Until recently, one of the things that set Cosatu apart from other federations in South Africa was the principle of broadly-based industrial unionism. Other federations practice this to an extent, but sectors tend to be more narrowly defined. In Cosatu this policy had been applied rigorously: Sasol's coal miners are organised into CWIU, rather than Num. From the point of view of industrial unionism, however, this makes perfect sense. Sasol owns the coal mines from which it manufactures oil and other products, and CWIU organises these workers.
At Cosatu's launching congress on 29 November 1985, delegates from 33 unions, representing around 450,000 paid-up members, were present. At the time, that was an impressive average of almost 13,500 members per union.
But closer scrutiny of the credentials reveal that, of the founding unions, five had fewer than 1,000 members, and only 14 unions claimed more than 10,000 members. Num was the largest union, with 100,000 members, followed by Ccawusa (now Saccawu), with just over half that number. The smallest union present was the SA Tin Workers' Union, with just 581 members. The situation was clearly not conducive to building a tight federation.
The merger programme adopted at the launch, in line with the principle of industrial unionism, called for ten broadly-based industrial sectors. It is remarkable that, by 1990, this had largely been accomplished, with a few exceptions. It was a programme which, in the space of just a few years, almost entirely put an end to general unionism.
The first mergers reduced the number of affiliates dramatically. By the third national congress in 1989, there were 15 sectoral affiliates.
Fawu was born from SFAWU, FCWU and the Rawu (Cape Town). Numsa emerged from Macwusa, Mawu, Naawu, Ummawosa. However, none of the mergers were particularly smooth affairs.
The fact that Ppwawu, Fawu and Sactwu only turned over their farmworker membership this year to launch Saapawu, despite a six-year old resolution, is perhaps an extreme example of the tardiness with which unions have sometimes approached the merger programme.
Merger talks were beset with disputes and squabbles. This was perhaps inevitable, given that unions feared losing their identities, control over finances and resources, positions, and jobs.
The impact of the merger programme
Mergers have led to a significant change in the size and character of Cosatu affiliates. Cosatu's 19 affiliated unions are now spread over 13 industrial sectors. Not only is Cosatu the largest trade union federation in South Africa's history, it is also the most diverse, with affiliate unions in manufacturing, services, mining, agriculture, the public sector, and parastatals.
Mergers involving non-affiliates such as Micwu joining Numsa, Gawu joining Actwusa, and Dimes joining Samwu, have brought large numbers of non-Cosatu union members into the federation.
Today, Num is still Cosatu's largest affiliate, but seven others boast a membership in excess of 100,000. As 1995 draws to a close, fewer than half of the affiliates have less than 50,000 members.
Mergers have helped to create truly national affiliates. Every single affiliate has organised membership in each of the nine provinces.
Mergers have also helped to extend organisation and resources to remote, difficult-to-organise places. Offices of Cosatu affiliates are to be found in all the country's major cities and towns. This raises the possibility that, through cooperation between affiliates, Cosatu unions can organise in areas where they do not necessarily have dedicated resources such as offices and organisers.
Mergers have also strengthened the non-racial character of Cosatu. Large numbers of coloured and Indian workers in manufacturing and services have now been brought into the organisation. This clearly has spin-offs. It has helped make the affiliation of Sasbo possible. It has also given impetus to organising workers traditionally hostile to Cosatu, but who are located in strategic areas of the economy. Sarhwu, for example, has sole bargaining rights for SAA's still predominantly white cabin crew. Similarly, Numsa, having organised the vast majority of black (African, coloured and Indian) auto assembly workers, is now making a serious bid for the allegiance of white workers organised into the racially-exclusive Yster & Staal union.
Mergers have also strengthened Cosatu affiliates in central bargaining forums, most notably Sactwu. Unlike in 1985, most Cosatu unions are now involved in central bargaining arrangements of one form or another. In all probability this will strengthen with the advent of the new Labour Relations Act.
Cosatu unions are, with some exceptions, the dominant unions in their sectors, and the majority union in these bargaining forums.
Of the founding unions, only Num, CWIU, and the TGWU have retained their original names and membership character. All of the others have undergone, as a result of mergers, changes in name and the sectors they organise. Cosatu's most merged affiliate is Sactwu. The latter started life as NUTW, then Actwusa when it roped in TWIU and NUCW. Finally, Actwusa merged with Gawu, itself the result of a merger between GWUWP and GWIU. The TGWU, along with the CWIU, is the oldest surviving founding union of Cosatu. But even the TGWU will probably not survive in its present form for much longer, with a transport sector merger scheduled for 1996.
Although many of the unions merging into Cosatu are older and have very deep roots in the history of worker organisation, Cosatu affiliates, generally speaking, are young guns (in keeping with their tradition of "aiming from the lip and shooting from the hip").
Affiliation policy
By October 1995, affiliate membership swelled to just below 1,6 million, when the Central Executive Committee approved the affiliation of Popcru and the Institute of Public Servants (IPS). There appears to be a shift in Cosatu's approach to affiliation. In the past, the only way in to the federation was via an existing affiliate. However, the federation's newest affiliates - Sasbo, Popcru and the IPS - have been allowed to affiliate, even though they have members in the same sectors as existing affiliates.
In past unity\merger talks, newly affiliated workers and their leadership had to adapt to the politics of Cosatu and the principles of worker control - obtaining mandates and reporting back to membership - and militant struggle. An example is the old TWIU, which merged with the NUTW to become Actwusa. The merger occurred at the height of wage struggles in the Western Cape cotton textile industry, a struggle to which the ex-TWIU members adapted remarkably well. Together with their comrades in the NUTW's local branch, they secured better increases and conditions than in previous years.
Easing affiliation conditions does have some advantages though. It will make Cosatu more attractive to unions which previously feared losing their identities.
Forthcoming attractions - mergers in the pipeline
Mergers scheduled to take place by June next year include that in the public sector between Samwu and Nehawu. Other unions in the public sector, including Sadtu, Potwa, the IPS, Popcru, and the unaffiliated lecturers' union, Udusa, may join this union at a later stage. Potwa is planning to merge with post and telecommunications unions, Saptea and Peasa by March 1996.
In the transport sector, Sarhwu will merge with the TGWU to create a new transport affiliate straddling both the public and private sectors.
One area of uncertainty is workers in the financial services sector, where there has been modest growth in employment. It will continue to be organised by both Sasbo and Saccawu, while talks between the two unions continue.
Growing Cosatu - towards the 21st century
Up to the early 1990s, Cosatu's ranks were swelled by the growth of affiliates. By 1995, however, Cosatu's growth could be attributed to the federation attracting new affiliates.
Union membership has begun to level off as most workers in large enterprises have been organised. Some sectors such as services and manufacturing still have much organising to do. Within some of the sub-sectors - such as banking, clothing, textiles, chemical within manufacturing, platinum and gold - growth potential is diminishing as union density (the level of trade union membership) approaches saturation point. Growth potential in these areas, as in others, lies mainly in small and medium-sized businesses.
Presently 330,000 members of Cosatu affiliates are organised in the public sector (excluding parastatals such as Telkom, Sapos, Transnet, Eskom, etc.). This number may shrink as privatisation looms. Yet, only slightly over 50 percent of the estimated 1,2 million public sector workers belong to a trade union. In the public sector therefore, Cosatu could expand both by recruiting unorganised workers, and by persuading some of the 14 or so unaffiliated public sector unions in the Public Service Bargaining Council to join.
Cosatu is poorly organised in some areas of the manufacturing and service sectors. A study conducted by the trade union research body, Naledi, reveals particular weaknesses in those sectors organised by Ppwawu, Cawu and Saapawu, and enormous growth potential for Saccawu. There are two main reasons for this: the existence of powerful rival unions affiliated to other federations (such as Nactu's Nufaw, Bcawu, and Nuf in the furniture, building/construction and agricultural industries), and poorly-managed organising and recruitment campaigns.
A particular challenge confronts Saapawu, the agricultural affiliate, which consists mainly of members drawn from other Cosatu affiliates. Organising in this sector has proved very difficult in the past and, as yet, the union has no strong organising tradition of its own.
There is clearly a lesson to be learnt from the Num's "Operation 400,000". In a sector in which employment is consistently declining, Num continues to grow.
However, researchers predict that increases in overall employment in the mining and manufacturing sectors are a thing of the past. Employment - and union membership - will also be affected by trade liberalisation.
The growth industries of the future include services and telecommunications.
The shape of things to come
Already, new kinds of unions, and their relationship to a national centre, are being debated. The Cosatu of the future will almost certainly be a federation of larger unions, mainly through a series of ongoing mergers.
We could possibly expect huge unions for manufacturing, the public sector, and for service workers. Some people in Cosatu ask - does size matter? Should Cosatu have fewer but larger affiliates?
Bigger unions are financially more viable. A federation of a few large affiliates structured along these lines should make co-ordinating activities a lot easier. Also, because most workers change jobs within a sector, and seldom between sectors, they need not change unions. That makes for easier administration.
But the compromises of accommodating many sectors in one union often increases the workload for everyone. And large organisations tend to become bureaucratic monoliths. However, the experience of trade unionism around the world seems to be 'better fewer, but better.'
Marcus Toerien