Organising labour broker workers: the case of Giwusa at AEL and Samwu in Tshwane
Date
2011-12-22
Authors
Rees, Robin Alexey
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Abstract
In a context framed by neo-liberalism, employers increasingly employ labour
broker workers. Trade unions find it broadly difficult to organise these
workers. Giwusa, a general union and Samwu an industrial union have
relative success in organising broker workers at a manufacturing plant and
municipality respectively. The comparative study of these cases finds that
organisational form is not a necessary condition for success and there are
similarities between the cases including the workplace organising focus and
the common class and cultural experiences of labour broker workers. This
experience linked to their material conditions of work, provides a foundation
for their willingness to organise. Crucially, the unions’ class politics explains
the two different organisational approaches. In the Giwusa case permanent
shop stewards drive organisation, supported by the union and based on the
market bargaining power of broker workers. In the Samwu case broker
workers themselves drive organising from below and challenge both their marginalisation in the union and at the workplace, through the exercise of associational power.
Description
M.A. Faculty of Humanties, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011.