Concerns raised over declining trade union membership in SA

Trade union membership in South Africa is declining at an alarming rate and currently stands at 23%.

This was revealed on Wednesday during a meeting of Brics in Muldersdrift, northwest of Johannesburg.

The meeting was attended by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the organisation’s five member states, along with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), African Union (AU) as well as Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia and Malawi as invitees.

Trade unions in SA

 Jahni de Villiers, director at Labour Amplified, told the meeting the dwindling union membership in the country constituted a real threat to social dialogue.

ALSO READ: SA’s trade unions must get their act together or risk total irrelevance

She said this was a problem for both employers and employees because unionised workplaces had better and easier communication structures.

“Section 23 of South Africa’s constitution guarantees everyone the right to belong to or form a trade union. Collective bargaining and social dialogue are cornerstones of policy-making; thus the existence of tripartite institutions like Nedlac,” said De Villiers in a statement.

Future of work

Turning to the future of work, De Villiers said workplaces were forever changing and this needed an agile policy environment.

She said in 2022, a survey showed that two-thirds of employees split their time between the office and home. This presented challenges for a decent work environment.

RELATED: ‘We barely have enough money to go to work’ – Public workers protest 3% pay hike

Thembinkosi Mkalipi, the chief director responsible for collective bargaining in the labour market policy unit of the Department of Employment and Labour said workers were less likely to join a trade union.

“In South Africa, fewer and fewer people are likely to be represented by trade unions and this is typical of the global situation.

“Trade unions have been weakened and for decent work to be attained you need strong representatives of workers,” he said.

Freedom of association

Claire Harasty, a special advisor to the deputy director for policy at the ILO in Geneva, said it was the responsibility of all ILO members – including Brics – to promote, respect and realise the fundamental principles of the rights of workers to join trade unions.

“These rights reinforce each other. Without freedom of association, you cannot address the other rights.  Although all the Brics countries have progressed in promoting the respect for the rights to work, more still needs to be done,” said Harasty.

She said all member states who have recently ratified the convention on the elimination of child labour need to redouble their efforts to ensure that action follows their public declarations.

This will, according to Harasty, give teeth to the Durban Call to Action that was adopted in 2022 to eliminate the worst forms of child labour.

NOW READ: More clarity needed on tax incentive for solar panels