Item sets
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South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU) Collection
This item set comprises archival, published, and ephemeral materials produced by or relating to the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU). The materials document the union’s activities within the commercial, retail, catering, and allied sectors, including collective bargaining, campaigns, organisational development, and engagement in the South African labour movement. The collection provides evidence of workers’ organisation and labour relations in South Africa, particularly in service-sector industries. -
South African Municipal Workers' Union (SAMWU) Collection
The largest trade union in the South African local government sector. Established in 1987 through the merger of five unions, SAMWU is a COSATU affiliate representing over 160,000 workers in municipalities, water boards, and allied services. -
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T&G News
An archival collection of the official serial publications of the Transport & General Workers’ Union (T&GWU). Spanning from the union's early years in the 1980s through to its merger into SATAWU in 2000, the set includes tabloid newspapers, internal bulletins, and specialised sectoral newsletters. The series documents the union's shift from a focus on "general" workers to its emergence as a powerful industrial force in the national transport corridors and maritime docks. -
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Transport and General Workers Union (T & GWU) Collection
This item set comprises archival materials documenting the activities of the Transport and General Workers Union (T & GWU). The collection includes meeting minutes, reports, correspondence, and strategy documents relating to collective bargaining, sectoral organisation, and union campaigns, particularly during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The records reflect the union’s engagement with centralised bargaining initiatives and its collaboration with other labour organisations within the broader South African trade union movement. -
Upbeat Magazine Collection
A series of the monthly educational magazine Upbeat, published by the SACHED Trust. Launched in 1981, the magazine provided a "counter-curriculum" for black South African teenagers facing the limitations of Bantu Education. It integrated academic support (English, Math, Science) with "People’s History," career guidance, and social awareness. The collection documents the evolution of youth culture, student resistance, and alternative pedagogy during the late apartheid era. -
Work in Progress (WIP) Collection
A series of the independent political and social journal Work in Progress, established in 1977 by the Southern African Research Service (SARS). WIP provided a platform for radical analysis of South African political economy, labor struggles, and state repression. It was notable for its rigorous "Labor Bulletins," its coverage of the treason trials, and its role in debating the transition to a post-apartheid democracy. The collection documents the intellectual history of the "Internal Front" of the anti-apartheid struggle. -
Worker Tenant
A grassroots serial publication/magazine focused on the intersection of labor rights and housing struggles in South Africa. The publication served as an ideological bridge between trade unionism (the "Worker") and community/civic struggles (the "Tenant"). It frequently analysed "Total Strategy," the JMC system, and the necessity of working-class leadership in the national liberation struggle. -
Workers' News
The official periodic publication of the South African Municipal Workers' Union (SAMWU). Workers' News served as a vital communication tool for municipal workers, covering shop-floor struggles, national policy debates (such as the privatisation of water and electricity), and union constitutional matters. It provided a platform for worker voices across the various local government sectors in South Africa.