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The South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU) 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 ...
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 coun ...
.


History

The federation was established in March 1955, after right wing unions dissolved the
South African Trades and Labour Council The South African Trades and Labour Council (SAT&LC) was a national trade union federation in South Africa. History The federation was founded in 1930, when the South African Trades Union Council merged with the Cape Federation of Labour Unions. ...
in 1954 to form the exclusive white, coloured, and Indian workers'
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 ...
. It combined the unregistered African unions affiliated to the
Council of Non-European Trade Unions The Council of Non-European Trade Unions (CNETU) was a national trade union federation bringing together unions representing black workers in South Africa. The federation was established in November 1941, with the merger of the Non-European Trade ...
with fourteen registered unions which refused to join the TUCSA. 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 ...
and the
Food and Canning Workers' Union The Food and Canning Workers' Union (FCWU) was a trade union representing food processing workers in South Africa. Its members were mainly based in the Western and Eastern Cape. It was affiliate with the African Food and Canning Workers' Union (AF ...
were among the founder members. The
Industrial Conciliation Act, 1956 The Industrial Conciliation Act, 1956 (Act No. 28 of 1956; subsequently renamed the Labour Relations Act, 1956), formed part of the apartheid system of racial segregation in South Africa. It prohibited the registration of any new 'mixed' trade uni ...
banned the registration of multi-racial trade unions. SACTU was explicitly political and was one of the founders of the
Congress Alliance The Congress Alliance was an anti-apartheid political coalition formed in South Africa in the 1950s. Led by the African National Congress, the CA was multi-racial in makeup and committed to the principle of majority rule. Congress of the Peopl ...
in 1955, and all
African National Congress 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 ...
(ANC) members who were workers were required to join SACTU. The federation's first conference in 1956 proclaimed that the fights for economic and political rights were one and the same. It explicitly campaigned against the
Native Labour (Settlement of Disputes) Act, 1953 The Native Labour (Settlement of Disputes) Act, 1953 (renamed in 1964 to the Bantu Labour (Settlement of Disputes) Act, in 1973 to the Bantu Labour Relations Regulation Act, and in 1978 to the Black Labour Relations Regulation Act) was a South Afr ...
and urged members to have nothing to do with the Native Labour Officials established by it. SACTU organised factory "cells" which studied Marxist ideology as well as organising techniques. However, it struggled to develop these into unions, as it lacked funds and trained organisers, and its offices were frequently raised by South African police, who removed organisational and financial records. Some existing unions, such as the
National Union of Distributive Workers The National Union of Distributive Workers (NUDW) was a trade union representing workers involved in retail and goods transport in South Africa. History The union was founded in 1936 by supporters of the South African Communist Party, to represen ...
, refused to affiliate for fear that their organisations would be similarly compromised. In 1956, vice president Lucy Mvubelo and some unions resigned in protest at the confederation's affiliation to the
African National Congress 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 ...
and its close co-operation with the
World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation o ...
. This group later established the small
Federation of Free African Trade Unions of South Africa The Federation of Free African Trade Unions of South Africa (FOFATUSA) was a national trade union federation for unions representing black workers in South Africa. History Unions representing black workers were not permitted to affiliate to the T ...
. The organisation shared a building in Plein Street, Cape Town with the
Food and Canning Workers' Union The Food and Canning Workers' Union (FCWU) was a trade union representing food processing workers in South Africa. Its members were mainly based in the Western and Eastern Cape. It was affiliate with the African Food and Canning Workers' Union (AF ...
and other unions. A Transport National Organising Committee was established in May 1958 SACTU organised a campaign for a national minimum wage of £1 (R2) a day in 1957 with 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 ...
as a central focus. In 1961, it organised two major strikes 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 ...
, one at the Lion Match Company, and one at the King George V Hospital, which led to the formation of the Hospital Workers' Union. However, the actions were unsuccessful and proved isolated events. It also organised consumer boycotts, with the Bus Boycott of 1957 being the most successful. It produced a journal, called ''Workers' Unity''. In 1961 46 unions were affiliated, of which 36 were African. Their total membership was around 53,000 of which 39,000 were black and they had 63 paid organisers. In December 1962 the organisation was one of 36 organisations listed in a government proclamation under which 432 people were banned from holding office in any of those organisations, including 45 officials of SACTU and its affiliates. By 1965, the federation had largely ceased to operate in South Africa, although it continued to operate in exile, and to attempt to organise some clandestine action. It received some financial support from 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 ...
. From 1973 there was a revival of industrial militancy. The government retaliated with violence and several hundred strikers were shot. But the
Bantu Labour Relations Regulations Amendment Act The Bantu Labour Relations Regulations Amendment Act was an Act of the South African Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: repre ...
in 1973 did permit some industrial activity within a restrictive framework of works committees. By 1976 there were about 40,000 African union members, but most were in unions not linked to SACTU, and there were disagreements over whether the SACTU model should be emulated or avoided.
John Taolo Gaetsewe John Taolo Gaetsewe was born in the village of Maruping in Ga-Segonyana Local Municipality Ga-Segonyana Local Municipality is an administrative area in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District of the Northern Cape in South Africa. Segonyana is the S ...
was the last elected General Secretary. In 1990, the ANC was unbanned, and some activists argued that the
Congress of South African Trade Unions The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is a trade union federation in South Africa. It was founded in 1985 and is the largest of the country's three main trade union federations, with 21 affiliated trade unions.One Union expelled ...
(COSATU) should merge into SACTU. However, by this point, COSATU had a far larger membership and profile than SACTU ever had. Instead, before the end of the year, the federation dissolved itself, with its remaining members transferring to COSATU.


Affiliates

As of 1962, the following unions were affiliated:


References

{{Authority control Defunct trade unions in South Africa Trade unions established in 1955 Trade unions disestablished in 1990