Brief 10 : the future of the Congress of South African Trade Unions
Date
2014-08
Authors
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Publisher
University for Peace Africa Programme, Addis Ababa, ET
Abstract
During the early 1980s, the Federation of South African Trade Unions
(FOSATU), one of the forerunners of the South African Congress of Trade
Unions (COSATU), promoted the concept of working-class politics,
which envisaged organised workers in the workplace forging alliances
with the working-class communities (social movement unionism)
to fight against the ravages of apartheid oppression and capitalist
exploitation1. In the same light, in 1985, COSATU entered a strategic
alliance with the United Democratic Front (UDF) which culminated
in the African National Congress (ANC); COSATU and South African
Communist Party (SACP) alliance.2 This alliance successfully fought for
majority rule. In post-apartheid South Africa, COSATU has maintained
its alliance with the ANC and the SACP in a bid to press for the social
economic justice of workers. However since 1994, COSATU has faced
such adverse and troubling times in the alliance that the purpose and
integrity of such an alliance is now questionable. In order to effectively
represent the interests of the working poor, COSATU may need to
renegotiate its position in the alliance.
Description
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Policy Brief
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Keywords
TRADE UNIONS, POLITICAL SYSTEMS, APARTHEID, SOUTHERN AFRICA, POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, AFRICAN ORGANIZATIONS, CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS, POLICY SCIENCES, POLICY MAKING, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Citation
Masiya, T. (2014). Brief 10 : The Future of the Congress of South African Trade Unions. UPEACE Africa Policy Series, 1(2): 109-114.