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South African Federation Of Trade

latest news & developments
The tit-for-tat factional battle for control of the Food and Allied Workers Union has taken yet another twist. (Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images)

No end to Fawu’s factional fight

Leaders of two competing groupings in the Food and Allied Workers Union have fired each other

The Food and Allied Workers Union. (Gallo Images / Alet Pretorius)

Fawu members fight back in court

Infighting intensifies as factionalism and purges rock the union ahead of its national congress

The department of employment and labour has said it is not using new strike ballot rules to take aim at labour federation Cosatu’s rival, the South African Federation of Trade Unions. (Rajesh Jantilal/AFP)

One strike and you’re out – registrar tells unions

A municipal workers’ union is the first to be sanctioned for not following the new rule when deciding whether to go on strike

With inequality framed as a key trigger for the worldwide unrest comes the circulation of literature breaking down the disparities between rich and poor — in Chile and Lebanon, they are frighteningly high.  (Reuters/Carlos Eduardo Ramirez)

Where will neoliberalism end?

LONG READ As the world was overtaken by upheaval last year, one photo emerging from the uprisings depicts a protestor bearing a promise: “Neoliberalism was born in Chile and will…

The tit-for-tat factional battle for control of the Food and Allied Workers Union has taken yet another twist. (Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images)

Key union faces deregistration

Financial malpractice linked to members’ fees and misuse of funds has rocked the Food and Allied Worker’s Union

Zwelinzima Vavi. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Vavi asks Amcu for unity

The Saftu general secretary addressed thousands of delegates at Amcu’s national elective congress on Thursday

Fighting for their rights: Saftu members march for a fair minimum wage. The trade union federation has been unable to participate in Nedlac discussions about changes to labour legislation, as it’s not a member of the council. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Nedlac struggles with inclusivity

The labour council has battled to defend its representation of workers’ interests, given that union membership is on the decline across the country

On footbridges running across Nelson Mandela Boulevard leading into the Cape Town CBD, Right2Know protestors held morning rush-hour protests calling on Ramaphosa to among other things to increase social grants. (Twitter: Right2Know)

Sona protestors out early to get their voices heard

Various groups are picketing in hopes of getting President Cyril Ramaphosa to address their concerns

Divisive: Activists such as Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Rosa Luxemburg and Vladimir Lenin (above) recognised unity is the way to confront capitalism. (John Launois/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images, Painting by Isaak Brodsky [1929])

Halt the capitalist crisis gripping the world

Today’s capitalism is a slide into authoritarianism, using Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism and anti-Semitism to keep the state in power

Critics of Numsa’s secretary general, Irvin Jim, allege the union is drifting from its worker base and risks being captured by its investment arm to become a vehicle for petty bourgeois accumulation. (Gallo)

Numsa cornered by capital?

Intrigue and internal divisions are dogging South Africa’s largest union, and threatening to destabilise the federation to which it belongs

While private businesses did not commit to halting retrenchments, it did agree to a new process before announcing their decision. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Labour regroups after damp-squib jobs summit

The presidential jobs summit failed to yield a moratorium from big business on job cuts, sending labour back to the drawing board

Responding to the Sowetan, Vavi said the latest complaint was made and resolved last year. (Oupa Nkosi/M&G)

Vavi harassment complaint went ‘nowhere’

This latest allegation relates to incidents in late August and early September 2017 in which Vavi is said to have harassed and later groped a woman

The proposed national minimum wage is R20 an hour for the average worker

Saftu: Working Class Summit to counter partisan trade unionism

The federation wants to bring together trade unions and civil society to fight the capitalist class

Military officers patrol as Venezuelan women walk towards Santa Elena to sleep, after checking their passports or identity cards at the Pacaraima border control, Roraima state, Brazil. (Reuters/Nacho Doce)

Saftu slams bus bosses threatening to take wage deal to court

Five bus companies have applied for exemption from the wage agreement that put an end to the month-long strike

Unionist accused of stealing R600 000 of workers’ money

The general secretary of a Saftu-affiliated union is being investigated for corruption