Trade unions’ roles and obligations in South Africa
In comparison to other African countries, trade unions in South Africa are the strongest and most stable. With over 100 recognized trade unions, it is hardly unexpected that over 3.2 million workers, or 26% of the official workforce, belong to one or more trade unions.
This takes us to the topic of different sorts of trade unions.
In South Africa, how many different forms of trade unions are there?
There are different types of unions among these numerous worker organizations. They are as follows:
- South African Trade Union Congress (COSATU) -This federation has at least 21 linked functional unions and a membership of at least 1.8 million people. The federation, which was founded in 1985 with 33 unions, has expanded to become one of South Africa’s largest. It was founded, among other things, to protect the rights of female workers against exploitation, to develop the industrial workforce, to liberate political prisoners, and to oppose apartheid.
- Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) – Founded in 1997, this federation is now the second-largest in South Africa, with approximately 560,000 members. It is in charge of employees in a variety of industries, including the automobile industry, education, aviation, banking, medical services, healthcare, aviation, and the hotel business.
- National Council of Trade Unions– This is South Africa’s third form of trade union. The affiliation includes 17 unions with about 400,000 members. Its representation spans industries ranging from mining to banking. It also represents persons working in the public sector, textile sectors, food processing, and agriculture, to name a few.
