An introduction to the Federation of South African Trade Unions
Item
- Title
- An introduction to the Federation of South African Trade Unions
- Creator
- FOSATU
- Date Issued
- Jun-83
- Description
- The formation of FOSATU is part of a long history of struggle to organise the Black workers of South Africa into independent, non-racial trade unions. Black worker resistance in South Africa is as old as the introduction of wage labour but the first effective recorded trade union organising black workers was started in 1917 to be followed by the more famous ICU (Industrial and Commercial Workers Union) in 1919. Ever since then unions have fought against State and employer hostility to the unionisation of black workers. Other federations rose and fell. The 1950's marked a great rise in political and worker organisation with the emergence of the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU) as part of the Congress Alliance. Severe State repression led to the 1960's being a low point of worker organisation. However, growing economic problems of inflation, unemployment and poverty plus a very much larger industrial working class led to an upsurge of worker militancy in the early 1970's. This gave rise to new union organisation in Natal, Transvaal and Port Elizabeth. By 1974 new coordinating bodies had emerged in Natal and the Transvaal. The need for greater unity was clear in the face of hostility from the State, employers and established unions - both the racist white unions and those in the Trade Union Council of South Africa (TUCSA).
- Format
- Language
- English
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/138646
- Archive
- Cory Library for Humanitites Research
- Provenance
- The item is held at the Cory Library for Humanities Research, Rhodes University, on behalf of the Labour Research Service
- Extent
- 10 pages
- Rights
- Federation of South African Trade Unions (FOSATU)
- Rights Holder
- Federation of South African Trade Unions (FOSATU)
- Use/re-use
- The materials are made available explicitly for research and educational purposes. Any use of these materials must be cleared with the Labour Research Service.
- Item sets
- General Materials
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