ABSTRACT
This chapter considers trade union organisation in the agricultural sector. Trade unions in the agricultural sector can draw on a vibrant tradition of militant, social-movement unionism. The pivotal role of South Africa’s labour movement in the struggle against racial oppression was crucially dependent upon its ability to transcend a narrow workplace unionism. The number of black farm workers in South Africa has been in long-term decline, the figure dropping by one-quarter between 1975 and 1992. The National Union of Farmworkers took a different approach to organisation from that adopted by the Farm Workers Project, by accepting individual members from private farms and attempting to take up their grievances with employers. Low levels of unionisation have resulted in non-governmental agencies such as legal assistance centres, churches, and other bodies playing an active role in advising and representing farm workers. Workplace organisation in the agricultural sector is generally weak, with considerable reliance on trade union officials.
