This can be seen in the defections of trade unions from the congress of south african trade unions cosatu, the radical rhetoric of the national union of metalworkers of south africa numsa, the formation of the radical economic freedom fighters eff party, the growing number of service delivery protests, and the growing criticism being. There are three major union federations in sa, whose affiliates represent a broad spectrum of industry. Today, the influence and function of a trade union is far different than they. This dissertation focuses on the future of trade unions as organisations in south africa, particularly on the factors which may influence the continued existence of unions. South africa is the most industrialised subsaharan african country, and its labour force is equally the largest and most powerful in africa bar the nigerian labour congress nlc which claims a membership of three million.
Ways in which south african trade unions have intervened in the labour market 22 chapter two. May 07, 2016 labour unions have played an integral role as a voice for social transformation in south africa. This challenge to state power became a threat as fas as the state was concerned. The university of the witwatersrand the role of trade. Along with business, the other barrow pushers range from the south african communist party sacp to various trade union and political leaders as well as groups professing different socialist orientations. However, the process of defining a clear social, economic and political role has. Trade unions in an emerging economy the case of south. Lastly, trade unions sometimes have the capacity to interrupt the whole economy in a country through industrial action which makes central trade unions an organizational power that is attractive to the political opposition hedblom 2005 the research outlines the political and social context in which trade unionism developed. Mozambique plunged into a devastating civil war soon after. Trade unions in an emerging economy the case of south africa. What is the influence of trade unions on political and. How unions have boosted pay, job security in democratic south africa.
Through the turbulent years of 19481991 trade unions played an important part in developing political and economic resistance, and eventually were one of the. A major change in the south african trade union balance took place with the establishment of a new trade union federation with over 515 000 members. It argues that trade unions remain critical for democratic consolidation and will continue to play a meaningful role in this process. Trade unions, political unions and social movement unions. The wiehahn reforms deracialise south africas statutory system of collective bargaining and dispute resolution, and introduce an industrial court to adjudicate unfair labour practice claims. Although instrumental in the formation in 1999 of the oppositional movement for democratic change mdc, the zimbabwean congress of trade unions zctu is not part of it. Introduction the issue of trade unionism and politics in africa in general, and in south africa in particular, is complex. Fourth, it explores the extent to which unions are able to influence hours of work.
The final part presents some conclusions and policy recommendations. Being a member of the collective group of workers would result in having an edge on making their concerns heard and thus can prove to be more influential. However, despite their relationship with political parties, trade unions should remain autonomous. These representative organisations like trade unions tend to be essential, as an individual worker has very little power to influence decisions made by the management. Nov 08, 2012 it can be argued today that trade unions are more necessary than ever. Namibia attained independence only in 1990 after being governed by south africa. This paper discusses the utilisation of social movement trade unionism by the congress of south african trade unions cosatu in seeking to influence the government to pursue policies that improve the lives of workers in south africa. Given the fact that the confederation of south african trade unions cosatu was instrumental in bringing the african national congress anc.
Thanks to continuous struggle for rights of black workers which was also part of the anti apartheid movement, union registration and. The case study in durban analyses the trade union attitudes towards the abahlali movement and assesses whether trade union responses indicate that cosatu is trapped in a onedimensional strategy of cooperation in. The role and challenges of trade unions in postapartheid. Thus, trade unions emerged as a significant opponent to the state, as they sought autonomy and the right to influence policy. Possible trade union responses to labour market challenges 20 1.
Apr 25, 2017 south africa s newest trade union federation, saftu, comes at a time of declining political influence by unions, compared to during the struggle against apartheid. The university of the witwatersrand the role of trade unions. Apr 30, 2016 labour unions have played an integral role as a voice for social transformation in south africa. From the beginning unions could be viewed as a reflection of the racial disunity of the country, with the earliest unions being predominantly for white workers. A number of factors influenced my decision to undertake this study. In fact, cosatu congress of south african trade unions which was founded in 1985 today, with 1,7 million members not only the largest of the three federations in south africa, but undoubtedly also.
How unions have boosted pay, job security in democratic. However, trade unionism in south africa is fragmented. So the battle, from all sides, is about the type of union organisation that should exist and what role the unions should play. Second, it examines the determinants of who actually belongs to a trade union across oecd countries.
As an organised force with a significant social base, trade unions play an important role beyond the workplace. Cosatu members and the democratic transformation of south africa 1. Pdf between social movement and political unionism. Maree, j 1993 trade unions and corporatism in south africa, in transformation 21.
Third it estimates the effects of unions on relative wages. It identifies seven broad trends in the labour market and their impact on the labour movement. The congress of south african trade unions cosatu is the largest of the three major trade union centres, with a membership of 1. First, transformation could be achieved radically through measures such as. Given the turbulent history of trade unions, specifically in south africa, it is of exceptional. The original reason why the independent churches began to secede from the mission churches, was the latters generally reluctance to ordain africans and the frustration this caused 1995. As a result, the labour market was characterized by a strong racial division of labour that would persist for decades to come. They are many trade unions or federations of trade unions. It was a further reminder to the zulu people of their constrained autonomy. Labour unions have played an integral role as a voice for social transformation in south africa. Although transformation was clearly necessary, how it would be achieved in terms of the national democratic revolution ndr, as expressed in the freedom charter,1 rested on two divergent views. They have a long history in labor, dating back to the early 20th century when workers in specific trades began to organize for better working conditions. In south africa, trade unions for many years not only fought for workers rights within the workplace but also beyond the workplace. The political role played by trade unions in south africa is clearly to be seen in the activities of the congress of south african trade unions cosatu, an organisation that was established as early as 1985.
South africa is often cited as a perfect example for the importance of trade unions in political transformation processes. Social engineering is a discipline in political science that refers to efforts to influence popular attitudes and social behaviors on a large scale, whether by governments or private groups. In other cases, however, labour movements that once were close allies of liberation movements found themselves in the forefront of advocating for democracy and thus openly challenged the ruling parties of the day. This paper discusses the utilisation of social movement trade unionism by the congress of south african trade unions cosatu in seeking to influence the government. In its response to the world economic forum s global ompetitiveness reports questionnaire, the business sector in south africa indicated a drastic increase in impact of the trust in the politicians to influence their competitiveness ranking. A study may be conducted on the political involvement of each trade union or federation of trade unions in south. A labour law perspective by makwena ernest manamela submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of doctor of laws at the university of south africa supervisor. How unions have boosted pay, job security in democratic south. Trade unions played an important role in south africas transition from apartheid in 1994 and keep on a very public role in the south african economy. How this was to be done, however, revolved around two divergent views of the national democratic revolution ndr which forms the underlying ideology or glue that binds together the tripartite alliance comprising the anc, the south african. Trade unions and the need for transformation terry bell writes.
Factors influencing the future existence of trade unions. The political role played by trade unions in south africa is clearly to be seen in the activities of the. The federation of unions of south africa fedusa was established on 1 april 1997 by the amalgamation of two federations, namely federation of south african labour unions fedsal and federation of. South african labour unions have shown themselves to be effective in. This is certainly the case in south africa where unionised workers earn markedly. Cosatu workers political attitudes in south africa.
Cosatu is a federation of a group of south african trade unions. Trade unions in south africa roles and responsibilities. This article was written while i was a visiting scholar at the university of massachusetts, amherst, as part of the five colleges african scholars program in the fall of 2005. Factors influencing the future existence of trade unions in. Pdf in south africa social movement unionism was associated with the congress of south african trade unions cosatu during the. Issues regarding the role of trade unions in the social transformation of nationstates still remain an area of huge debate in academic and official circles even within trade unions themselves. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Today trade unions are still an important force in south africa, with 3.
Historically in south africa, trade unions function was primarily political as organised labour was instrumental in advocating for democracy. Southern africas trade unions often have to articulate the aspirations not only of industrialised workers but also of the poor in general. The case of south africa presents south africa as a case study from a more sociological perspective. Negative impact of trade unions on businesses management. It can be argued today that trade unions are more necessary than ever. Based on a framework of historical institutionalism, the heritage of a distributional regime based on institutional racism is highlighted. Current labour market challenges facing trade unions 16 1. Trade unions represent a form of collective bargaining representation in the workplace. Lastly, it gives an exposition of some of the challenges faced by trade unions in postapartheid south africa. Congress of south african trade unions cosatu are instructive in this regard. A case study of the national union of metalworkers of south africa numsa in the context of polokwane a research report submitted to the faculty of humanities, university of the witwatersrand, johannesburg, in partial fulfilment.
Thanks to continuous struggle for rights of black workers which was also part of the anti apartheid movement, union registration and membership rights were established for blacks. The chance to break away and form new movements presented an opportunity. Trade unions play an important role in south africas labour relations. To participate in the system, african trade unions have to register in terms of the. Thereafter, a detailed evaluation of the impact of trade unions, legislation, and institutions on labour market outcomes in south africa is provided, and it is found that despite a long history, trade union. When the african national congress anc became the democratic government of south africa in 1994, it faced the challenge of transforming the economy. Issues regarding the role of trade unions in the social transformation of nation states. Raman press, johannesburg, selected articles on reserve maree, j.
Trade unions have created positive effect on members wages, even though it seems that this increase has resulted in part from changes in the composition of union membership. Their formal influence grew with the deregulation of black trade unions in the. Based on a framework of historical institutionalism, the heritage of a distributional regime based on institutional racism is. The debate has centred largely on the capacity andor appropriateness of political involvement of trade unions. This title analyses the results of a survey of the political attitudes of members of the congress of south african trade unions cosatu undertaken in the run up to south africas third democratic general election in. Social movement unionism involves trade union movement struggles characterised by shopfloor participatory. Page 390 note 1 cosatu second national congress, in south african labour bulletin, 12, 67, 08. Yet much of the labour movement internationally is in a state of flux or stagnation and. The role and challenges of trade unions in postapartheid south. As such, trade unions sought to disengage from the state which seemed to have lost its capacity to deliver.
The other three discussion papers examine old and new challenges facing labour law as a tool to promote social goals from specific regional. Federation of south african trade unions fosatu formed. Globalization, the impact of trade liberalization, and labour law. The transformation of south africas largest union, the national union of metalwork. Trade union services and benefits in africa edited by. This paper provides a historical overview of the south african trade union movement, followed by a brief discussion of the labour market legislation and institutions formed since 1994. In south africa trade unions were stared towards the dusk of 19th century but the early trade unions were formed for racially white workers. During apartheid, their objectives were distinctly political. South africas newest trade union federation, saftu, comes at a time of declining political influence by unions, compared to during the struggle against apartheid. South african black trade unions as an emerging working. The congress of south african trade unions cosatu, the federation of trade unions of south africa fedusa and the national council of trade unions nactu.
An assessment of numsas attempt to develop its political. Glu social policies and redistribution in south africa iii abstract this paper aims at analyzing the effects of social policies on income inequalities in south africa since the 1990s. The congress of south african trade unions cosatu, after its establishment in 1985 unifying contending unions and federations, was instrumental in the struggle against apartheid. South africa, uganda ghana, south africa friedrichebertstiftung international trade union cooperation brie. The congress of south african trade unions cosatu played a key role in challenging. Page 389 note 2 fine, alan and webster, eddie, transcending traditions. Being a member of the collective group of workers would result in having an edge on making their concerns heard. The core foundation of collective bargaining legislation in south africa was the industrial. Trade unions started as friendly societies aimed at assisting their members with. When, in 1994, a democratically elected government came to power, it inherited a contradictory legacy. Negative impact of trade unions on businesses management essay.