Federation of South African Trade Unions

FOSATU
Federation of South African Trade Unions

Merged into	COSATU
Founded	20 April 1979
Dissolved	1 December 1985
Location	South Africa

The Federation of South African Trade Unions (FOSATU) was a trade union federation in South Africa.

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History

The federation was formed at a congress over the weekend of 14–15 April 1979 in Hammanskraal and officially launched five days later on 20 April.^[1]^[2] Its roots lay in the unions which had emerged from the spontaneous 1973 strike wave by black workers in Durban and Pinetown as part of the "Durban Moment",^[3] and which had since been part of the Trade Union Advisory Co-ordinating Council or the Black Consultative Committee.^[4]

FOSATU's constitution enshrined the principles of workers' control of their trade unions, non-racialism, worker independence from party politics, international worker solidarity and trade union unity. It strove to build a tight national federation to work towards an industrial workers' bloc firmly based in strong grassroots organisation on the factory floor.^[5] It became the first truly national non-racial trade union federation in South African history, building unity and avoiding the regionalism which had pervaded earlier attempts at such an organisation. Its success here has been attributed to the fostering of a national leadership layer of "organic intellectuals" through a strong focus on the political education of shop stewards, and tight integration of the national, provincial and local structures of the organisation.^[6]

While the unions affiliated primarily organised black workers, their leadership, and that of FOSATU, was mixed, and included white activists in some prominent positions. As the Government of South Africa legalised multi-racial unions in 1979, FOSATU's affiliates decided to register. However, despite applying for multi-racial status, the government issued six of the unions with certificates which only permitted the organisation of black workers. FOSATU successfully challenged this, and the number of non-black members gradually increased.^[7]

FOSATU argued for its affiliates to become industrial unions, merging so that there was only one representing workers in each industry. This led to a number of mergers, most significantly in 1980 when several unions formed the new National Automobile and Allied Workers' Union. By 1983, the federation represented workers at 489 factories, and had a total of 285 agreements with employers.^[7]

The federation initially opposed industrial councils, arguing that they moved unions away from plant-based negotiations, and often compelled affiliates to renounce the right to strike. From 1982, it permitted affiliates to join industrial councils, although in some cases they faced strong opposition from rival unions. The right to strike was important, and for example, in 1983, its affiliates took part in 124 work stoppages, more than one-third of the total number of strikes across the country. It also organised consumer boycotts where a major employer would not negotiate, such as at Colgate-Palmolive in 1981.^[7]

As part of its commitment to trade union unity, FOSATU was prepared to disband its structures if wider unity could be attained.^[3] On 1 December 1985, following four years of unity talks between competing trade union federations, FOSATU upheld this pledge by dissolving into the newly formed Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).^[8]^[9]

Affiliates

Union^[10]	Abbreviation	Founded	Left	Reason for leaving	Membership (1980)^[11]	Membership (1983)^[12]
Chemical Workers' Industrial Union	CWIU	1974	1985	Transferred to COSATU	3,000	6,260
Eastern Province Sweet, Food and Allied Workers' Union	EPSFAWU	1977	1982	Merged into SFAWU	200	N/A
Engineering and Allied Workers' Union	EAWUSA	1963	1982	Expelled	3,000	N/A
Glass and Allied Workers' Union	GAWU	1973	1983	Merged into CWIU	1,300	N/A
Jewellers' and Goldsmiths' Union	JGU	1939	1985	Became independent	460	476
Metal and Allied Workers' Union	MAWU	1973	1985	Transferred to COSATU	8,400	20,050
Natal Sugar Industry Employees' Union	NSIEU	1937	1984	Expelled	N/A	1,000
National Automobile and Allied Workers' Union	NAAWU	1980	1985	Transferred to COSATU	N/A	18,390
National Union of Motor Assembly and Rubber Workers of South Africa	NUMARWOSA	1967	1980	Merged into NAAWU	4,500	N/A
National Union of Textile Workers	NUTW	1973	1985	Transferred to COSATU	8,300	13,150
Paper, Wood and Allied Workers' Union	PWAWU	1974	1985	Transferred to COSATU	3,000	5,030
Sweet, Food and Allied Workers' Union	SFAWU	1974	1985	Transferred to COSATU	2,000	10,150
Transport and General Workers' Union	TGWU	1973	1985	Transferred to COSATU	4,500	6,335
United Union of Automobile, Rubber and Allied Workers of South Africa	UAW	1973	1980	Merged into NAAWU	4,000	N/A
Western Province Motor Assembly Workers' Union	WPMAWU	1963	1980	Merged into NAAWU	1,250	N/A

Leadership

General Secretaries

1979: Alec Erwin

1983: Joe Foster

Presidents

1979: John Mke

1982: Chris Dlamini

Ideologies	African nationalism Afrikaner nationalism Anarchism Anti-war Black consciousness Environmentalism Federalism Feminism Liberalism Libertarianism Pan-Africanism Non-racialism Trotskyism
Political parties	see South Africa political parties
Other political organisations	AfriForum Afrikanerbond Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA) Congress of South African Students (COSAS) Earthlife Africa Keep Left Khanya College Koeberg Alert Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP) People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD) South African Liberal Students' Association (SALSA) South African Students Congress (SASCO) South African Wine Initiative Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front (ZACF)

Trade unions and
Social movements

see South Africa trade unions

Law

see South African law

Political culture

(Don't) touch me on my studio

Freedom Charter

Proudly South African

White monopoly capital

Xenophobia

Slogans	"Amandla Ngawethu!" "No Land! No House! No Vote!" "Dubul' ibhunu" (Shoot the Boer) "One Settler, One Bullet" "Each One, Teach One"
Books and periodicals	African Communist Amandla ANC Today Biko I Write What I Like Long Walk to Freedom Molotov Cocktail No Land! No House! No Vote!

Other

Category

Political history of South Africa

Defunct polities

Kingdom of Mapungubwe (c. 1075–c. 1220)
Dutch Cape Colony (1652–1806)
Mthethwa Paramountcy (c. 1780–1817)
Ndwandwe Kingdom (c. 1780–1819)
Cape Colony (1795–1910)
Zulu Kingdom (1816–1897)
Natalia Republic (1839–1843)
Natal Colony (1843–1910)
Orange Free State (1854–1902)
South African Republic (1856–1902)
Griqualand East (1861–1879)
Griqualand West (1870–1873)
Goshen (1882–1883)
Stellaland (1882–1885)
Nieuwe Republiek (1884–1888)
Upingtonia (1885–1887)
Klein Vrystaat (1886–1891)
Orange River Colony (1902–1910)
Transvaal Colony (1902–1910)
Union of South Africa (1910–1961)
Transkei (1976–1994)
Bophuthatswana (1977–1994)
Venda (1979–1994)
Ciskei (1981–1994)

Events

Pre-colonial	Bantu migrations Battle of Salt River
1652–1815	Dutch settlement French Huguenot settlement Khoikhoi–Dutch Wars Xhosa Wars Battle of Muizenberg Battle of Blaauwberg Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814
1815–1910	Mfecane 1820 Settlers Great Trek Boer Republics Transvaal Civil War Mineral Revolution Witwatersrand Gold Rush South African Wars South Africa Act 1909 (National Convention)
1910–1948	South West Africa campaign Maritz rebellion Rand Rebellion Great Depression 1946 African Mine Workers' Union strike Bantustans
Apartheid	1948 general election Apartheid legislation Pass laws Internal resistance Coloured-vote constitutional crisis Defiance Campaign Congress of the People Freedom Charter Women's March 1956 1957 Alexandra bus boycott Sharpeville massacre 1960 republic referendum International isolation UN Resolution 1761 UNSC Resolution 591 Academic boycott Disinvestment Constructive engagement Tar Baby Option Sporting boycott Olympics Rugby union Rivonia Trial Durban Moment Border War Israeli alliance Israel–South Africa Agreement Mafeje affair Soweto Uprising Weapons of mass destruction Project Coast Church Street bombing 1983 constitutional referendum Langa massacre Rubicon speech Operation Vula Dakar Conference Transkei coup d'état Ciskei coup d'état Venda coup d'état Third Force CODESA Storming of the Kempton Park World Trade Centre Bisho massacre 1992 apartheid referendum Saint James Church massacre Bophuthatswana crisis Shell House massacre
Post- apartheid	1994 general election Government of National Unity Reconstruction and Development Programme Truth and Reconciliation Commission Arms Deal Floor crossing Soweto bombings African Renaissance Travelgate Xenophobia Attack on Kennedy Road Blikkiesdorp Marikana massacre 2012 Western Cape farm workers' strike Nkandlagate Racism 2014 platinum strike #RhodesMustFall protests #FeesMustFall student protests Tshwane riots 2019 service delivery protests 2019 Johannesburg riots COVID-19 pandemic 2020 Phala Phala Robbery 2021 unrest Lady R incident

Political culture

Defunct
organisations

Civic and political organisations	Afrikaner Bond Afrikaner Broederbond Afrikaner Party AITUP APO AVF BPC Black Sash Boerestaat Party CDA CNIP CTEG COD Congress Alliance COSG CP DLF Dominion Party DP (1973–1977) DP (1989–2000) DPP DSM ECC FA FD Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners GNP Het Volk HNP (Herenigde) HNP (Herstigte) IDASA ID IP ISL Jeugkrag Johannesburg Reform Committee Labour Party (1910–1958) Labour Party (1969–1994) Liberal Party (1953–1968) NA NCP Natal Indian Congress NLP NNP NP NPP NRP NUSAS Occupy Orangia Unie Oranjewerkers Orde Boerevolk PAVN PFP Progressive Party (Cape Colony) Progressive Party PRP Radio Freedom Reform Party SABP SADECO SAIC SASO SAYCO SAYRCO South African Party (Cape Colony) South African Party (1911–1934) South African Party (1977–1980) TNIP Torch Commando UFP United Party Unionist Party Volksparty Workers Party WOSA
Trade unions and social movements	APF BCM BLATU CNETU CTSWU FCWU FNETU FOSATU ICU IWW MUSA NEUM NURHS PAWE SAAPAWU SACTU SAIF SARHU SATUC Die Spoorbund UDF Umkosi Wezintaba
Paramilitary and terrorist organisations	APLA ARM AWB BBB Boeremag Greyshirts MK Ossewabrandwag Orde van die Dood PAGAD SANF

Histories of
political parties

Category

References

^ Friedman, Michelle (2010). "The Future is in the Hands of the Workers": A History of FOSATU (PDF). Johannesburg: Mutloatse Heritage Trust. p. 14–18. ISBN 978-09869833-1-3. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
^ South African History Online. "The Federation of South African Trade Unions is founded". www.sahistory.org.za. Archived from the original on 24 February 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
^ ^a ^b Friedman, Michelle (2010). "The Future is in the Hands of the Workers": A History of FOSATU (PDF). Johannesburg: Mutloatse Heritage Trust. p. 18–23. ISBN 978-09869833-1-3. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
^ Ncube, Don (1985). Black trade unions in South Africa. Braamfontein: Skotaville. pp. 109–111. ISBN 0947009051.
^ Friedman, Michelle (2010). "The Future is in the Hands of the Workers": A History of FOSATU (PDF). Johannesburg: Mutloatse Heritage Trust. p. 34. ISBN 978-09869833-1-3. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
^ Friedman, Michelle (2010). "The Future is in the Hands of the Workers": A History of FOSATU (PDF). Johannesburg: Mutloatse Heritage Trust. p. 14. ISBN 978-09869833-1-3. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ncube, Don (1985). Black trade unions in South Africa. Braamfontein: Skotaville. pp. 118–130. ISBN 0947009051.
^ South African History Online. "Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
^ COSATU. "Brief History of COSATU". www.cosatu.org.za. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
^ Kraak, Gerald (1993). Breaking the Chains: Labour in South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s. Pluto Press. ISBN 9780745307053.
^ Miller, Shirley (1982). Trade Unions in South Africa 1970-1980: a directory and statistics. Cape Town: Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit. ISBN 0799204692.
^ Ncube, Don (1985). Black trade unions in South Africa. Braamfontein: Skotaville. p. 102. ISBN 0947009051.

This page was last edited on 6 May 2022, at 22:00

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