South African Congress of Trade Unions

South African Congress of Trade Unions
Name	South African Congress of Trade Unions
Founded	1955
Dissolved	1960s
Location	South Africa
Key people	Anton Lembede; Yusuf Dadoo; Mandela; Joe Slovo; Chris Hani
Affiliation	African National Congress; Congress Alliance
Headquarters	Johannesburg

South African Congress of Trade Unions The South African Congress of Trade Unions was a federation formed in 1955 that united multiple trade unions and anti-apartheid organisations, coordinating labour action across Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and other centres. It acted alongside bodies such as the African National Congress and the Communist Party of South Africa to integrate industrial struggles with political campaigns, influencing leaders including Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Albert Luthuli and Walter Sisulu. The federation's activities intersected with events like the Defiance Campaign, the Congress of the People, and the Sharpeville massacre, shaping labour politics until state repression in the 1960s.

History

The federation emerged from post-World War II labour realignments involving unions such as the Federation of South African Trade Unions, the South African Trades and Labour Council, and the National Union of Mineworkers (South Africa, 1945), and was formalised at meetings in Johannesburg and Cape Town attended by delegates from the African National Congress, the South African Communist Party, and the Indian Congresses. Early leadership featured activists linked to Defiance Campaign organisers, trade leaders from the Transvaal and Natal, and figures who later worked with Umkhonto we Sizwe and the Congress of the People. The federation confronted repression under apartheid laws including the Suppression of Communism Act and the Immorality Act, and saw many leaders detained after incidents such as the Treason Trial and the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre, leading to its effective banning and dissolution into clandestine networks by the late 1960s.

Organisation and Structure

The federation adopted a national council drawn from delegates of shop-floor bodies in Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, and Kimberley, with provincial committees mirroring structures in the Cape Province and Orange Free State. Its executive included representatives from unions linked to industries like mining around Witwatersrand, railways tied to South African Railways, and dockworkers associated with South African Railways and Harbours Union nodes in Table Bay and Durban Harbour. Decision-making processes were influenced by organising traditions from the Trade Union Council of South Africa predecessors and the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union (South Africa). The federation coordinated strike committees, legal defence funds connected to lawyers familiar with the Treason Trial and activists who later encountered courts in Pretoria.

Membership and Affiliated Unions

Affiliates included craft and industrial unions representing miners from the Chamber of Mines belts, railway workers tied to unions in Port Elizabeth and Durban, municipal workers in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and agricultural labourers from regions like the Eastern Cape and Griqualand West. Notable affiliated organisations had connections to the Food and Canning Workers' Union, unions allied with White Labour Party opponents, and bodies influenced by leaders from the South African Coloured People's Organisation and the Transkei labour movements. The federation drew activists who had worked with the Indian Trade Union Congress affiliates and engaged with migrant worker networks from Lesotho and Swaziland.

Role in Anti-Apartheid Struggle

The federation linked workplace grievances to national campaigns led by the African National Congress, the South African Indian Congress, and the Black Sash, helping to mobilise mass participation in the Defiance Campaign and the drafting of the Freedom Charter at the Congress of the People in Kliptown. It provided logistical support to campaigns coordinated with the South African Communist Party and legal defence efforts during the Treason Trial, while engaging in solidarity actions that invoked international attention from groups like British Labour Party affiliates and unions in United Kingdom, United States, and Scandinavia. The federation's alignment with anti-apartheid leaders facilitated links to clandestine military strategies later associated with Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Major Campaigns and Strikes

Key campaigns included coordinated strikes in the mining sector on the Witwatersrand and port strikes in Durban Harbour and Cape Town docks, mass actions tied to the Defiance Campaign, and national days of protest around events such as the Sharpeville massacre fallout. The federation organised workers during sit-ins and stay-aways modelled on actions used in international labour disputes involving the Congress of Industrial Organizations and drew inspiration from strikes in places like Liverpool and New York City dockyards. Campaigns targeted apartheid labour policies such as pass laws enforced across South African cities and sought wage parity in industries dominated by companies linked to the Chamber of Mines.

Relationship with ANC and Umkhonto we Sizwe

The federation maintained formal alliances within the Congress Alliance framework, collaborating closely with the African National Congress leadership including Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo on mass mobilisation and policy formation like the Freedom Charter. Some trade unionists later worked within or supported Umkhonto we Sizwe cells that adopted armed struggle strategies following state crackdowns; links existed between the federation's militant shop stewards and cadres who connected with Joe Slovo and Chris Hani in clandestine operations. These relationships were shaped by legal constraints from the Unlawful Organisations Act and the impact of bans and detentions executed in judicial venues such as courts in Pretoria.

Legacy and Impact on Post-Apartheid Labour Movement

The federation's traditions influenced post-apartheid formations such as the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the new National Union of Mineworkers (South Africa) established in the democratic era, informing organising methods used by leaders like Cyril Ramaphosa and activists who later joined the African National Congress government. Its integrated model linking trade unions with political parties contributed to tripartite discussions involving the African National Congress, the Communist Party of South Africa, and labour federations, shaping labour law reforms in the post-apartheid period and influencing collective bargaining practices in sectors once dominated by the Chamber of Mines and the South African Railways. Monuments and archives in Johannesburg and Cape Town commemorate the federation's struggles alongside records of the Treason Trial and campaigns remembered at sites like the Sharpeville museum.

Category:Trade unions in South Africa Category:Anti-apartheid organisations