The Metal and Allied Workers' Union (MAWU) 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 metalworking, engineering and related industries in

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

. The union was founded in April 1974 in

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

, with the assistance of the General Factory Workers' Benefit Fund. It admitted all workers, regardless of ethnicity, and so was unable to apply for official recognition. By the end of the year, it also had a branch in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, and from 1975 it was active 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, ...

. However, it remained small, with 6,500 members in 1974, of whom only one third were fully paid up. The union refused to participate in wage or liaison committees, instead fighting for recognition at the company level. It was admitted to the

International Metalworkers' Federation The International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) was a global union federation of metalworkers' trade unions, founded in Zürich, Switzerland in August 1893. the IMF had more than 200 member organisations in 100 countries, representing a combine ...

. It began working closely with the National Union of Motor Assembly and Rubber Workers of South Africa and the United Automobile, Rubber and Allied Workers Union, and in 1979 they and other unions formed the

Federation of South African Trade Unions The Federation of South African Trade Unions (FOSATU) was a trade union federation in South Africa. History The federation was formed at a congress over the weekend of 14–15 April 1979 in Hammanskraal and officially launched five days l ...

. By 1980, the union had 8,400 members, and it continued to grow. However, in 1983, some dissatisfied members left, to form the rival United Metal, Mining and Allied Workers of South Africa (UMMAWOSA). In 1985, the union led a strike at Sarmcol in Mpophomeni, leading to 970 workers being sacked. Four members of the

shop steward A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a labor union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the union hold ...

s' committee were abducted, and three of them were murdered, the other surviving a gunshot wound. The union achieved a compromise, with it gaining access to workers at the plant, but not official recognition. In 1985, MAWU transferred to the new

Congress of South African Trade Unions The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is 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 ...

. In 1987, it merged with the Motor Industry Combined Workers' Union, the

National Automobile and Allied Workers' Union The National Automobile and Allied Workers' Union (NAAWU) was a trade union representing workers in the motor industry in South Africa. NAAWU was founded in 1980, with the merger of the National Union of Motor Assembly and Rubber Workers of Sout ...

and UMMAWOSA to form the

National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) is the biggest single trade union in South Africa with more than 338,000 members, and prior to its expulsion on 8 November 2014, the largest affiliate of the Congress of South African Tr ...

.{{cite book , last1=Monaisa , first1=Chere , title=Trade Unions in Transformation , date=2017 , publisher=Friedrich Ebert Stiftung , url=https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/14218.pdf , access-date=7 March 2021

General Secretaries

:1974: Alpheus Mthethwa :1976: June-Rose Nala :1984: Tembi Nabe :1986: Moses Mayekiso

References

Metal trade unions Trade unions established in 1974 Trade unions disestablished in 1987 Trade unions in South Africa