International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest

Extract

Born in Suffolk, England, in 1870, Andrews became a prominent South African union leader, syndicalist, and communist. He was trained as a fitter and joined the Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE) in 1890. In 1893 he arrived in South Africa. In appearance the epitome of the respectable English craftsman, and a charismatic figure, Andrews worked in the mines and formed a branch of the ASE union in 1894, also serving as vice-president of the Johannesburg Trades and Labor Council. After a brief stint in imperial forces during the Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902), he helped reorganize his union in 1902 and served as vice-president, then president, of the Witwatersrand Trades and Labor Council until 1905. Subsequently Andrews became full-time organizer for the ASE, helped form the Natal Federation of Trades, chaired the founding meeting of the South African Labor Party (SALP) in 1909, was active in the Transvaal Federation of Trades formed in 1911, and served as leader of the SALP parliamentary caucus from 1912. Radicalized by the general strikes of 1913 and 1914, Andrews broke with the segregationist policies of the SALP, joined its anti-war faction in 1914, and left in September 1915 to help form the revolutionary syndicalist International Socialist League with SALP radicals and veteran syndicalists like Andrew Dunbar . He played a prominent part in the organization, serving as delegate ... log in or subscribe to read full text