COSATU

Congress of South African Trade Unions
Founded	30 November 1985; 38 years ago (1985-11-30)
Headquarters	Cosatu House 110 Jorissen Street Johannesburg Gauteng
Location	South Africa
Members	2 193 965
Key people	Zingiswa Losi, President Bheki Ntshalintshali, General Secretary
Affiliations	ITUC WFTU ICFTU-AFRO
Website	www.cosatu.org.za

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The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU or Cosatu) is a trade union federation in South Africa. It was founded in 1985 and is the largest of the country's three main trade union federations, with 21 affiliated trade unions.^{[note 1][1]}

History

Founding and early history

On 30 Nov 1985, 33 unions met at the University of Natal for talks on forming a federation of trade unions.^[2] This followed four years of unity talks between competing unions and federations that were opposed to apartheid and were "committed to a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa." COSATU was officially established on 1 December 1985.^[3][4] Among the founding unions were the affiliates of the Federation of South African Trade Unions (FOSATU),^[5] the small National Federation of Workers,^[6] and some independent unions, notably the National Union of Mineworkers. Elijah Barayi was the organisation's first president and Jay Naidoo the first general secretary.^[2]

Several resolutions were passed at this first meeting that defined the aim of the federation and how the federation operates, namely:^[2]

• To establish one union for each industry within six months.
• To focus on the exploitation of women workers.
• To call for the lifting of the state of emergency, withdrawal of troops from the townships and release of all political prisoners.
• To continue the call for international pressure, including disinvestment.
• To demand for the right to strike and picket.
• To determine a national minimum wage.
• To extend the struggle for trade union rights in the homelands.

On 5–6 May 1987 a strike as part of COSATU's Living Wage Campaign was held coinciding with 1987 General Election. More than 2.5 million workers took part in the stay-away. On 7 May 1987, in the early hours of the morning two bombs exploded near the support columns in the basement of the federation headquarters, COSATU House. The resulting damage caused the building to be declared unsafe.^[2]

Fight against Apartheid

At the second national congress held from 14 to 18 July 1987, the Freedom Charter was adopted by the federation after the resolution was proposed by the National Union of Mineworkers^[2]

At the third congress held from 12 to 16 July 1989, a resolution was adopted that called on the members of COSATU to join a campaign of "sustained action" against apartheid, in the week leading up to the 1989 General Election of South Africa.^[7]

On 26 July 1989, COSATU, the United Democratic Front and the Mass Democratic Movement, instigated the National Defiance Campaign, in which facilities reserved for whites were invaded, and organisation that had been banned by the state declared themselves 'unbanned'.^[2]

Post apartheid activities

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2023)

The COSATU congress decided in 2012 to affiliate with the class-struggle oriented World Federation of Trade Unions, while maintaining its membership within the International Trade Union Confederation.

During the 2016 congress that was held in Durban, Michael Mzwandile Makwayiba, president of COSATU affiliate NEHAWU Michael Mzwandile Makwayiba was elected President of the World Federation of Trade Unions.

Cosatu experienced a large drop in membership after 2012, although it remained the largest trade union federation.^[8][9]

Affiliates

Current affiliates

The following unions were listed by COSATU as their affiliates:^[10]

Union	Abbreviation	Founded	Membership (2014)[11]
Agricultural Food and Allied Democratic Workers Union	AFADWU	2016	N/A
Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers' Union	CEPPWAWU	1999	80,331
Communication Workers Union	CWU	1999	22,007
Creative Workers Union of South Africa	CWUSA	2014	N/A
Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa	DENOSA	1996	81,319
National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union	NEHAWU	1987	277,317
National Union of Mineworkers	NUM	1982	270,649
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union	POPCRU	1989	149,339
Public and Allied Workers Union of South Africa	PAWUSA	1967	17,146[12]
South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union	SACCAWU	1975	120,352
Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union	SACTWU	1989	85,000
South African Democratic Nurses' Union	SADNU	1995	8,655[12]
South African Democratic Teachers Union	SADTU	1990	253,039
South African Emergency Personnel's Union	SAEPU	2006	N/A
South African Medical Association	SAMA	1998	8,166
South African Municipal Workers' Union	SAMWU	1987	161,490
SASBO – The Finance Union	SASBO	1916	66,539
South African Security Forces Union	SASFU	1999	N/A
South African Transport and Allied Workers Union	SATAWU	2000	152,254

Former affiliates

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=COSATU
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Union	Abbreviation	Founded	Left	Reason not affiliated	Membership (1985)[13]	Membership (1993)[14]
Amalgamated Black Workers' Union	ABWU	1984	1986	Merged into TGWU	1,000	N/A
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union of South Africa	ACTWUSA	1987	1989	Merged into SACTWU	N/A	N/A
Brick, Clay and Allied Workers' Union	BRICKAWU		1987	Merged into CAWU	748	N/A
Cape Town Municipal Workers' Association	CTMWA	1928	1987	Merged into SAMWU	11,097	N/A
Chemical Workers' Industrial Union	CWIU	1974	1999	Merged into CEPPWAWU	20,700	41,462
Cleaning Services and Allied Workers' Union	CSAWU			Merged into TGWU	850	N/A
Commercial and Distributive Workers' Union	CDWU				1,600	N/A
Construction and Allied Workers' Union	CAWU	1987	2001	Merged into NUM	N/A	24,300
Food and Allied Workers Union	FAWU	1986	2016	Disaffiliated	N/A	121,534
Food and Canning Workers' Union	FCWU	1941	1986	Merged into FAWU	26,455	N/A
General and Allied Workers' Union	GAWU	1980	1987	Merged into NEHAWU	19,076	N/A
General Workers' Union	GWU	1977	1986	Merged into TGWU	20,000	N/A
General Workers' Union of South Africa	GWUSA	1981	1987	Dissolved	2,905	N/A
Health and Allied Workers' Union	HAWU		1987	Merged into NEHAWU	1,111	N/A
Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union	HARWU	1926	1990	Merged into SACCAWU		N/A
Institute of Public Servants	IPS				N/A	N/A
Liberated Metalworkers' Union of South Africa	LIMUSA	2015	2021	Merged into NUM	N/A	N/A
Metal and Allied Workers' Union	MAWU	1973	1987	Merged into NUMSA	38,789	N/A
Motor Assembly and Component Workers' Union of South Africa	MACWUSA	1982	1987	Merged into NUMSA	3,100	N/A
Municipal Workers' Union of South Africa	MWUSA	1982	1987	Merged into SAMWU	9,249	N/A
Musicians Union of South Africa	MUSA	1994	2014	Merged into CWUSA	N/A	N/A
National Automobile and Allied Workers' Union	NAAWU	1980	1987	Merged into NUMSA	20,338	N/A
National General Workers' Union of South Africa	NGWUSA	1984			6,037	N/A
National Iron, Steel and Metal Workers' Union	NISMAWU	1980	1986	Merged into MAWU	976	N/A
National Post Office and Allied Workers' Union	NAPAWU				2,163	N/A
National Unemployed Workers Co-ordinating Committee	NUWCC	1987	1991	Dissolved	N/A	N/A
National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa	NUMSA	1987	2014	Expelled[15]	100,000	253,796
National Union of Printers and Allied Workers	NUPAWO	1984	1987	Merged into PPWAWU		N/A
National Union of Textile Workers	NUTW	1973	1987	Merged into ACTWUSA	23,241	N/A
Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers' Union	PPWAWU	1974	1999	Merged into CEPPWAWU	11,856	37,951
Performing Arts Workers' Equity	PAWE		2014	Merged into CWUSA	N/A	N/A
Post and Telecommunication Workers' Association	POTWA	1986	1996	Merged into CWU	N/A	23,081
Retail and Allied Workers' Union	RAWU	1984	1986	Merged into FAWU	3,830	N/A
South African Agricultural Plantation and Allied Workers Union	SAAPAWU	1995	2004	Merged into FAWU	N/A	N/A
South African Allied Workers' Union	SAAWU	1978	1987	Merged into NEHAWU	25,032	N/A
South African Domestic Workers' Association	SADWA	1981	1986	Merged into SADWU	4,500	N/A
South African Domestic Workers' Union	SADWU	1986	1998	Dissolved	N/A	16,172
South African Football Players Union	SAFPU	1997	2016	Disaffiliated	N/A	N/A
South African Mineworkers' Union	SAMWU	1983	1987