ipl-logo

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Trade Unions In South Africa

1714 Words7 Pages

A trade union is an organisation which consists of members, including workers and union leaders who come together to protect and stimulate their common interests. The majority of trade unions are independent of the employer. However, trade unions do try to develop close relationships between employees and the employer. Sometimes, this may take the form of a partnership agreement between the trade union and the employer which points out their common interests and objectives. According to the South African Bill of Rights, anyone is free to join a trade union.
Employers who recognise a trade a union will negotiate with the members over their pay and working conditions. Recognition agreements are usually gained voluntarily, occasionally with the …show more content…

In 1917, the Industrial Workers of Africa (IWA) which was the first trade union for black workers had formed. The South African Trades and Labour Council (SATLC) had brought together most of the country by the 1930s. The SATLC was not based on racial discrimination but instead it had accepted associations with black trade unions. The SATLC had consisted of some black unions which had joined the organisation in the 1940s and other black unions had joined the Council of Non-European Trade Unions (CNETU) which reached one hundred and nineteen unions and one hundred and fifty-eight thousand members by 1945. The African National Congress (ANC) as well as the South African Communist Party (SACP) had wanted the African Mine Worker’s Strike to turn into a general strike. The police had put an end to this strike with their brutal means and this had given rise to the National Party (NP).
The SATLC was broken up by 1954. The Trade Council of South Africa had formed and consisted of coloureds, Asians and whites, whilst the blacks were in dependent organisations. Black unions that were independent were excluded from associating with government and other trade unions. The unions from the SATLC had established the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU) which combined with CNETU …show more content…

It consists of about 2.2 million members. Most of the workers that form the membership of COSATU are in the mining sector as well as the quarrying sector, which is then followed by electricity, gas, water supply, and social and personal services. This trade union believes in worker control, non-racialism, international worker unity and paid-up membership. It also devotes to the principle, “One country, one federation.” I
FEDUSA is the second largest federation in South Africa. It consists of about 375 000 members. It was formed in 1997 and it is politically non-aligned and represents democracy. NACTU forms the country’s third largest federation. It consists of about 400000 members. It was formed in 1986 and it believes in uniting worker movement, the creation of an equal and just society where workers are not fully controlled by political

Show More
Related

Summary Of The Amherst Federation Of Labour

349 Words | 2 Pages

The Amherst Federation of Labour was a radical attempt in the late 1910’s as a way to combat labour pressures occurring in the period. It was an attempt to unionize the entire industry of the town of Amherst Nova Scotia. It was called the “one big union” which is exactly what it was. It was designed to unionize all industrial labour industries within the town. They advocated for a right to strike, improved working conditions, and better wages; quite similar to what most unions advocated for.

Read More

AFSCME Local 2864: A Case Study

274 Words | 2 Pages

During the 1960’s AFSCME’s great efforts were linked with those of the civil rights movement. Developing unions like AFSCME joined students and civil rights activists as they took to the streets

Read More

Analyze The Reasons For Reconstruction Dbq

937 Words | 4 Pages

The National Women Suffrage Association, as you can no doubt tell, was National. Led by the high-minded members, nameely Stanton and Anthony, the NWSA wanted a federal way to gain rights. The Governments that were created in reconstruction Blacks had majority Republican Party was super strong Democrats and scalawags: Democrats called white southies who were republican “scalawags”

Read More

Honey Chapter Summaries

1514 Words | 7 Pages

Honey’s book is important in helping us understand the dynamics of the working class life and struggles of the African American community during the Civil Rights era. It also offers some insight into the development of the labor movement in Memphis, TN. In the 1930s and 40s, African American workers began organizing under the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The CIO was important for the African American workers because it addressed issues of race discrimination in the workplace and in the labor movement. They also challenged the administration of E.H. Crump, a political machine that was responsible for the unfair treatment and degradation of the African American community.

Read More

The White Citizen's Council History

352 Words | 2 Pages

WCC, also known as the White Citizen’s Council was formed on 11 July, 1954, by Robert Patterson. In Little Rock a local version of the WCC was (CCC), Capital Citizen’s Council, formed in 1956. These organizations used violence (and intimidated whites) to fight against civil rights and desegregation groups. Their goal was to economically and socially crush the coloured people, which is why MLK Jr. once stated that WCC is like the ‘modern’ KKK. By 1955, WCC (including CCC) had more than 60,000 members.

Read More

Amalgamated Association Research Paper

442 Words | 2 Pages

It formed in 1876, lost membership during strikes in the 1880s, and regained strength after joining the newly formed American Federation of Labor in 1887. Which helped overcome 20th-century labor. First The Amalgamated Association was established by the merger of three labor unions that had formed in the earlier in the industry which was the Sons of Vulcan, the Heaters and Rollers Union, and the Roll Hands Union.

Read More

How Did Mccarthyism Affect The Civil Rights Movement

626 Words | 3 Pages

The anti-communist poorly affected the labor movement, which had been an essential ally of the black struggle in the 1930s and 1940s. Many unions that had supported civil rights campaigns were kicked out of the CIO for supposed Communist Party relationships. These unions had a strong track record of mobilizing black workers and combating discrimination in employment and housing. According to Lee Sustar, "union support for black struggles withered in the right-wing atmosphere" (Sustar). With the demise of these unions, the civil rights movement lost an essential source of finance, action, and

Read More

The National Labor Relations Act: Pros And Cons

282 Words | 2 Pages

The National Labor Relations Act allows employees to form a union or join a preexisting union. The same act prevents employers from standing in the way of workers attempting to unionize. Many organizations frown on unionization, but regardless of their opinion, they cannot interfere with employment rights. Employers are violating the law if they threaten employee 's jobs, question union activities, or eliminate benefits for employees by unionization. They also cannot offer benefits or perks to employees for refusing to unionize, as this could be seen as illegal persuasion (Employer/Union Rights, n.d.).

Read More

Knights Of Labour Essay

1007 Words | 5 Pages

In ways, this was seen as a labor union since the employers were well represented, but it was not well organized, which eventually led to the downfall of the group. The Knights of Labor was a diverse union that was open to all

Read More

Essay On American Imperialism In The Gilded Age

1231 Words | 5 Pages

For the part of the industrial workers, labor unions were formed to protect the interest of the working men in the factories of the Great Lakes region and the industrial northeast. The first

Read More

Revolutionary Black Workers: The Revolutionary Union Movement

883 Words | 4 Pages

However, the League was not an exclusive one, since they aimed to organize against these issues as a whole class, throughout the United States as well as globally where oppressive labor systems existed. In this regard, the revolutionary union movements helped organize and develop a resistance to the system. While other socialist groups had rank and file rebellions, the militant black worker organizations were especially primed to deal with the disconnect between the management, union bureaucratic leaders, and the workers. They exemplified the struggle of workers attempting to organize and gain fair workplace conditions in a system where they held all the production yet reaped

Read More

Working Conditions During The Industrial Revolution Essay

1600 Words | 7 Pages

When people realized how terrible working conditions really were, unions began to form. Unionization is the act of people joining together for similar beliefs. During the late 1800s, unions gave people hope that things would get better. The labor unions presented forced government officials to notice problems in the system because they demanded attention. The whole point of the labor unions is to express the dissatisfaction of people to help sway public opinion and the minds of government officials.

Read More

Labor Unions Essay

1464 Words | 6 Pages

The topic of Labor Unions has been the focus of many political debates in recent years, with these discussions having people advocate for and against the unions. Labor Unions are an organization that represent a collective group of employees to protect and further theirs rights and interests. Labor Unions were first introduced in the eighteenth century with increasing numbers around the United States and the world, but unfortunately during the past decade these numbers have drastically decreased, resulting in less education and achievement of solidarity among employees. Solidarity is the unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest. Workers in the United States would benefit more through labor

Read More

The Pros And Cons: The Decline Of Trade Unions

2101 Words | 9 Pages

The following section discusses the decline in trade union membership, reasons of decline union in membership and the solution of the declines, advantages and disadvantages of trade unions membership in any employment. Trade union is an organization who have come together to achieve common goals such as protecting the integrity of its trade, improving safety standards, achieving higher pay and benefits such as health care and retirement, increasing the number of employees an employer assigns to complete the work and better working conditions. Most trade unions are independent of any employer. However, trade unions try to develop close working relationships with employers. This can sometimes take the form of a partnership agreement between the employer and the trade union which identifies their

Read More

How Did Apartheid Affect South Africa

949 Words | 4 Pages

Maya Verdier Global Studies 2H Mr. Grace Set: 1 South African Apartheid Apartheid was the policy of segregation, political, and economic discrimination against non-European groups in South Africa. Apartheid was introduced in 1948 and created a tremendous turning point in South African history. South Africa was colonized by the English and Dutch in the 17th century. The English and Dutch later became called Afrikaners, and these two groups had a power-share over Africa until the 1940’s. When the Afrikaner National Party gained a strong majority Apartheid was invented.

Read More

More about Advantages And Disadvantages Of Trade Unions In South Africa

Related Topics

Open Document