Union membership in South Africa is declining at an alarming rate and currently stands at 23%.
This was revealed at the Brics meeting in Muldersdrift, north-west of Johannesburg.
The meeting was attended by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the five member states of the organization, together with the International Labor Organization (ILO), the African Union (AU) as well as Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia and Malawi as invitations.
Labor unions in SA
Jahni de Villiers, director at Labor Amplified, told the meeting that the declining membership of trade unions in the country was a real threat to social dialogue.
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He says this is a problem for both employers and employees because unionized workplaces have better and simpler communication structures.
“Section 23 of the South African constitution guarantees that everyone has the right to join or form a trade union. Collective bargaining and social dialogue are the cornerstones of policy-making; thus there are tripartite institutions like Nedlac,” De Villiers said in a statement.
The future of work
Turning to the future of work, De Villiers said the workplace is changing and this requires an agile policy environment.
He said by 2022, surveys show that two-thirds of employees will split their time between the office and home. This presents a challenge for a decent work environment.
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Thembinkosi Mkalipi, the principal director in charge of collective bargaining at the labor market policy unit of the Department of Labor and Employment said workers were less likely to join unions.
“In South Africa, fewer people will be represented by unions and this is typical of the global situation.
“Trade unions have weakened and to do well you need strong workers’ representatives,” he said.
Freedom of association
Claire Harasty, special adviser to the deputy director of policy at the ILO in Geneva, said that it is the responsibility of all ILO members – including Brics – to promote, respect and realize the basic principles of workers’ rights to join trade unions.
“These rights are mutually reinforcing. Without freedom of association, you cannot overcome other rights. Although all Brics countries have made progress in promoting respect for the right to work, more needs to be done,” said Harasty.
He said that all member states that have recently ratified the convention on the elimination of child labor must redouble their efforts to ensure that they act in accordance with the public declaration.
This will, according to Harasty, give teeth to the Durban Call to Action adopted in 2022 to eliminate the worst forms of child labour.
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