The National Automobile and Allied Workers' Union (NAAWU) was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

representing workers in the motor industry in South Africa. NAAWU was founded in 1980, with the merger of the National Union of Motor Assembly and Rubber Workers of South Africa (NUMARW), the United Union of Automobile, Rubber and Allied Workers of South Africa, and the Western Province Motor Assembly Workers' Union. The union brought together about 12,000 members and, like all its predecessors, NAAWU affiliated to the

Federation of South African Trade Unions The Federation of South African Trade Unions (FOSATU) was a trade union federation in South Africa. History The federation was formed at a congress over the weekend of 14–15 April 1979 in Hammanskraal and officially launched five days la ...

(FOSATU). It was led by general secretary Fred Sauls. While its predecessors had been divided on colour lines, NAAWU was open to all workers in the industry. NUMARW had been registered with the

Government of South Africa The Government of South Africa, or South African Government, is the national government of the Republic of South Africa, a parliamentary republic with a three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary ...

as a trade union, and as its successor, NAAWU became one of the first non-racial trade unions able to register, the first within FOSATU. However, some workers argued that it was a mistake to register with the government, and so instead formed the rival Motor Assembly Component Workers' Union of South Africa. By 1983, the union's membership had grown to 18,390, following a succession of strikes. In 1985, it transferred to FOSATU's successor, the

Congress of South African Trade Unions The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU or 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 ...

. In 1987, it merged with the

Metal and Allied Workers' Union The Metal and Allied Workers' Union (MAWU) was a trade union representing workers in metalworking, engineering and related industries in South Africa. The union was founded in April 1974 in Pietermaritzburg, with the assistance of the General Fa ...

, the

Motor Industry Combined Workers' Union The Motor Industry Combined Workers' Union (MICWU) was a trade union representing workers in vehicle manufacturing and servicing, and also petrol attendants, in South Africa. The union was founded in 1961, to represent "coloured" workers who had ...

and United Metal, Mining and Allied Workers of South Africa, to form the

National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) is the biggest single trade union in South Africa with more than 338,000 members, and prior to its expulsion on 8 November 2014, the largest affiliate of the Congress of South African Tr ...

.{{cite web , title=History , url=https://www.numsa.org.za/history/ , website=National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa , access-date=7 March 2021

References

Vehicle industry trade unions Trade unions established in 1980 Trade unions disestablished in 1987 Trade unions in South Africa