Solidarity ( af, Solidariteit) is a South African trade union that negotiates on behalf of its members and attempts to protect workers' rights. Although the union is often involved in issues of political import, it does not align or formally affiliate itself with any political party. Solidarity is a trade union within the Christian tradition of unionism. The union has positioned itself as a vehicle for minorities in South Africa to have their voices heard. Its membership is mainly, but not exclusively,

Afrikaners Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

History

Solidarity is one of the oldest independent trade unions in South Africa. Its origins go back to 1902, when the Transvaal Miners' Association was founded in the mines on the

Witwatersrand The Witwatersrand () (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, which ...

. In 1913, it became the Mine Workers' Union, and it later became the largest affiliate of the South African Confederation of Labour (SACOL), which supported the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

system. It left SACOL in 1992 to reinvent itself as a

general union A general union is a trade union (called ''labor union'' in American English) which represents workers from all industries and companies, rather than just one organisation or a particular sector, as in a craft union or industrial union. A gene ...

, MWU - Solidarity. In 1997, when the union's current general secretary,

Flip Buys Philippus Jacobus Wilhelmus Buys (born 1 March 1963) is a South African trade union leader. Born in Delareyville, Buys studied at Potchefstroom University and then the University of Johannesburg. He began working as an industrial relations offi ...

, was appointed, the union was in dire financial straits. The extreme right-wing views associated with the union had led to a dramatic decline in popularity and membership: it had only about 30,000 members left at that stage. In 2001, it absorbed the

South African Workers' Union The South African Iron and Steel Trades Association (SAISTA; af, Suid Afrikaanse Yster en Staalbedryfsvereniging) was a trade union representing white metalworkers in South Africa. The union was founded in 1936, with support from the Nasionale ...

, the Denelunie, the Karweiersunie and the Bosbou- en Plantasiebestuursunie, and renamed itself as Solidarity. Since the beginning of Flip Buys' term, the membership had increased to more than 130,000 by 2009. The union has more than 17 offices throughout the country and a staff complement of about 300 serve the members. Solidarity affiliated with the Confederation of South African Workers' Unions (CONSAWU) in 2006, but left again in 2011. Through this affiliation Solidarity is represented at the

International Trade Union Confederation The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); german: Internationaler Gewerkschaftsbund (IGB), link=no; es, Confederación Sindical Internacional (CSI), link=no. is the world's largest trade union federation. History The federation w ...

(ITUC).

Litigation

In 2013, Solidarity sued the Department of Correctional Services on behalf of one

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

and four coloured Correctional Services officials in the Western Cape who alleged they were denied promotions due to the department's employment equity policy. Another five applicants were later added to the case. The

ANC The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

in the Western Cape called the suit an "attack on employment equity", and accused the applicants of "stirring up racial antagonism between Africans and coloureds".Phakathi, Bekezela
"Solidarity court bid 'stirring up racial antagonism'"
''BDlive'', South Africa, 30 April 2013. Retrieved on 13 May 2013.

Additional operations

The "Solidarity Movement" originated from the trade union and includes several organisations.

Solidarity Helping Hand

The Solidarity Helping Hand is a social responsibility organisation that, though started by Solidarity, is an independent entity that functions on its own, separate from the union. It does however receive financial support from the union's members. It is registered as a Section 21 company (not-for-profit). It focuses specifically on supporting communities that have limited access to state support. The two areas where the Helping Hand operates intensively is

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

and environs and 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 ...

. Nevertheless, the Helping Hand actively expands into many other areas. As of June 2010, there were 32 other smaller regional branches throughout the country. The Helping Hand focuses on assisting destitute Afrikaans-speaking people, but not to the exclusion of individuals from other cultural groups.

AfriForum

AfriForum AfriForum is a South African non-governmental organisation focused mainly on the interests of Afrikaners, a subgroup of the country's white population. AfriForum has been frequently described as a white nationalist, alt-right, and Afrikaner natio ...

, an independent initiative of Solidarity, is an organisation 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 ...

linked to the Solidarity

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 ( ...

. It was established in 2006 to encourage the re-engagement of the

and other minorities in the public sphere. It promotes the protection of

Afrikaner culture Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: Brain to Cas ...

, and has opposed renaming streets and affirmative action. AfriForum has attracted significant controversy because of its views, especially denial that

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

was a

crime against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...

, albeit nonetheless immoral. According to AfriForum CEO, Kallie Kriel, AfriForum is a

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

initiative to mobilise civil society and specifically minority communities, in order to take part in democratic debate. Kriel further stated that AfriForum would like to achieve balance in South Africa. "True democracy needs alternative voices in order to succeed. While we aren’t a political party, we give alternative ideas and suggestions, where applicable, to the government stance". AfriForum's claim to be a civil rights organisation has been questioned in the South African media, and South African and international media often characterize Afriforum as a white nationalist or white supremacist group, albeit with no concrete evidence to suggest the prospect.

Sol-Tech

In 2007 Solidarity started an Afrikaans technical college in Centurion with 3 lecturers and 64 students. According to them this was in response to the ANC government's racist policies which discriminates against Afrikaners and their Afrikaans language, and to enable Afrikaner youth to have a future in South Africa with the right skills. Reception was mixed with ANC politician

Panyaza Lesufi Andrek "Panyaza" Lesufi (born 4 September 1968) is a South African politician who was appointed the seventh Premier of Gauteng in October 2022. He was previously Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education in the Gauteng provincial gover ...

calling it a symbol of Solidariteit's "hatred of a democratic South Africa" and an "insult to the overwhelming majority of our people". While the Sowetan said that, "the establishment an Afrikaans-medium college should be applauded as an example of a proactive community intervention to address a social need rather than wait for the government to provide". SolTech college offers young people training in technical areas like vehicle mechanics, electronics, fitting and turning. The college claims that 94.7% of their students get employment offers after their studies. On 1 Feb 2021, the college opened their new R300 million campus for 3000 students in Pretoria.

General Secretaries

:1902: W. Mather :1903: S. W. Fursey :1904: J. Wood :1907: M. Trewick :1908: Tom Matthews :1915: James Forrester-Brown :1921: Percy Fisher :1922: J. Cowan :1922: E. S. Hendriksz :1923: W. Price :1925: M. Dunne :1926: J. C. Medo :1929: H. Day :1930: M. J. du Plessis :1931: ? :1933: Piet Harms :1935: Charles Harris :1940: Fred Kukkuk :1941: Bertie Brodrick :1948: Daan Ellis :1963: Eddie Gründling :1967: Arrie Paulus :1987: Peet Ungerer :1997: