Moments of resistance: The struggle against informalization in the city of Cape Town

Abstract:
This book chapter examines how trade unions have resisted neoliberal policies and the resulting informalization in Cape Town. One part of the union strategy adopted by the South African Municipal Workers‟ Union (SAMWU) has been to extend its membership to outsourced workers in informal employment in order to better represent the sector and build working class solidarity. The union has not rights to collective bargaining for outsourced workers who do not fall under the municipal workers‟ bargaining council. However, it does have mandate on organizational health and safety issues. SAMWU was also challenging the scope of the bargaining councils in order to bring outsourced municipal workers under the same collective bargaining agreement as the rest of the municipal workers.