Trade unions in South Africa have a long history dating back to the 1880s. In their earliest form, they were white-only, but they continued to grow and change over the following years.
Trade unions help develop political resistance in countries and are key to the transition to democracy. They were an important driving force during the 1948-1991 period.
Today, South Africa’s trade unions have a huge influence on the economy of the country. There are over 3 million members, which is 25% of the total number of people who are formally employed in South Africa.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions is the largest trade union in South Africa and is one of the three major trade unions in the country. The ANC and COSATU collaborate with each other on several aspects of social change, while they each compete against one another over who gets to represent workers in a more effective capacity.
Trade unions have certain constitutional rights and they are expressed in Article 23 of the Constitution of South Africa. They are recognized as collective bargaining agents & have the right to also strike.
This has translated into the Labour Relations Act, which established the working framework for both unions and employers.
There are three institutions focused on reducing industrial relations conflict: 1) Institutionalizing the Social Market Economy the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC), the Labour Court and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
