# National Council of Trade Unions

The National Council of Trade Unions (NACTU) is a national trade union center in South Africa.

## History

The federation was formed by the merger of the Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) and the Azanian Confederation of Trade Unions (AZACTU) in 1986.$^{:488}$ In its early years, the federation was strongly influenced by the black consciousness movement, but was divided in its attitude to the African National Congress.
In 1994, the federation affiliated to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), the first post-apartheid South African union to do so, and it remains affiliated to its successor, the International Trade Union Confederation. In 2006, the federation began negotiating a merger with the rival Federation of Unions of South Africa. They formed an umbrella organisation, the South African Confederation of Trade Unions, in 2007, but it achieved little, and the two federations remained independent.
In 2001, the newly founded Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) affiliated to NACTU, soon becoming its largest member. AMCU argued that unions should remain independent of political parties, which caused tensions in 2014, when NACTU endorsed the Economic Freedom Fighters and the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania. AMCU resigned in 2017, but the federation's total membership figure of 400,000 has not been updated. Much of its membership is low paid, and it is particularly strong in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

## Affiliates
### Current affiliates

The NACTU has 20 affiliated unions.
| Union | Abbreviation | Founded | Membership (2011) |
| Banking, Insurance, Finance and Allied Workers' Union | BIFAWU | 2009 | |
| Building, Construction and Allied Workers' Union | BCAWU | 1975 | 47,000 |
| Entertainment Catering Commercial and Allied' Workers Union Of South Africa | ECCAWUSA | 1989 | |
| Federal Council of Retail and Allied Workers | FEDCRAW | 1984 | 4,829 |
| HOTELICCA | HOTELICCA | 1978 | 6,098 |
| Industrial, Commercial and Allied Workers' Union | ICAWU | | 3,213 |
| Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union of South Africa | ICU | | |
| Inqubela Phambili Trade Union | ITU | | |
| Labour Equity General Workers' Union of South Africa | LEWUSA | 2002 | |
| Metal and Electrical Workers' Union of South Africa | MEWUSA | 1961 | 17,180 |
| Media Workers' Association of South Africa | MWASA | 1973 | 2,347 |
| National Public Service Workers' Union | NUPSWU | 1998 | 7,142 |
| National Security, Commercial and General Workers' Union | NASECGWU | | |
| National Services and Allied Workers' Union | NASAWU | 1993 | |
| National Union of Food, Beverage, Wine, Spirit and Allied Workers | NUFBWSAW | 1993 | 10,214 |
| Professional Educators' Union | PEU | 1919 | 15,780 |
| South African Chemical Workers' Union | SACWU | 1980 | 16,055 |
| South African Private Security Workers' Union | SAPSWU | 2002 | |
| Transport and Allied Workers' Union | TAWU | 1972 | 13,085 |
| Transport and Omnibus Workers' Union | TOWU | 1989 | 2,580 |

### Former affiliates

| Union | Abbreviation | Founded | Left | Reason not affiliated | Membership (1988) |
| Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union | AMCU | 2001 | 2018 | Disaffiliated | N/A |
| Black Allied Mining and Construction Workers' Union | BAMCWU | | 1990 | Expelled | 4,119 |
| Black Domestic Workers' Union | BDWU | 1985 | | | 300 |
| Black Electronic and Electrical Workers' Union | BEEWU | | 1989 | Merged into MEWUSA | 520 |
| Black Trade Union of Transnet Workers | BLATU | 1981 | 1998 | Merged into SARWHU | |
| Black University Workers' Association | BUWA | 1972 | 1992 | Merged into MESHAWU | |
| Brushes and Cleaners Workers' Union | BCWU | 1982 | 1993 | Merged into NASAWU | 3,000 |
| Domestic Workers' Association of South Africa | DWASA | 1974 | | | 3,000 |
| Engineering and Allied Workers' Union of South Africa | EAWUSA | 1963 | 1989 | Merged into MEWUSA | 3,000 |
| Electrical and Allied Workers' Trade Union of South Africa | EAWTUSA | 1987 | 1989 | Merged into MEWUSA | 15,000 |
| Federated Mining Union | FMU | | | | 3,100 |
| Federation of Municipality, Health and Allied Workers | FEDMAWU | | 1992 | Merged into MESHAWU | |
| Food and Beverage Workers' Union | FBAWU | 1979 | 1993 | Merged into NUFBWSAW | 17,000 |
| Municipality, Education, State, Health And Allied Workers Union | MESHAWU | 1992 | | | N/A |
| Natal Liquor and Catering Workers' Union | NLCWU | 1928 | | Transferred to FEDUSA | 6,737 |
| National Clothing and Textile Workers' Union of South Africa | NACTWUSA | 2001 | | | N/A |
| National Transport Movement | NTM | 2012 | 2017 | Transferred to SAFTU | N/A |
| National Union of Farm Workers | NUF | | | | 418 |
| National Union of Furniture and Allied Workers | NUFAW | 1956 | | Dissolved | 20,000 |
| National Union of Wine, Spirits and Allied Workers | NUWASW | 1978 | 1993 | Merged into NUFBWSAW | 4,881 |
| Parliamentary Staff Union | PSU | | | | |
| South African Laundry, Dry Cleaning and Dyeing Workers' Union | SALDCDWU | 1972 | 1993 | Merged into NASAWU | 500 |
| South African Health and Allied Workers' Union | SAHAWU | | | | |
| Steel, Engineering and Allied Workers' Union | SEAWU | 1979 | | | 5,500 |
| Textile Workers' Union | TWU | 1973 | 1990 | Expelled | 400 |
| United African Motor and Allied Workers' Union | UAMAWU | 1980 | 1989 | Merged into MEWUSA | 8,000 |
| Vukani Black Guards and Allied Workers' Union | VBGAWU | 1981 | 1993 | Merged into NASAWU | 2,000 |

## General Secretaries

    1986: Phiroshaw Camay
    1989: Cunningham Ngcukana
    2004: Mahlomola Skosana
    2000s: Manene Samela
    2010s to 2021: Narius Moloto