This role of trade unions is defined throughout the labour related legislative framework of sa. North, the south african labour movement is relatively young and is not subject to the same oligarchic tendencies that animated the revitalisation debate. The research in the area of trade unions which makes the topic very interesting and it also provides me with some insights on how trade union. However, recently there has been a renewed interest in the role of trade unions and particularly in their political role as trade union movements in argentina, venezuela and brazil have effectuated regime. This study explores the role of three south african trade union organisations, cosatu, fedusa and solidariteit, in the foreign policy process of south africa. We hope that the experience of south african trade unions and their role in promoting financial inclusion will inspire other unions to think through the diverse ways in which they can meet their members financial service needs. The important basic functions of unions listed by national commission on labour are. Global competition, a growing trend in outsourcing, legal constraints, and employer sponsored forms of employee. Essay about role of trade unions in south africa 2485 words. Roles and responsibilities of trade unions in south africa. South africa and other parts of the world, responding intellectually to the immediate needs of workers and trade unions and introducing debates and discussions about the importance of democracy within trade unions and in society at large hlatshwayo 2009.
Cosatu is the largest labour union in south africa. The congress came into existenc 195e i inn, order to provide. An overview of the role of trade unions in the policy cycle, stagebystage vi 3. Productivity improvement and the role of trade unions ilo. Roles and responsibilities of trade unions in south africa as it is, trade unions in south africa are the strongest and most stable compared to other african countries. It has a membership of fiftyone affiliated unions and represents. The role of national trade union organisations in south.
Southern african trade union coordination council in gaborone. A trade union can be simply defined as an alliance of workers to strengthen their efforts in bargaining with their correspondents. The role of teacher unions in the education sector bridge. Possible trade union responses to labour market challenges 20 1. It is in the shadow of the above concerns that this report engages trade union strategy in south africa today. In their own interests, white workers and employers should encourage african workers to become good trade unionists. It argues that trade unions remain critical for democratic consolidation and will continue to play a meaningful role in this process. Report of a seminar on the role of british trade unions in postapartheid solidarity. The role of trade unions and their representatives. The political role of trade unions according to the unions 151 overview of organisational and political responses to the effects of.
Workers education was also about helping workers to build their own organisation to help. South african communist party sacp plays a small but important role in the new government, cementing the relationship between cosatu and the anc with. Gender transformation in the workplace and the role of trade. Trade union services and benefits in africa edited by. Trade unions in an emerging economy the case of south africa. The role and responsibilities of trade unions youtube. South africa at that time, very few black workers were organised.
It asks what role these trade union organisations played between 1999 and 2012 in the south african foreign policy process and what factors had a bearing on that role. Roles and responsibilities of trade union management essay. What should the relationship be between trade unions and political parties, trade unions and the. Most of the trade unions in south africa are affiliated to one of the three main trade union centres. Literatures have highlighted various roles and functions of trade unions over the past years.
The political role of trade unions today according to cosatu 142 the political role of trade unions according to the unions 151 overview of organisational and political responses to the effects of neoliberalism 154 conclusion 157 chapter 6. In south africa, with few exceptions, scholarship on the modern labour movement which emerged after the durban strikes of 1973 tends to focus on trade unions that constituted the labour movement, strikes, collective bargaining, and workplace changes. Objective is to conclude agreements that take into account the needs of employers, trade unions and the industry purpose of negotiations. A year prior to the expiry of a current agreement, parties come together to negotiate a new agreement. Labour unions and financial inclusion in south africa ilo. Labour unions and financial inclusion in south africa. Trade unionists and their involvement with the anti.
The main role of trade union is to ensure the welfare of its members such as safeguarding the interests of its members, protecting the reliability. Trade unions and the struggle for democracy in africa. Those taking part included the organisers of a variety of practical projects whereby employers. The racebased decolonisation assignment that afrikaner nationalism had abrogated to itself to the exclusion of other races in the aftermath of the 1961 republicanisation of south africa further created a racebased. What role do trade unions play in the 21st century. Current labour market challenges facing trade unions 16 1. The core argument of this study is that trade union organisations participate in creating public. Trade unions are distinctive organisations whose role can be variously interpreted and understood by different interest groups in the society. In 1954 the south african congress of trade unions sactu merged with the council of noneuropean trade unions. Its role was mostly political rather than fighting for the rights of the workers. This means that if you join a trade union at work, no matter if you are in catering, nursing, mining, teaching or any other work sector, it will most likely be affiliated to a specific trade union centre. Trade unions played an important role in south africas transition from apartheid in. The main role of trade union is to ensure the welfare of its members such as safeguarding the interests of its members, protecting the reliability of its trade, achieving higher wages by securing economic benefits.
The university of the witwatersrand the role of trade. It describes country case studies from zambia, ghana, zimbabwe, nigeria, namibia, and south africa. Trade unions in africa are weak organisations with many internal problems. Weaknesses in responses, and alternative strategies 160. The existence of a strong and recognized trade union is a prerequisite to industrial peace. Are trade unions still important for workers now under a democratically elected anc government in south africa. Thus the challenge of union revitalisation in south africa and, indeed the rest of the south, entails more than simply trying to strengthen existing union organisations. 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 membership levels, their impact on average wage levels. In this latter role trade union influence extends beyond the confines of the workplace and impacts upon society as a whole, making a key contribution to creating, maintaining and rebuilding democratic societies. The role of trade unions is confined not only to the political arena but extends into the. Trade unions in southern africa southern african regional.
Preparation the role of trade unions in launching the policy process trade union membership in the policys steering committee 1 planning activities and resources needed for trade union participation 2 developing a clear vision or goal 3 3. The role of trade unions has changed significantly over the past 30 years. Trade unions also represent members in grievance and disciplinary matters, and they also ensure that the employer complies with labour legislation, collective agreements, health and safety regulations or any other statutory requirements affecting the workplace. The teacher development community of practice cop explored some themes on the topic, in the context of a presentation by duncan hindle, the former president of. The university of the witwatersrand the role of trade unions. Building workers education in the context of the struggle.
There were trade unions, but most of their members were white workers. Trade unions therefore need to be innovative and go beyond the traditional collective bargaining roles. This chapter focuses on the role of trade unions in south africas economy. Trade unions should thus stimulate and rekindle that spirit of union organization so as to bring workers together, modernise and provide services and benefits that reflect changing needs and times. The roles and functions of trade unions business essay. Most of the african unions in south africa belong to it. Objectives, function, formation, regulation, rights and liabilities.
There was a political party that said that it was socialist the labour party but it collaborated with the bosses and their political parties, and only allowed white members. This booklet examines the legal, economic, and political environment in which trade unions operate in africa and attempts to identify the key challenges facing them. Oct 20, 2008 the role of trade union trade unions are unique organisations whose role is variously interpreted and understood by different interest groups in the society. 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. The role of unions in south africa essay 19291 words. A consultant, john carr, played a leading part in the preparation of the meeting. 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. The core purpose of trade unions in south africa, as it is elsewhere in the world is to regulate relations between employers and their employers. Trade unions are independent, membershipbased organisations of workers that. Trade unionism has become an essential part of orderly society and south africa is taking a grave risk in stubbornly resisting its spread to africans. A case study of rand water libanus quanson 697739 a research report submitted to the faculty of humanities, university of the witwatersrand, johannesburg, south africa, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of master of arts degree in the field of labour, policy and globalisation. Traditionally trade unions role has been to protect jobs and real earnings, secure better conditions of work and life and fight against exploitation and arbitrariness to ensure fairness and equity in employment contexts.
The congress of south african trade unions cosatu is the largest of the three major trade union centres, with a membership of 1. Over the years, trade unions in europe have tried to extend their representation to these new groups of workers, implementing new strategic and organizational actions in order to satisfy the protection needs of not organized workers3. Roles of trade unions in tanzania trade unions have positive contributions in promoting and enhancing workers rights and interests, the elra no. The role of women in the south african trade union movement. Today trade unions are still an important force in south africa, with 3. Working with trade unions to improve working conditions. Although trade unions look after the interests of their members, they also recognise the advantages of working in partnership with employers. The report reprinted the address of keynote speaker jay naidoo, former general secretary of the congress of south african trade unions cosatu and a programme of action for the british trade union movement. The research in the area of trade unions which makes the topic very interesting and it also provides me with some insights on how trade union works and its effects on workers. First, the historical development of trade unions in south africa, and their strong political orientation during this development is documented. Teacher unions are a vital stakeholder in education.
The rise of the south african trade union movement the period in questionfrom the early 1970s to the 1990ssaw a tremendous growth in the trade union field in south africa, as the workersparticularly the black workerswere struggling for their rights to form their organisations and their. The role of employer organisations and trade unions in negotiations. Decisions taken through the process of collective bargaining and negotiations between employer and unions are more influential. Ways in which south african trade unions have intervened in the labour market 22 chapter two. Whether temporary or permanent, primarily for the purpose of regulating the relations between workers and employers or between workers for imposing restrictive conditions on the conduct of any trade or business and includes the federations of two or more trade unions. Trade unions played a key role in establishing and defining a tradition of communal solidarity in poor and workingclass communities in the apartheid era theron 2010. Trade union come together for common goals and interest the members have some materials of collective interest such as improving working conditions, better wages, benefits, job security among others. The state alone cannot achieve everything in the field of education in a country. Sep 30, 2010 it is in the shadow of the above concerns that this report engages trade union strategy in south africa today. This role of trade unions is defined throughout the labour related legislative framework of. Productivity improvement and the role of trade unions. An evaluation is also made of their successes and failures regarding their mandate to foster national development.
Pdf what role for trade unions in future workplace. In paper i would like to bring a bit closer the role of trade unions in the process of forming the interests representation system in turbulent transformation time but before that the short look on the role of trade unions in western european countries seems to be legitimate. The trade unions have the right to contest a managerial decision, if they considered that their members are at risk with the outcome. Trade unions and particularly their engagement in political unionism have been absent from the development literature in recent decades. The report asks, looking at the trade union strategy in and of itself, what accounts for the decline in worker control, the loss of the battle to defend gains such as jobs and high. This working paper contributes to this line of action. Parties to the council employer organisations and trade unions are directly involved in concluding these agreements on behalf of their members through negotiation.
In the 1990s, while trade unions in europe and the unit ed states were in decline, in south africa. Congress of south african trade unions cosatu south. History of trade unions trade unions have been in existence in south africa since the1880s. Over the past few years they have played an increasing role in teacher development and the debates around the professionalisation of teachers. The first black trade union was established in 1917. The responses of trade unions to the effects of neoliberalism. Trade unions play an important role and are helpful in effective communication between the workers and the management. South africa is often cited as a perfect example for the importance of trade unions in political transformation processes. The university of the witwatersrand the role of trade unions in job.
Trade unions in south africa roles and responsibilities. The role of employer organisations and trade unions in. The present booklet is the outcome of a meeting held in december 1993 on. As a federation, it brought together many of the unions formed after the wave of strikes at the beginning of 1973 which marked a renewal of trade union. Trade union play great role in safeguarding employees from any form of discrimination or harassment in organisations. Ways in which south african trade unions have intervened in the labour market.
The role of teacher unions in education with specific reference to south africa lekhotla james mafisa p. Growth employment and redistribution strategy gfwbf. Due to their large social base, trade unions in zambia and zimbabwe played a key role in forming political. Gender transformation in the workplace and the role of. Trade union support to the struggle against apartheid. Importance of trade unions, responsibilities of trade unions. Labour law and employment manual 20 section f trade unions. The congress of south african trade unions cosatu was launched on 1 december 1985, at the height of the struggle against apartheid. Labour unions have played a substantial role in promoting access to financial services in south africa. Trade unions also provide representation for their members at arbitration. The role of trade union trade unions are unique organisations whose role is variously interpreted and understood by different interest groups in the society.
1289 1264 39 144 1579 856 1364 26 1271 1542 1399 587 1527 282 425 375 1364 712 1402 133 774 406 737 1161 334 1433