Wage Negotiations and All Union Activities
A trade union is an organisation made up of members (a membership-based organisation) and its membership must be made up mainly of workers. One of a trade union’s main aims is to protect and advance the interests of its members in the workplace. Most trade unions are independent of any employer.
South Africa has an array of Trade Unions. In South Africa, according to Section 23: Labour Relations in the Constitution, every worker has the right to join a trade union. Trade unions are an important force in South Africa, with approximately 3.1 million members representing 25% of the formal work force.
The specific labour laws regarding trade unions are:
- Every worker has the right to form and join a trade union and to participate in the union’s activities
- Every worker has the right to strike
- Every employer has the right to form and join an employers’ organisation and to participate in the activities of the organisation
- Every trade union, employers’ organisation and employer has the right to engage in collective bargaining
- Everyone has the right to fair labour practices
Labco assists its members to make sense of all the collective bargaining, organisational rights, strike rules, and much more associated with Trade Unions.
