The South African Confederation of Labour (SACOL) was a

national trade union federation A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. In some regions, such a ...

of white workers in South Africa.

History

The federation was established in 1957, as a loose body bringing together the

South African Federation of Trade Unions The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) is a trade union federation 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 s ...

, the

Co-ordinating Council of South African Trade Unions The Co-ordinating Council of South African Trade Unions (CCSATU) was a national trade union federation of white workers in South Africa. The South African Trades and Labour Council (SAT&LC) included all unions, but a minority of its affiliates opp ...

, the Federal Consultative Council of South African Railways and Harbours Staff Associations, and 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). TUCSA withdrew in 1958, and the remaining federation was broadly supportive of

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 ...

. In 1968, the federation decided to permit individual unions to affiliate. These unions gradually came to operate on an equal footing to the remaining affiliated federations, and this led the Federal Consultative Council to disaffiliate in 1975, although all but one of its own affiliates decided to sign up individually to SACOL. This took the federation's membership to a maximum of 25 unions with 206,511 members. While the

Government of South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a parliamentary republic with three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary system. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa. Executive authority ...

allowed unions to represent both white and "coloured" workers, and from 1980, black workers as well, SACOL only permitted unions restricted to white workers to affiliate. In 1980, it expelled the South African Technical Officials' Association, after it permitted coloured workers to join, and this led some other affiliates to resign in order to expand their own membership. Membership of the federation then fell steadily. In 1992, its largest remaining affiliate, the Mine Workers' Union, disaffiliated in order to become 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 ...

. The federation was reduced to only five affiliates with 40,280 members.

Affiliates

{, class="wikitable sortable" ! Union !! Abbreviation !! Founded !! Left !! Reason not affiliated !! Membership (1980) , - ,

Artisan Staff Association The Artisan Staff Association (ASA) was a trade union representing higher-paid technical railway workers in South Africa. The union was established in 1924, on the initiative of the National Shop Stewards' Association. It attempted to register w ...

, , ASA , , 1924 , , 1976 , , Disaffiliated , , 22,500 , - , Blanke Bouwerkersvakbond , , , , 1949 , , After 1995 , , , , 7,412 , - , Blanke Distribuisiewerkersvereniging , , , , , , 1970s , , Dissolved , , ''N/A'' , - , Blanketekstiel Werkers Nywerheids , , , , , , 1970s , , Dissolved , , ''N/A'' , - ,

Die Spoorbond Die Spoorbond was an Afrikaner railway trade-union formed in 1934 by , founder of the Afrikaner Broederbond, which advocated a policy of replacing all black railway-workers with Afrikaners. It rejected strikes and called instead for loyal service ...

, , , , 1933 , , , , , , 6,300 , - , Durban Municipal Employees' Society , , DMES , , 1919 , , 1980 , , Disaffiliated , , 4,000 , - , Explosives and Chemical Workers' Union , , , , , , 1977 , , Merged into SAEDFOA , , ''N/A'' , - , Johannesburg Municipal Employees' Association , , JMEA , , 1916 , , 1980 , , Disaffiliated , , 5,800 , - , Mine Workers' Union , , MWU , , 1902 , , 1991 , , Disaffiliated , , 17,000 , - , National Association of Furniture and Allied Workers , , , , 1961 , , 1980 , , Disaffiliated , , 750 , - , OVS Provinsiale Werkersvereeniging , , , , , , 1978 , , Disaffiliated , , 243 , - , Pretoriase Vakbond Vir Die Kleinhandel Vleisbedryf , , PVKV , , , , , , , , 200 , - , Provinsiale Huishoudlike Personeelvereniging , , , , , , 1978 , , Disaffiliated , , 250 , - , Provinsiale Medewerkersvereniging , , , , , , , , , , 3,462 , - ,

South African Association of Municipal Employees The South African Association of Municipal Employees (SAAME) was a trade union representing local government workers in South Africa. The union originated in 1917 as a federation of local government unions. By 1919 it had ten affiliates in the T ...

, , SAAME , , 1919 , , 1980 , , Transferred to FEDSAL , , 41,492 , - , South African Diamond Workers' Union , , SADWU , , , , , , , , 801 , - ,

South African Engine Drivers', Firemen's and Operators' Association The South African Engine Drivers' and Firemen's Association (SAEDFA) was a trade union representing people involved in operating engines in South Africa. The union was founded in 1895 in the Transvaal, and its membership was originally based in ...

, , SAEDFOA , , 1895 , , 1990 , , Merged into SABS , , 7,000 , - ,

South African Footplate Staff Association The South African Footplate Staff Association (SAFSA) was a trade union representing white railway workers in South Africa. The union was founded in 1905, as the Locomotive Engineers' Mutual Aid Society. It was initially focused on the Cape, but ...

, , SAFSA , , 1905 , , 1975 , , Disaffiliated , , 9,331 , - ,

South African Iron, Steel and Allied Industries 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 ...

, , SAISAIU , , 1948 , , 1994 , , Disaffiliated , , 38,486 , - , South African Karweierswerknemersvereniging , , , , , , After 1995 , , , , 465 , - ,

South African Railways and Harbours Employees' Union The South African Railways and Harbours Employees' Union (SAR&HEU) was a trade union representing lower-paid white workers on the railways in South Africa. The union was founded in 1924 on the model of the South African Railways and Harbours Sala ...

, , SAR&HEU , , 1924 , , After 1995 , , , , 12,381 , - , South African Railways and Harbours Running and Operational Staff Union , , ROSU , , , , 1985 , , Disaffiliated , , 7,835 , - ,

South African Railways and Harbours Salaried Staff Association The Salaried Staff Association (SALSTAFF) was a trade union representing railway workers in South Africa. The union was founded in 1918, as the South African Railways and Harbours Salaried Staff Association, and long represented only white worker ...

, , SALSTAFF , , 1918 , , , , Disaffiliated , , 27,545 , - , South African Railways Police Staff Association , , , , , , 1981 , , Disaffiliated , , 2,922 , - , South African Technical Officials' Association , , SATOA , , , , 1980 , , Expelled , , 3,000 , - , Transvaalse Transportwerkers Unie , , , , , , , , , , 300 , - , Vereeniging Van Staatsaagmeul And Boswerkers Van South Africa , , , , , , 1981 , , Dissolved , , 269 , - , Volkskas Amptenare Vereniging , , , , , , 1980 , , Disaffiliated , , 6,770 , - , Vuurhoutjiewekrers Vakbond Van South Africa , , , , , , 1979 , , Dissolved , , ''N/A'' , - , West Rand Administration Board Personnel Association , , , , 1975 , , , , , , 1,102

References

Apartheid in South Africa National trade union centres of South Africa Trade unions established in 1957