The South African Confederation of Labour (SACOL) was a national trade union federation of white workers in South Africa.

History

The federation was established in 1957, as a loose body bringing together the South African Federation of Trade Unions, the Co-ordinating Council of South African Trade Unions, the Federal Consultative Council of South African Railways and Harbours Staff Associations, and the Trade Union Council of South Africa (TUCSA). TUCSA withdrew in 1958, and the remaining federation was broadly supportive of apartheid.[1]

In 1968, the federation decided to permit individual unions to affiliate. These unions gradually came to operate on an equal footing to the remaining affiliated federations, and this led the Federal Consultative Council to disaffiliate in 1975, although all but one of its own affiliates decided to sign up individually to SACOL. This took the federation's membership to a maximum of 25 unions with 206,511 members.[1]

While the Government of South Africa allowed unions to represent both white and "coloured" workers, and from 1980, black workers as well, SACOL only permitted unions restricted to white workers to affiliate. In 1980, it expelled the South African Technical Officials' Association, after it permitted coloured workers to join, and this led some other affiliates to resign in order to expand their own membership.[1] Membership of the federation then fell steadily. In 1992, its largest remaining affiliate, the Mine Workers' Union, disaffiliated in order to become a general union. The federation was reduced to only five affiliates with 40,280 members.[2]

Affiliates

UnionAbbreviationFoundedLeftReason not affiliatedMembership (1980)[1]
Artisan Staff AssociationASA19241976Disaffiliated22,500
Blanke Bouwerkersvakbond1949After 19957,412
Blanke Distribuisiewerkersvereniging1970sDissolvedN/A
Blanketekstiel Werkers Nywerheids1970sDissolvedN/A
Die Spoorbond19336,300
Durban Municipal Employees' SocietyDMES19191980Disaffiliated4,000
Explosives and Chemical Workers' Union1977Merged into SAEDFOAN/A
Johannesburg Municipal Employees' AssociationJMEA19161980Disaffiliated5,800
Mine Workers' UnionMWU19021991Disaffiliated17,000
National Association of Furniture and Allied Workers19611980Disaffiliated750
OVS Provinsiale Werkersvereeniging1978Disaffiliated243
Pretoriase Vakbond Vir Die Kleinhandel VleisbedryfPVKV200
Provinsiale Huishoudlike Personeelvereniging1978Disaffiliated250
Provinsiale Medewerkersvereniging3,462
South African Association of Municipal EmployeesSAAME19191980Transferred to FEDSAL41,492
South African Diamond Workers' UnionSADWU801
South African Engine Drivers', Firemen's and Operators' AssociationSAEDFOA18951990Merged into SABS7,000
South African Footplate Staff AssociationSAFSA19051975Disaffiliated9,331
South African Iron, Steel and Allied Industries UnionSAISAIU19481994Disaffiliated38,486
South African KarweierswerknemersverenigingAfter 1995465
South African Railways and Harbours Employees' UnionSAR&HEU1924After 199512,381
South African Railways and Harbours Running and Operational Staff UnionROSU1985Disaffiliated7,835
South African Railways and Harbours Salaried Staff AssociationSALSTAFF1918Disaffiliated27,545
South African Railways Police Staff Association1981Disaffiliated2,922
South African Technical Officials' AssociationSATOA1980Expelled3,000
Transvaalse Transportwerkers Unie300
Vereeniging Van Staatsaagmeul And Boswerkers Van South Africa1981Dissolved269
Volkskas Amptenare Vereniging1980Disaffiliated6,770
Vuurhoutjiewekrers Vakbond Van South Africa1979DissolvedN/A
West Rand Administration Board Personnel Association19751,102

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Miller, Shirley (1982). Trade Unions in South Africa 1970-1980: a directory and statistics. Cape Town: Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit. ISBN 0799204692.
  2. ↑ Special Report of the Director-general on the Application of the Declaration Concerning Action Against Apartheid in South Africa. International Labour Conference. 1993.
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