Poster: No to the Labour Bill designed by Patrick Cockayne (1988)
This poster is a remarkably significant artifact from the height of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. Created in 1988, it captures a pivotal moment when the labor movement became the primary engine of resistance against the apartheid regime.
The poster was designed by Patrick Cockayne, a dedicated media worker for the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). During this era, political poster-making in South Africa was highly dangerous. Because the government frequently banned resistance literature, activist-artists used offset lithography and silkscreening in hidden basements or church halls to rapidly churn out visual media before police could seize the equipment.
The Historic Three-Day "Stay-Away"
The "Special Congress" advertised for May 14–15, 1988, in Johannesburg wasn't just a routine meeting—it was a historic catalyst. At this very congress, COSATU called for a massive national protest against the government's draconian laws.
This resulted in the largest national "stay-away" (strike) in South African history up to that point. From June 5 to 7, 1988, between 2.5 and 3 million Black workers refused to go to work, completely paralyzing the South African economy and demonstrating the immense, unstoppable power of organized labor.
The Target: The 1987/1988 Labour Relations Amendment Bill
The "Labour Bill" the poster screams "NO!" to was an aggressive attempt by the apartheid state to castrate the growing power of Black trade unions. The amendment sought to:
Make unions legally liable for financial losses suffered by employers during strikes.
Ban sympathy strikes (where workers strike in solidarity with another industry).
Allow courts to declare legal strikes "unfair," making it much easier for companies to fire striking workers.
Fighting the "State of Emergency" Restrictions
The bubble reading "NO! to restrictions" refers to the national State of Emergency re-declared by President P.W. Botha in 1987. Under these rules, the regime had essentially banned major political organizations like the United Democratic Front (UDF). COSATU was one of the few remaining legal bodies capable of mobilizing millions of people, so the state clamped heavy restrictions on them to stop them from doing "political" work. COSATU’s response, as shown on the poster, was defiant: "ORGANISE! RESIST!"
The poster is dense with intentional resistance iconography:
The Visual Split
The top-left features the jagged, harsh yellow-and-black silhouettes of mine shafts and factories (symbolizing capital and exploitation), contrasted against the human element—the sea of workers rising up below.
The Famous Slogan
In the bottom left corner is the iconic COSATU logo featuring a wheel (symbolizing transport/industry) wrapped in a banner bearing the legendary labor movement maxim: "An Injury to One is An Injury to All."
Despite the regime pushing the Bill into law later that year (September 1988), the momentum generated by this poster and the resulting mass strikes ultimately forced the government back to the negotiating table, paving the way for the total rewriting of South Africa's labor laws in the transition to democracy.
Minor creasing; right side damage along the entire edge.
450mm x 620mm
R4,000
