A Multinational Code of Conduct for South Africa

Abstract

On the first day of March 1977, the Reverend Leon H. Sullivan, pastor of the Zion Baptist Church in Philadelphia, made a momentous announcement: twelve major United States multinational corporations with operations in South Africa had voluntarily agreed to abide by a code of conduct governing their operations in that country, with special attention to situation of Black workers (see exhibit 1). These workers were subjected to various forms of discrimination under the apartheid laws and customs then prevailing in South Africa. The announcement was the culmination of a drawn-out effort, led by Rev. Sullivan, to cajole and persuade leaders of some of the major United States corporations to make a hitherto unprecedented public commitment.