Gender

Workplace Equity Programme

SATAWU Gender Unit

Promoting Equality, Inclusion and Fairness in the Workplace

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) is committed to building a workplace and society where all workers — especially women and vulnerable groups — are treated with dignity, respect and equality.
The SATAWU Gender Unit leads the organisation’s work on workplace equality, women’s empowerment, representation, and the fight against gender‑based violence (GBV) across all sectors in which the union organises.

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Transforming Work and Society: From Shop‑floor Struggles to Structural Change (2026)

“We can condemn globalisation and we can condemn gravity, but it is more useful to devise concrete strategies to deal with realities than only condemning.” — attributed to Fidel Castro

South Africa’s democratic gains are real. But for working people, inequality, unemployment and poverty still define daily life. Our mandate at SATAWU is to win immediate gains and shift structures—linking wage struggles to broader social and economic transformation, with gender justice at the core.

Where South Africa stands now

  • Unemployment & under‑utilisation
    South Africa’s official unemployment rate stood at 31.9% in Q3:2025, with 17.1 million people employed and 8.0 million unemployed. Stats SA’s broader under‑utilisation measures show a composite LU4 at 44.9%, highlighting discouraged work‑seekers and time‑related underemployment behind the headline rate. Methodological updates aligned to ILO standards now provide clearer views of informality and potential labour force. [statssa.gov.za], [statssa.gov.za]
  • Poverty lines & lived reality
    The 2024 national poverty lines were updated to R796 (FPL), R1,109 (LBPL) and R1,634 (UBPL) per person per month—benchmarks that show how close to the edge many households live. Recent trends confirm how many still fall below these thresholds despite modest improvements. [studocu.com], [citizen.co.za]
  • Inequality (Gini)
    South Africa continues to rank among the most unequal societies globally. World Bank (latest microdata year 2014) places South Africa’s Gini at ≈63, while comparative dashboards in 2025/26 similarly show SA at or near the top of global rankings. [data.worldbank.org], [worldpopul…review.com]
  • Women and work
    Gender disparities persist across participation, pay and promotion. UN Women (2024) documents structural pay gaps and labour‑market inequalities; Stats SA (2024) shows women’s participation improving but absorption lagging, underscoring the need for targeted interventions that link workplace equity to economic security. [africa.unwomen.org], [statssa.gov.za]
  • Minimum wage floor
    To protect the lowest‑paid, the National Minimum Wage rises to R30.23 per hour from 1 March 2026 (EPWP: R16.62), building on 2025’s adjustment to R28.79. Enforcement remains key—especially in household, farm, cleaning and outsourced segments. [bizcommunity.com], [labour.gov.za] 
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Our immediate priorities (2026)

“The struggle for gender equality is not secondary to class struggle—it is class struggle.”
In SATAWU, that means targeting the worst forms of precarity and building unity across the formal, informal and platform economy.

Wage Justice

Wage justice: Defend NMW compliance—and push above‑inflation increases in low‑wage sectors. [bizcommunity.com]

Safe Work

Safe work = decent work: Implement the 2022 Harassment Code in every workplace and bargaining council—plus enforce fatigue, sanitation and women’s safety measures across transport value chains. [labour.gov.za]