The UASA is 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 ...

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 ...

Background

The union was founded on 1 April 1998, when the

Administrative, Technical and Electronic Association of South Africa The Administrative, Technical and Electronic Association of South Africa (ATEASA) was a trade union representing supervisory workers in South Africa. The union was established in 1996, when the Administrative and Technical Officials' Association ...

merged with the

Underground Officials' Association The Underground Officials' Association (UOA) was a trade union representing supervisors in the mining industry in South Africa. The union was founded in 1918. It accepted only white workers, and prided itself on not operating a closed shop and ne ...

. It affiliated to the

Federation of Unions of South Africa The Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) is the second largest national trade union center in South Africa. History The federation was founded on 1 April 1997, when the Federation of South African Labour Unions merged with the Federa ...

(FEDUSA). It was initially named the United Association of South Africa, and while its membership was focused in mining, it accepted workers in all industries. This allowed it to absorb the Hairdressers' and Cosmetologists' Trade Unions in 2000, followed by the South African Diamond Workers' Union, and the Staff Association for the Motor and Related Industries, both in 2001. In 2002, the union absorbed

SALSTAFF 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 ...

, and this took its membership to 65,000, making it easily FEDUSA's largest affiliate. In April 2003, the union absorbed the

National Employees' Trade Union The National Employees' Trade Union (NETU) was a trade union representing workers in various industries, principally relating to engineering, in South Africa. The union was founded on 1 August 1995, when the Amalgamated Engineering Union of South ...

. Membership peaked at 110,000 in 2004, and has since slowly declined, in line with employment in the mining industry. UASA is registered at the Department of Labour as a trade union in accordance with the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 as amended in 2002. It has a membership of approximately 75,000 and is affiliated with the

(FEDUSA) which represents approximately 556,000 members. UASA also plays an important role in the international labour arena, joining hands with various international federations that promote global solidarity among workers of the world in their struggle against the negative effects of globalisation. Through its affiliation with IndustriALL, ITF and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), UASA has active representation at various international forums. File:UASA Office Park.jpg, UASA's headquarters in Florida, Johannesburg

Affiliates

UASA is affiliated wit
www.fedusa.org.za
The

South African Guild of Actors The South African Guild of Actors is a representative body in South Africa that advocates for the interests of South African actors in the performing arts industry. SAGA has a labour partner UASA, through whom it is represented within the Feder ...

is also affiliated with UASA.

References

__FORCETOC__ Federation of Unions of South Africa International Trade Union Confederation Trade unions based in Johannesburg Trade unions established in 1998 Trade unions in South Africa {{SouthAfrica-trade-union-stub

Background

Affiliates

See also

References