The struggle for legitimacy: South Africa’s divided labour movement and international labour organisations, 1919–2019

TitleThe struggle for legitimacy: South Africa’s divided labour movement and international labour organisations, 1919–2019
Publication TypeBook Chapter
Year of Publication2020
AuthorsD.J. Money
EditorS. Belluci, and H. Weiss
Secondary TitleThe internationalisation of the labour question: ideological antagonism, workers’ movements and the ILO since 1919
Pagination383-408
Date Published2020
PublisherPalgrave
Place PublishedLondon
Publication Languageeng
ISBN Number9783030282356
Keywordslabour, South Africa
Abstract

Who could be considered a legitimate representative of South Africa’s working class, and even who constituted this class, was bitterly contested during the twentieth century. This chapter examines the struggles for international recognition by the rival constituents of South Africa’s labour movement, which was sharply divided along racial and ideological lines. Initially, the International Labour Organization and other similar bodies formed links with the white-dominated labour movement, which regarded itself as the legitimate representative of all workers in South Africa. This position was successfully contested by emerging black African trade unions who themselves, in the face of fierce repression, competed for financial support made available by various sections of the international labour movement.

Publisher website

https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030282349

Citation Key10618