Electrical and Allied Workers Trade Union of South Africa: A History¶

Literature › Works

Shireen Mohamed (1991). Electrical and Allied Workers Trade Union of South Africa: A History. SALDRU Working Paper No. 81. Southern African Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.


Type	working paper
Scope	Economics and economic history of apartheid
Method	mixed
Period studied	1881–1989
Regions	Western Cape, Transvaal, South Africa (national)
Themes	unions strikes, labour markets wages, origins segregation, resistance social movements, manufacturing industrial policy, business and state
Citation key	`mohamed1991`

Argument¶

The paper traces the white craft union SAEWA and the parallel unions it created for 'coloured' workers (EATUSA, 1956) and African workers (EAWUSA, 1978). It argues that SAEWA's shifting stance on race followed deskilling and the loss of control over the labour process, and it endorses Jon Lewis's 'deskilling thesis' while insisting that socio-political factors also mattered. The core of the paper is a case study of how a small group of young 'coloured' artisans in the Western Cape captured EATUSA from SAEWA's control between 1977 and 1985. Economic crisis, deskilling and the example of the independent unions made skilled workers receptive to this. The union then organised labourers and factory workers and merged with EAWUSA in 1986 into a non-racial, worker-controlled union. The author reads this as evidence of the working class's growing political weight.

Evidence and method¶

SAEWA's journal Power (1939-1986), the Cape Herald (1977-1985), the union newsletter Sparky, union pamphlets and documents, and NEC minutes for 1984/85. Interviews with union officials (Williams, Theys, Sabor, Shield, Van Oordt, Khoza and others, 1989). Secondary literature (Lewis, De Clercq, Friedman, Gelb, Horrell) and statistics in appendices on membership, wage rates and apprentices.

Place in the debates¶

Deskilling vs racism as the explanation for craft unions' racial strategies (Lewis thesis) (see The job colour bar, white labour and its erosion). Supports Lewis: SAEWA's evidence fits the deskilling thesis, with the qualification that racial protection must also be situated in a racially segregated society and cannot be reduced to changes in the labour process.
Role of the working class and the 1970s crisis in driving reform (Wiehahn as response to crisis) (see Black trade unions: growth, wage effects, Wiehahn and strategy). Presents Wiehahn as the state's and capital's response to economic and political crisis and to black worker militancy. It also holds that reform partly undermined itself by allowing independent unions to consolidate.
Conservatism of skilled workers and class alliances (see The job colour bar, white labour and its erosion). Argues that skilled workers, though historically conservative, were drawn towards unskilled workers by deskilling and falling living standards, contrary to expectations.

Findings¶

Real wage growth for African workers accelerated in the 1970s, which the author links to rising labour costs in manufacturing and capital outflow. (p. 7)

real wages for African workers in the decade of the 1970's increased by 56% compared to only 30% in the decade of the 1960's.
African real wages rose far faster than white real wages over 1970-1980, eroding artisans' relative position. (p. 12)

While African workers had witnessed a rise in real wages of 56% in the period 1970 to 1980, white workers saw their real wages increase by only 14,9% in the same period.
Growth collapsed after 1974 (figures taken from Gelb). (p. 33)

Between 1974 and 1978, the growth rate dropped to only 1,9% per annum and in the period between 1982 and 1987, it dropped to only 0,6% per annum.
Manufacturing employment fell in the early 1980s. (p. 33)

over 200 000 manufacturing workers lost their jobs between 1981 and 1985
Mechanisation and craft dilution in the 1940s led craft unions to redefine job demarcation on racial lines. (p. 18)

Faced with a loss of skills and consequent control over the labour process, the old craft unions set about redefining demarcation lines on the basis of race.
After Wiehahn, SAEWA moved to create a parallel African union to keep control and preserve the 'rate for the job'. (p. 30)

to take all necessary steps to bring about the formation of a separate union for African electrical workers
White SAEWA delegates' open racism at the November 1983 FETUSA meeting united EATUSA and EAWUSA delegates and led to their merger without the white union. (p. 58)

For 300 years we Whites have been in control and for 300 years we will continue to be in control.
Under the progressive leadership, Western Cape membership grew from 700 (end 1984) to 4 870 by 1986, helped by organising labourers. (p. 59)

the progressive leadership witnessed a phenomenal membership growth by 1986 in that membership figures had risen to 4 870.
The first strike ever in South African electrical contracting occurred in June 1985. (p. 61)

June 1985 witnessed the first strike ever in the electrical contracting industry in South Africa.
Deskilling and falling living standards pushed skilled workers towards solidarity with labourers by 1985. (p. 67)

By 1985, however, skilled workers were suffering from the effects of both a decline in their living standards as well as from the effects of deskilling in the contracting industry.
The apprenticeship system collapsed in the industry (new registrations fell to 2 in 1987). (p. 65)

In 1982, 216 new apprentices were registered, and in 1986 only 108 were registered. This figure dropped to only 2 in 1987.
The union won a record wage increase for the lowest-grade labourers in 1986. (p. 72)

labourers (grade II) in the contracting industry received a 35 percent increase. this was the highest ever wage increase for the entire industry.

Evidence ledger¶

Sources used¶

Source	Kind	Period	How used
Power, official journal of SAEWA, 1939-1986 (editorials, membership reports, conference resolutions)	union or movement records	1939-1986	Principal source for Chapter One: SAEWA's racial policy, 'rate for the job', affiliations, membership figures, and the 1978 decision to form an African parallel union.
Interviews with union officials and core group members (Brian Williams, Cecil Theys, Russell Sabor, Cyril Shield, Paul Van Oordt, Raymond Khoza, Mr Hector, union officials/organisers), March-October 1989	interviews oral history	interviews 1989; events 1977-1989	Main evidence for Chapters Two and Three on the core group's struggle, EATUSA's bureaucracy, the merger, and deskilling in contracting.
The Cape Herald, 1977-1985 (e.g. 22/7/1978, 7/4/1979, 24/11/1979, 26/4/1980, 10/10/83, 24/6/1985, 27/6/1985)	newspapers periodicals	1977-1985	Establishes the chronology of meetings, elections and disputes within EATUSA's Western Cape branch and the JMR strike.
'Sparky', newsletter of the Western Cape branch (Vols 1-2, 1985-1988), plus selected union documents and pamphlets	union or movement records	1985-1989	Supplies accounts of strikes (JMR/Wooltru, Brand Engineering, Laingsdale), campaigns and union agreements.
National Executive Council (NEC) minutes of EATUSA, 1983-1985 (e.g. 11 June 1983, 28/7/84, September 1984, NAMC 31/7/84)	union or movement records	1983-1985	Documents the conflict between Western Cape progressive delegates and the conservative NEC, e.g. over the BEC suspension and the Parker appointment.
Union records on membership (Western Cape and national), including Appendix C membership table	union or movement records	1970-1988	Shows membership growth in the Western Cape from 700 (1984) to 4,870 (1986), and national membership series for the four unions.
Handbook of Labour and Social Statistics, SALDRU (1986)	secondary literature compilation	1960s-1980	Source for real wage increases: African workers +56% in the 1970s versus 30% in the 1960s, and white workers +14.9% in 1970-80.
Gelb, S. (1988), 'The Economic Crisis in South Africa: An Overview' (COSATU document), statistics on inflation, unemployment and GDP growth	secondary literature compilation	1946-1987	Supplies macro indicators for the economic crisis: CPI inflation over 10% since 1974, GDP growth falling from 4.9% to 0.6%, 200,000 manufacturing jobs lost.
Report of the Commission of Enquiry into Labour Legislation (Wiehahn), Part 2, Department of Manpower Utilisation, 1980	commission or official report	1979-1980	Used for apprenticeship practices, exclusion of Africans from skilled work in urban areas, and government training policy.
Industrial Conciliation Act 1956 and Industrial Conciliation Act No. 94 of 1979 (Section 3); Apprenticeship Act 1944; Black Building Workers Act 1951; Suppression of Communism Act 1950; Sabotage Act 1962; Training Act 1990	legislation gazette	1944-1990	Legal framework for mixed unions, job reservation, apprenticeship and training that conditioned SAEWA's strategy.
Industrial Council Main Agreements for the electrical contracting industry (1973-1990), as reproduced in Appendix D	employer association records	1973-1990	Job categories and hourly wage rates are used to show deskilling and fragmentation of the artisan category.
Department of Manpower figures on new apprentices registered 1981-1988 (Appendix E)	official statistical series	1981-1988	Evidence of the collapse in apprenticeship registrations as an indicator of deskilling in electrical contracting.
Parliamentary reply by the Minister on 1987 apprentices	parliamentary debates	1987	Noted as an alternative figure (127 new apprentices in 1987) contradicting the Manpower official figure.
South African Labour Bulletin (SALB) items: Memo by FOSATU 8/11/79; Critique of the Wiehahn Commission 1979; Vol 3 No 4 1977; Vol 15 No 1 1990	newspapers periodicals	1977-1990	Used for the response of craft unions to Wiehahn, Siemens' alleged encouragement of an African union, and training legislation.
Horrell, M. (1961), South African Trade Unionism, and other SAIRR studies	secondary literature compilation	1881-1961	Background facts on the early craft unions, the TLC, Unity Committee and the Industrial Conciliation Act.
Imrie, R.M. (1979), A Wealth of People (TUCSA history)	secondary literature compilation	1954-1968	Source for the April 1968 TUCSA conference debate and vote (76 to 18) on excluding African unions.
Other newspapers: Sowetan, The Argus, Cape Times, Weekend Argus, Business Day, Survey of Race Relations	newspapers periodicals	1986-1989	Used for dates and events of the merger, strikes, the Plessey dispute, the Koeberg victimisation and ECA actions.
Union and employer documents: union pamphlets (7 May 1989), Union Document 4 August 1989, October 1989, ECA letter to branch members, Electrical Workers Action Committee pamphlet, letters of Williams 24/9/84 and president of EATUSA 6/7/84	union or movement records	1984-1989	Supports specific claims on membership, the ECA resolution on stop orders, community donations in settlements and merger terms.

Inference¶

Quantification: Descriptive tables.

Single-union case study in narrative history, built on SAEWA's journal, interviews with core group members and officials, local press and union minutes. It is interpreted through Jon Lewis's deskilling thesis and a Marxist class-struggle framework, with macroeconomic context drawn from secondary sources.

Key claims¶

Claim	Basis	Strength
SAEWA's racial policies (organising semi-skilled blacks, parallel unions, racial exclusion) were driven mainly by craft deskilling and protecting the 'rate for the job'. (p. 12)	Close reading of Power editorials 1939-1986, supported by Lewis and De Clercq's secondary analysis.	Partial data
Economic crisis since the early 1970s and the rise of independent unions radicalised skilled 'coloured' electrical workers and sparked the challenge to SAEWA's control of EATUSA. (p. 6)	Gelb's macro statistics and SALDRU wage data for context; Williams' interview and Cape Herald reports for the 1977 incident.	Illustrative or anecdotal
A small core group won the Western Cape branch committee in November 1979 and four NEC seats in June 1984, through constitutional pressure, a support committee, and 'huisbesoek' campaigns. (p. 38)	Interviews with Williams, Theys and Sabor; Cape Herald reports; NEC minutes 1984.	Partial data
SAEWA formed an African parallel union (EAWUSA) in 1978 and the FETUSA umbrella in 1980 mainly to keep control after Wiehahn, while EATUSA and EAWUSA merged without SAEWA after November 1983. (p. 24)	Power editorials and conference resolutions; interviews with Khoza, Williams and Van Oordt; FOSATU memo.	Partial data
Deskilling in Western Cape electrical contracting (new job categories 1971-1990, apprentice registrations collapsing) pushed the union to organise labourers and factory workers. (p. 60)	Shield's interview, Industrial Council agreement categories (Appendix D), and Department of Manpower apprentice figures (Appendix E).	Partial data
After 1985 the progressive leadership grew Western Cape membership from 700 (end 1984) to 4,870 (1986), won strikes and wage gains, and built solidarity between skilled and unskilled workers. (p. 54)	Union membership records and a letter of 24/9/84; Cape Herald and Sparky reports of strikes; interviews.	Partial data
African real wages rose 56% in the 1970s (30% in the 1960s), and the resulting labour cost increase is pivotal to the outflow of foreign capital after 1976. (p. 1)	SALDRU Handbook (wages); Gelb, Kahn and Black (secondary) for the capital-flight argument.	Asserted

The author's caveats¶

The author notes that Chapter One information was 'extremely problematic' to find and rested mainly on Power. Interviews with only three of the five core group members underpin Chapters Two and Three. A discrepancy in the 1987 apprentice figure is flagged (Manpower official versus the Minister's parliamentary reply), and membership figures contain 'n/a' gaps.

Gaps in the evidence¶

The argument leans on one-sided oral testimony from core group members and SAEWA's own journal, with little corroboration from SAEWA/EATUSA leadership interviews, employer records, or Industrial Council minutes. Systematic data would be needed on skilled/unskilled employment, wages and grade shares in Western Cape electrical contracting, and on membership by sector and year, to test the deskilling and radicalisation claims. Registrar of Trade Unions files, Industrial Council agreements and the Department of Manpower apprenticeship series existed then and could be used to check the narrative.

Replicability: Data poorly documented.