Union or forum? The pros and cons of alternative forms of organised labour

Union or forum? The pros and cons of alternative forms of organised labour

The language of worker organisation in South Africa has long been dominated by the trade union. To speak of labour struggle is, almost instinctively, to speak of unions, their histories, their victories, their internal fractures, and their enduring political significance. But what happens when workers begin to organise outside of that form? What does it mean when Community Health Workers choose to name themselves not as a union, but as a forum, …