The Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers of South Africa (ASW) was a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

representing carpenters, joiners and those in related trades in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. The union originated in 1881, when the British-based

Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners The Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners (ASC&J) was a New Model Trade Union in the 1860s in the United Kingdom, representing carpenters and joiners. History The formation of the Society was spurred by the Stonemason's strike, 1859, ...

(ASC&J) founded a branch in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. This was the first union to form in South Africa. The ASC&J became the

Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers The Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers (ASW) was a British trade union representing carpenters, joiners and allied trades. The ASW was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of two smaller unions. It was itself merged into the Union of Constructi ...

, and the South African section maintained its affiliation. In 1913, it was a founding affiliate of the

Cape Federation of Labour Unions The Cape Federation of Labour Unions (CFLU) was a trade union federation in South Africa. The federation was founded in 1913. It aimed to represent all workers in the Cape Province, although most of its membership consisted of unions representing ...

. Membership declined to only 500 by 1914, but under the leadership of Harry Green, it grew rapidly, and by 1921 had more than 3,000 members, about half in

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

. In 1926, the union gained independence from its British parent, and by 1945 it had grown to 5,837 members. Almost all its members were white; it admitted coloured and Indian workers in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

, where they formed a majority of the membership. By this point, its leadership had become increasingly conservative. By 1978, the union had 4,474 members, with around two-thirds being white. In 1980, the majority of the union's membership left, to join the rival

Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers of South Africa The Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers of South Africa (AUBTWSA) is a trade union representing workers in the construction industry in South Africa. The union was founded in 1916 as the Building Workers' Industrial Union (BWIU), with the ...

. The union was left with just the 600 members in its former engineering section.{{cite book , last1=Miller , first1=Shirley , title=Trade Unions in South Africa 1970-1980: a directory and statistics , date=1982 , publisher=Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit , location=Cape Town , isbn=0799204692 It appears to have dissolved in the 1990s.

References

Carpenters' trade unions Trade unions in South Africa Trade unions established in 1881 Trade unions disestablished in the 1990s 1881 establishments in South Africa 1990s disestablishments in South Africa