Saftu report reveals unions bleeding membership

As two once powerful strongmen of labour in SA are at each other’s throats over control of power at a congress of the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), a report prepared for discussion has revealed that unions are bleeding members with increasing numbers of workers not represented across the country.

According to Saftu's national executive committee's diagnostic report presented at the congress under way in Boksburg, only 23% of workers in SA are members of unions.

The report painted a bleak picture of how unions appear to be losing grip on labour matters in the height of the economic crisis brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and internal infighting among their leaders for power.

The internal fights inside Saftu have been characterised by the two men who were once strong voices of labour; Saftu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and National Union of Metal workers of SA (Numsa) general secretary Irvin Jim.

So influential were both Vavi and Jim that they could sway the country’s worker sentiments and shape political discourse.

Numsa is Saftu’s largest affiliate with 290,000 members. However the union, according to the diagnostic report, has suffered losses of membership of more than 50,000 in the past five years.

Overall, Saftu has lost 79,000 members since it was formed by 24 unions that broke away from Cosatu in 2017.

The perilous loss of membership by Saftu affiliates has been so bad that while it set a target on achieving a million members five years ago, it has now decided to revise this due to what it described as the “extremely regrettable” demise of SA working class.

Saftu said all unions everywhere have suffered in part because of internal weaknesses in addressing conditions faced by unions.

“By August 2018 the membership increased to 725,078, an increase of 33,358. In May 2022, as illustrated in the tables below, we can claim affiliated membership of only 612,874. This is a perilous drop of nearly 79,000 members, or 11.4% from the launching congress. To lose so many members over this five-year period – when we had sought growth of one million members per annum – is extremely regrettable,” Saftu's report read.

Analysts believe the relevance of unions was declining in SA due to factors that included their proximity to political parties, not having clear plans to deal with automation and also being victims of their past successes.

Economist Khaya Sithole said the successes unions had decades ago made it more difficult to attract the new generation of the working class.

“Some of the successes made workplaces so much secure and normalised. This made new generations of workers not see the relevance of unions because they didn’t face some of challenges that had already been,” he said.

Sithole said some industries, including banking, had evolved and moved to automation.

“Take Sasbo – the finance union [for example]. Banks are a fluid workplace and no-one with 40-years experience works in the same place. The relevance of unions is much lower because people in that sector are able to bargain their wage and don’t need unions,” he said.

Mining and labour analyst Mamokgethi Molopyane said the marriage between political ideology and union activities has lost appeal, especially in younger workers.

“Many of whom are worried about their workplace issues and the affordability of everyday life things, therefore politics and ideology are the  last thing concerning workers.

“In the 20th century while it was important to stand and fight for rights, recognition and freedom, [the current] problems are about machines replacing workers, more jobs becoming automated and companies needing less and less workers.

“If unions cannot adapt or respond in a way that helps their members – not just at work but in society – they risk becoming irrelevant to the point where workers will establish a new order – one that is led from the ground by workers themselves,” Molopyane said.

According to the Saftu report unionised members of workforce by sector showed agriculture has 6.4%, mining 80.3%, manufacturing 35.1%, transport 29.7% and finance at 22.8%, to name a few.

The report further states that out of Saftu's affiliates, only two have a membership above 100,000, namely Numsa and the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu).

At least 12 Saftu affiliates have less than 5,000 members.

Four unions have less than 1,000 members and one union went to congress with a mere 187 members.

To grow its numbers, Saftu is even considering recruiting e-hailing drivers.

A Saftu leader speaking to Sowetan said when a union loses members, it meant it could not conduct its core function.

“It means it loses revenue through subscription fees and its ability to fund its programmes.

“Its ability to focus on its core business gets affected, core business is organising, campaigns and collective bargaining.

“Let's go back to 2007 prior to the watershed Polokwane conference, Vavi himself is an architect of this phenomenon,” the member said.