Percy Fisher (1891 – 14 March 1922) was an English-born South African syndicalist and trade union leader. Born in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

in England, Fisher emigrated to the

Witwatersrand The Witwatersrand (, ; ; locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, w ...

at the start of 1912. He worked in the mines, and also became active in the trade union movement, joining the South African Industrial Federation (SAIF). He chaired the strike committee in 1920 at the City Deep gold mine, then in 1921 was elected as general secretary of the Mine Workers' Union. However, his focus on industrial action led to conflict with the union's executive. It claimed that there were irregularities in his election, and removed him from office. In 1922, Fisher was the most prominent leader of the

Rand Rebellion The Rand Rebellion (; also known as the 1922 strike) was an armed uprising of white miners in the Witwatersrand region of South Africa, in March 1922. Following a drop in the world price of gold from 130 shillings (£6 10s) per fine ...

. He was one of the members of the Action Committee which asked Labour Party and

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

MPs to seize control of the state and overthrow capitalism, but the politicians had no interest in doing so. He later tried to meet

Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (baptismal name Jan Christiaan Smuts, 24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as P ...

to negotiate an end to the strike, but Smuts refused to do so. Fisher persuaded the SAIF to call a

general strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...

, and the government then declared martial law. Fisher fortified the

Fordsburg Fordsburg is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Fordsburg is a residential suburb, although housing numerous shops and factories. Today, Fordsburg is a major ce ...

City Hall, but was found dead there after it was assaulted by government forces. It is unclear whether he committed suicide or was killed during the rebellion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Percy 1891 births 1922 deaths British white supremacists English emigrants to South Africa Deaths by firearm in South Africa People from County Durham South African trade union leaders South African white supremacists