The South African Industrial Federation (SAIF) was established in 1914 as an amalgamation of the Industrial Federations in the provinces of South Africa. The federation attracted most of the trades unions in the country. It had a policy of support for white labour, believing that employers had a policy of using black labour to drive down wages. The

Cape Federation of Labour Unions The Cape Federation of Labour Unions (CFLU) was a trade union federation in South Africa. The federation was founded in 1913. It aimed to represent all workers in the Cape Province, although most of its membership consisted of unions representing ...

which represented many coloured workers refused to do so. It was led by

Archie Crawford Archibald Crawford (1883 – 23 December 1924) was a Scottish-born South African trade union leader. Born in Glasgow, Crawford completed an apprenticeship as a fitter, before joining the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, after ...

, and its membership reached 60,000. It was active in the

Rand Rebellion The Rand Rebellion ( af, Rand-rebellie; also known as the 1922 strike) was an armed uprising of white miners in the Witwatersrand region of South Africa, in March 1922. Jimmy Green, a prominent politician in the Labour Party, was one of ...

in 1922, but it largely collapsed following the defeat of the associated

general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coa ...

. The remnants of the federation attempted to reform as a single

general union A general union is a trade union (called ''labor union'' in American English) which represents workers from all industries and companies, rather than just one organisation or a particular sector, as in a craft union or industrial union. A gene ...

, the South African Industrial Union, but the government refused it permission to register, and it soon dissolved. Instead, the federation was replaced in 1924 by the

South African Trades Union Council The South African Trades Union Congress (TUC) was a national trade union federation in South Africa. The council was established in 1924, as the South African Association of Employees' Organisations. It was founded at a special congress, held aft ...

References

Defunct trade unions in South Africa Trade unions established in 1914 Trade unions disestablished in 1922 {{SouthAfrica-trade-union-stub