The Black Allied Workers' Union (BAWU) was a

national trade union federation Organizers within trade unions have sought to increase the bargaining power of workers in regards to collective bargaining by acting in collaboration with other trade unions. Multi-union organizing can take place on an informal basis, or on a ...

in South Africa. The federation was established on 27 August 1972, on the initiative of the

South African Students' Organisation The South African Students' Organisation (SASO) was a body of black South African university students who resisted apartheid through non-violent political action. The organisation was formed in 1969 under the leadership of Steve Biko and Barney Pi ...

. It worked closely with the

Black People's Convention The Black People's Convention (BPC) was a national coordinating body for the Black Consciousness movement of South Africa. Envisaged as a broad-based counterpart to the South African Students' Organisation, the BPC was active in organising res ...

, and was part of the

Black Consciousness Movement The Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) was a grassroots anti-apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Af ...

. It argued for an independent trade union movement of and led by black workers. As such, it refused to work with 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 ...

, which was led by white workers and had at times expelled unions of black workers, and while some members had links with the

South African Congress of Trade Unions The South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU) was a national trade union federation in South Africa. History The federation was established in March 1955, after right wing unions dissolved the South African Trades and Labour Council in 1954 t ...

, BAWU's leadership disliked its non-racial approach. Membership of BAWU's affiliated unions grew from 2,000 in 1974 to 6,000 in 1976, but then struggled as most of its leaders were banned in 1977. In 1978, many members in

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

and

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

split to form the

South African Allied Workers' Union The South African Allied Workers' Union (SAAWU) was a general union in South Africa. Background The union was founded in 1978 as a split from the Black Allied Workers' Union by workers in Durban. The executives of the BAWU were expelled and the ...

. In 1980, the branches in

Empangeni Empangeni is a town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is approximately 157 kilometres north of Durban, in hilly countryside, overlooking a flat coastal plain and the major harbour town of Richards Bay 16 kilometres away. The N2 freeway runs eas ...

and Ladysmith split away to form the National Federation of Workers, followed by the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

region, which became the

General and Allied Workers' Union The General and Allied Workers' Union (GAWU) was a general union in South Africa. Background The union originated as the Transvaal section of the Black Allied Workers' Union. In 1980, Rita Ndzanga and Mary Ntsike led a split which resulted in ...

. Despite the splits, BAWU claimed 51,000 members in 1981, organised in fifteen affiliates: * Black Allied Air Railway Workers' Union * Black Allied Building and Construction Workers' Union * Black Allied Chemical and Petroleum Workers' Union * Black Allied Electrical Workers' Union * Black Allied Iron, Steel, Metal and Engineering Workers' Union * Black Allied Meat Suppliers Workers' Union * Black Allied Mines and Tunnel Workers' Union * Black Allied Municipality Workers' Union * Black Allied Nurses' Union * Black Allied Rubber and Tyre Workers' Union * Black Allied Shops and Offices Union * Black Allied Sugar Cane Workers' Union * Black Allied Teachers' Union * Black Allied Transport and Goods Union * Black Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union The federation moved into a loose alliance with the

Inkatha Freedom Party The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP; ) is a conservative political party in South Africa, which is a part of the current South African Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa, government of national unity together with the African National Congress (ANC). A ...

, and in 1986 it was replaced by the United Workers' Union of South Africa.{{cite book , last1=Baskin , first1=Jeremy , title=Striking back: A history of COSATU , date=1991 , publisher=Verso , location=London , isbn=0860913457 , pages=19, 72

References

Black Consciousness Movement National trade union centres of South Africa Trade unions established in 1972