The Garment Workers' Union of the Western Province (GWU-WP) 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 workers in the clothing industry in the

Western Cape Province 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 ...

of South Africa. The union was founded in 1933 by Harry Evans as the Garment Workers' Union of the Cape Peninsula, and registered with the government two years later. It gradually expanded its remit to cover

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 ...

, Simonstown and Wynberg, and therefore became the GWUWP. It represented white and "coloured" workers, but not black workers. The union focused on providing friendly benefits to its members, including creches, educational bursaries and housing loans. It introduced unemployment insurance in 1940, and sickness insurance in 1942. It made little effort to increase wages for workers, and clothing workers in the Western Cape remained significantly lower paid than those in the

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, ...

. Due to its non-combative attitude, it was supported by many employers, and grew to be the largest union in South Africa. The union affiliated to the

Trade Union Council of South Africa The Trade Union Council of South Africa (TUCSA) was a national trade union federation in South Africa. History The council was founded in October 1954 by 61 unions which split from the South African Trades and Labour Council. They decided that on ...

(TUCSA), and by 1981, it had 51,000 members.{{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 remained a TUCSA affiliate until that federation dissolved, in 1986. The following year, it was interested in becoming part of the new

Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union of South Africa The Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union of South Africa (ACTWUSA) was a trade union representing workers in the garment and fabric industries in South Africa. The union was founded in 1987, when the National Union of Textile Workers m ...

, but was rejected due to its non-combative position. On 5 December, it merged with the

Garment Workers' Industrial Union The Garment Workers' Industrial Union (GWIU) was a trade union representing clothing workers in South Africa. The union was established on 2 August 1934 by James Bolton in Natal. Bolton was already the leader of the Furniture Workers' Industrial ...

, to form the

Garment and Allied Workers' Union of South Africa The Garment and Allied Workers' Union of South Africa (GAWU) was a trade union representing clothing workers in South Africa. The union was established on 5 December 1987, when the Garment Workers' Industrial Union merged with the Garment Worke ...

General Secretaries

:1933: Harry Evans :1935: Bob Stewart :1946: Rose Crawford :1954: Louis Petersen

References

Clothing industry trade unions Trade unions established in 1933 Trade unions disestablished in 1987 Trade unions in South Africa