Trade unions in South Africa
| National trade union organization(s) | COSATU, FEDUSA, NACTU, CONSAWU |
|---|---|
| National government agency(ies) |
Department of Labour Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration National Economic Development and Labour Council |
| Primary trade union legislation | Labour Relations Act |
| Trade union membership | 3.11 million |
| Percentage of workforce | 25.3% |
| By industry |
|
| International Labour Organization | |
| South Africa is a member of the ILO | |
| Convention ratification | |
| Freedom of Association | 19 February 1996 |
| Right to Organise | 19 February 1996 |
Trade unions in South Africa have a history dating back to the 1880s. From the beginning unions could be viewed as a reflection of the racial disunity of the country, with the earliest unions being predominantly for white workers. Through the turbulent years of 1948–1991 trade unions played an important part in developing political and economic resistance, and eventually were one of the driving forces in realising the transition to an inclusive democratic government.
Today trade unions are still an important force in South Africa, with 3.11 million members representing 25.3% of the formal work force. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is the largest of the three major trade union centres, with a membership of 1.8 million, and is part of the Tripartite alliance with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP).
Early trade unions were often for whites only, with organizations like the South African Confederation of Labour (SACoL) favouring employment policies based on racial discrimination. They also often did not fully accept women into the unions.Mary Fitzgerald is considered the first female South African trade unionist and who led many strikes and sit ins before 1911. The first trade union to organise black workers was the Industrial Workers of Africa (IWA), formed in September 1917 by the revolutionary syndicalist International Socialist League (ISL). The IWA merged into the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union of Africa (ICU), formed in 1919, in 1920. The ICU was initially a union for black and coloured dockworkers in Cape Town and formed by Clements Kadalie and Arthur F. Batty. It was the first nationally organized union for black workers who would eventually include rural farm workers, domestic and factory workers, dockworkers, teachers and retailers. By the 1920s it was said to be more popular than the ANC and eventually had branches in the Free State, Transvaal and Natal and in 1925 it moved its headquarters to Johannesburg. In 1924, the South African Trade Union Congress (SATUC) was formed with 30,000 members of black trade unions with Bill Andrews as its secretary. It would attract black trade unions from the dry-cleaning, furniture, sweets and automobile industries.
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