Sactu, noun

/ˈsækt(j)uː/
Forms:
Also SACTU, S.A.C.T.U.
Origin:
Acronym formed on South African Congress of Trade Unions.
historical
A labour federation formed in 1955 as the trade union wing of the Congress Alliance (see Congress sense 3). Also attributive.
Note:
Sactu’s leadership operated from exile after the banning of the African National Congress in 1960. After the ANC was unbanned in 1990, Sactu was integrated into Cosatu.
1959 M. Horrell Racialism & Trade Unions 23The S.A. Congress of Trade Unions (S.A.C.T.U), furthest to the left,..had mixed, Coloured and African affiliated unions.
1964 M. Benson Afr. Patriots 237In mid-1957..Lutuli and the A.N.C. called for a stay-at-home on June 26 in protest against apartheid and in support of a S.A.C.T.U. call for £1 a day basic wage.
1966 Survey of Race Rel. 1965 (S.A.I.R.R.) 238The left-wing S.A. Congress of Trade Unions (Sactu) has, in the past, allied itself with the A.N.C. and other members of the (political) Congress Group...The Security Police have continued to raid Sactu’s offices from time to time.
1969 A. Hepple S. Afr.: Workers under Apartheid 71Sactu became a consultative member of the Congress Alliance...By 1961, Sactu had 46 affiliated unions, representing 53,323 members, of whom 38,791 were Africans.
1980 Luckhardt & Wall Organize or Starve! 92The aspirations of progressive trade unionists from all parts of South Africa were finally realized on 5 and 6 March 1955 in Johannesburg at the Inaugural Conference of SACTU.
1990 Weekend Argus 17 Feb. 4He held posts in Sactu and has been outside the country since the ’70s.
A labour federation formed in 1955 as the trade union wing of the Congress Alliance (see Congress sense 3). Also attributive.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

19591990

Browse Related Words

By Category

Organisations Parties and Movements

By Usage

acronyms
historical
SACP, nounn.saddle, verbv.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Unit for South African English