Ml Muhammad Bham | mbham@radioislam.co.za
9 May 2023 | 9:15 CAT
2 min read

Photo Credit: MGebashe

Former student leaders and EFF members have established a trade union to restore the dignity of working people across all sectors of society.

The launch of the Workers Socialist Union of South Africa followed talks between workers, students, and civil society groupings.

The trade union was officially launched on Workers’ Day on 1 May.

The new trade union was formed during the days of the #feesmustfall campaign. In the initial days, the members fought for workers against outsourcing different contractors in tertiary institutes, like Fidelity being used as a security company and other companies for cleaning and catering.

In 2017, members protested alongside workers during the #feesmustfall campaign.

Convener of the union, Mmeli Gebashe, said that was a significant victory, adding that the relationship with workers across Randfontein, the inner city, and nearby areas began calling upon members for the same struggles.

The incident at South Point, where the members argued with companies not to retrench workers, was a success. However, workers were referred from one union to another for assistance but were achieving little.

In 2023, consultations continued between members and civil society and others supporting the cause over time, and the advice during these consultations was to form a new trade union.

Gebashe explained that everything started during the initial days at Wits University.  Their success stories and track record saw workers from different institutions like Point, DHL, and DRUM approaching them for different interventions. It was then decided that their scope wouldn’t just be focused on education but a broad-based one.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat on Sabahul Muslim here