NEVA MAKGETLA: Boots and helmets make way for aprons and caps
Unions remain central to SA’s democracy and labour relations, with virtually no change in the share of workers who belong to unions over the past 20 years. But the average member has changed a lot. Above all, the rising share of formal workers in the public and private services brought a surge in women members and in education levels.
For the past 20 years, union membership has equalled about 30% of waged private-sector workers. Within each major industry, union density (that is, the share of workers belonging to a union) has also been stable. But the expansion in formal service jobs has profoundly affected union membership in the private sector. The share of factory and mineworkers in union membership dropped from 60% in 2002 to 35% in 2022. In contrast, service and retail membership climbed from 30% to almost 50%. Today, the majority of union members work in retail, business services or the public sector; have at least matric; and are nearly as likely to be women as men. .....
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