which formally recognized black workers as workers, not merely as units of labour, and paved the way for the legal recognition of black trade unions. Out of this historic process emerged formations such as FOSATU, and later the broader trade union movement, which ultimately led to SAFTU today. It is within this lineage that we locate the contribution of Haysom. He belonged to a generation that did not separate law from struggle. As part of the historic labour law firm Cheadle, Thompson & Haysom (CTH), he contributed to building a body of labour law that advanced workers’ rights, collective bargaining, and organisational freedoms. CTH became more than a legal practice; it was an institution of struggle, producing some of the finest legal minds committed to the working class, including Advocate Baloyi, who continues to serve with distinction today. The firm’s role extended beyond labour litigation. At a time when apartheid-sponsored violence was cynically misrepresented as “black-on-black violence,” these legal practitioners stood on the side of truth, justice, and peace. They contributed to efforts aimed at ending violence, promoting dialogue, and laying the groundwork for a democratic transition. Haysom’s contribution is also written into the very fabric of our democracy. The Constitution of South Africa, with its enshrined rights to dignity, equality, fair labour practices, and freedom of association, reflects the struggles in which he was an active participant. These rights were not handed down; they were won through struggle, defended in the courts, and shaped by lawyers and activists of his calibre. For SAFTU, this is not abstract history. It is our living inheritance. We are the product of these struggles, from the Durban strikes, to FOSATU to the many formations that followed, to SAFTU today. And we remain engaged in the same unfinished struggle to defend and advance workers’ rights in the face of austerity, inequality, and exploitation. Haysom remained grounded throughout his life. Whether in the years of resistance, in the democratic state, or in his international work, he carried the same values: integrity, humility, non-racialism, and a deep commitment to justice. He was never seduced by power, nor did he abandon the cause of the working class. We therefore also pay special tribute to Cheadle, Thompson & Haysom, a firm to which the labour movement and the democratic project will forever be indebted. SAFTU extends its deepest condolences to his family, friends, and comrades. We dip our revolutionary banner in his honour. Hamba kahle, Fink Haysom. Your life is part of the living history of our struggle, and your legacy will continue to guide us.