The growth and organisation of a precariat: Working in the clothing industry in Johannesburg’s Inner city

By Katherine Joynt, Edward Webster on September 28, 2011

7th GLU Conference, „The Politics of Labour and Development‟ 28-30 September 2011, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract:
This paper outlines the effects of liberalisation on the clothing industry in South Africa, emphasizing how the casualization and informalization of labour processes have led to the growth of a new precarious labour force, challenging unions organising in the sector. Furthermore, the study examines how unions have attempted to rise to this challenge and organize the precarious workers in small informal firms. The South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU), has started to organize workers in the informal economy. At first, SACTWU used similar tactics to organize informal and formal workers. However, more recently it has developed services specifically targeting informal workers. These include a range of healthcare services as well as education programs for the workers‟ children. According to the union, its strength has been in advocating for better work conditions by pressuring retailers to only by from manufacturers that comply with labour regulations.
In addition to trade unions, the paper also examines religious organisations that are popular among the informal workers. It is argued that these organisations are also serving a social function, helping their members in finding jobs and housing, as well as in some cases assisting them in access to social grants and other official documentation such as birth certificates and ID cards. It is the author‟s view that because they enjoy deep support among the informal workers, these religious organisations are a potential source of power for the informal workers‟ movement, and that the union would benefit from building collaboration with these movements.

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