The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) 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 of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

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 ...

History

In the late 1990s, the

South African Railways and Harbours Union The South African Railways and Harbours Union was formed by black workers of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration after they had been expelled from the National Union of Railway and Harbour Servants. Formation Rachel Simons, t ...

(SARHWU) and

Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate its ...

(TGWU) were both affiliates of the

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 ...

and undertook lengthy negotiations on a potential merger. In December 1998, the

Black Trade Union of Transnet Workers The Black Trade Union of Transnet Workers (BLATU) was a Company union set up by the South African Railways and Harbours Administration in 1981. In 1982 it claimed a membership of 60,000, out of 95,000 black employees. Union dues were collected ...

and the Transnet Allied Trade Union merged into SARWHU, which renamed itself as the "South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union". On 18 May 2000, the TGWU finally merged with this union, forming a new entity, which was also named SATAWU. The union suffered a split in 2012, when former president Ephraim Mphahlela led around half the membership into the new

National Transport Movement The National Transport Movement (NTM) is a trade union representing workers in the transportation sector in South Africa. The union was founded in 2012 as a split from the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU). Its leader, Ep ...

. A further split in 2015 led to the founding of the Democratised Transport Logistics and Allied Workers Union. SATAWU is an affiliate of the COSATU and the

International Transport Workers' Federation The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is a democratic global union federation of transport workers' trade unions, founded in 1896. In 2017 the ITF had 677 member organizations in 149 countries, representing a combined membership ...

Chinese arms ship refusal

In May 2008, the An Yue Jiang, a ship from the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

bearing a large amount of Chinese-manufactured weapons that were bound for

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

, had docked 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 ...

harbor; but the dock employees, who were all members of SATAWU, refused to unload the ship of its inventory. SATAWU and COSATU supported the refusal of the cargo, and trade union federations in other southern African countries also refused to unload the ship when it subsequently redocked in other harbors, such as

Walvis Bay Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The c ...

and

Luanda Luanda () is the capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief seaport ...

General Secretaries

:2000:

Randall Howard Randall Howard (born 1961) is a former South African trade unionist. Born in the Bonteheuwel area of Cape Town, Howard was the second-oldest of fourteen children. After completing school, he worked to support his family. From 1986, he worked ...

:2009: Zenzo Mahlangu :2018: Jack Mazibuko

References

External links

SATAWU official website
Trade unions based in Johannesburg Congress of South African Trade Unions International Transport Workers' Federation Transport trade unions in South Africa Trade unions established in 2000 Trade unions in South Africa {{SouthAfrica-trade-union-stub