Welcome to the
Food & Allied Workers Union
The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) is a trade union in South Africa. It was formed through the amalgamation of the Food and Canning Workers’ Union, the Sweet, Food and Allied Workers’ Union and the Retail and Allied Workers’ Union. FAWU is a founding affiliate of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU).
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Who can Join FAWU?
Any worker employed in the agricultural, food processing, packaging, retail food
distribution, or beverage industries can join. This includes the hospitality and forestry
sectors.
How do I become a Member?
You can speak to your workplace Shop Steward. If your workplace does not have a
steward , you can contact your nearest FAWU office and a union official will contact
you and explain the process.
How much are Union Fees & how are they paid?
Membership fees are monthly contributions deducted directly from your salary by
your employer’s payroll department through a signed debit order authorization.
Membership fees are 1.4% of your monthly wages.
Can I be fired or victimised by my employer for joining a union?
No. Our constitution guarantees you freedom of association and national labour laws
like the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA)
protects workers’ rights. It is illegal for an employer to dismiss, unfairly discipline, or
discriminate against you for being a union member.
What should I do if I face an unfair disciplinary hearing at work?
Notify your F.A.W.U. Shop steward or union representative immediately before
attending the hearing. DO NOT SIGN any disciplinary admissions without union
representation. FAWU will provide a representative to assist and defend you.
Besides wages, what other workplace issues does FAWU assist with?
FAWU fights for improved and safe working conditions which includes fair working
hours, ensuring health and safety standards are met, and fighting for equal treatment
for all workers. We report non-compliant employers to the Department of Labour.
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FAWU Media Statement
FAWU refutes misleading claim over Hostel Dwellers
10 July 2026
The Food and Allied Worker’s Union [F.A.W.U.] strongly rejects the recent media statement by NGO Ndifuna Ukwazi titled “FAWU Fails Gugulethu Residents” on 8 July 2026.
We categorically reject the claim that the union is mistreating hostel dwellers. The fact of this matter tells a very different story of residents who have enjoyed accommodation, electricity and water for over a decade at the union’s expense while refusing to take any responsibility for their own consumption. Several years went by during which resident used electricity and water without contributing a cent toward these services and refused to pay rental fees due to the union.
FAWU Media Statement
Increase of Total Allowable Catch Quotas
06 July 2026
F.A.W.U. Commends Intervention Of The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment To Increase Sardine Total Allowable Catch (TAC) Quotas Savings Thousands of Fishing Jobs The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU), a proud affiliate of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), welcomes and celebrates the decision by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucamp, to increase the sardine Total Allowable Catch (TAC) quota west of Cape Agulhas by 6,000 tonnes.
This critical decision moves the allocation from 30,500 tonnes to 36,500 tonnes. It comes as an immense relief to thousands of factory workers, vessel crews, and coastal communities in the small pelagic fishing sector whose livelihoods were being threatened by the limitations of the previous TAC quotas.
FAWU Media Statement
Commemorates National Youth Month
16 June 2026
Reality: the struggle for youth liberation in South Africa is far from over. While the youth of 50 years ago fought against a brutal, oppressive political regime, today’s youth fight a desperate war against economic exclusion, poverty, and systemic unemployment.
The battlefield has shifted from the streets of Soweto to the lines outside labour centers and the digital queues of job portals. True liberation cannot exist without economic freedom, and for millions of young South Africans, that freedom remains frustratingly out of reach.
FAWU Media Statement
Government Inaction Threatens Fishing Industry
27 May 2026
The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU), representing thousands of workers across the South African fishing value chain, has formally written to the Honourable Minister responsible for Fisheries and Marine Living Resources, requesting urgent intervention in the deepening
crisis facing the Small Pelagic Fishing Industry.
This crisis is not merely an industry matter. It is a workers’ issue, a food security issue, a coastal community issue and an economic issue. If not urgently addressed, it will have devastating consequences for workers, consumers, local production, industrial capacity and the broader South African economy.
FAWU Media Statement
SUPPORTS THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST SHOPRITE PROFIT
26 May 2026
FAWU SUPPORTS THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST SHOPRITE PROFITEERING AND DEMANDS R3,000 FOOD VOUCHERS FOR ALL SHOPRITE WORKERS.
The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU), an affiliate of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), fully supports the growing campaign and planned mass action over the escalating food crisis facing millions of working-class and poor households in South
Africa.
At a time when unemployment, poverty, hunger and inequality continue to deepen, Shoprite Checkers continues to make billions in profits while workers and communities struggle to survive.
FAWU Media Statement
FAWU MOURNS THE TRAGIC DEATH OF TWO DAIRY WORKERS
22 May 2026
The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) is deeply shocked, saddened and angered by the tragic death of two dairy farm workers whose bodies were discovered in a milk cooling tank on a dairy farm in Humansdorp, Eastern Cape.
According to reports, the two workers, aged 27 and 54, were found face down in water within the tank during a joint recovery operation involving the South African Police Service Search and Rescue Unit, Humansdorp EMS, EMS Training and the Humansdorp Fire Rescue
Unit. Both were declared dead at the scene.
FAWU Media Statement
FAWU Condemns Rainbow Chicken’s Latest Disrespect
22 April 2026
The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) express its deep disgust and outrage at the latest act of disrespect by Rainbow Chicken. It has come to our attention, through reports from our members across the country, that payslips of FAWU members are now reflecting deductions as if they were members of UTAWU, a rival union, instead of FAWU.
FAWU Media Statement
DISGUST AT THE IMPENDING LIQUIDATION OF TONGAAT HULETT
15 January 2026
FAWU EXPRESSES DEEP DISGUST AT THE IMPENDING LIQUIDATION OF TONGAAT HULETT AND GOVERNMENT’S FAILURE TO STEM COMPANY CLOSURES AND MASS RETRENCHMENTS.
The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) is outraged and deeply disturbed by the imminent liquidation of the Tongaat Hulett operations in KwaZulu-Natal. This development represents yet another devastating blow to thousands of workers and their families who depend on the sugar industry for their livelihoods.
FAWU Media Statement
FAWU CONDEMNS COCA-COLA BEVERAGES CBSA AND BOARDROOM RECRUITMENT
07 November 2025
The Food and Allied Workers’ Union (FAWU) condemns the recent acts of victimisation and unionbusting by Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) and its labour broker Boardroom Recruitment.
After FAWU lodged a dispute with the CCMA regarding the ongoing exploitation of workers through labour broking, the employers have now taken the shocking step of preventing workers from working, a blatant act of retaliation and unfair dismissal aimed at punishing workers for exercising their lawful rights.
FAWU Media Statement
Condemning the Closure of British American Tobacco SA
15 January 2026
The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) notes with deep concern and outrage the imminent closure of the only British American Tobacco (BAT) plant in South Africa, something which we picked up through the media, FAWU place it on record that they were not consulted before this decision was made and shall as a result extend an invitation to BAT to come and take the union in their confidence in this regard. This development represents not only a devastating blow to thousands of workers and their families, but also a direct threat to the broader economy and industrial stability of our country.
FAWU Media Statement
Victorious In Labour Court, SAB Workers To Be Reinstated
07 November 2025
The Food and Allied Workers’ Union [FAWU], proudly supported by the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), celebrates a resounding and precedent-setting victory in the Labour Court against South African Breweries/ Anheuser Busch Inbev (SAB/ABInbev) as delivered on 7 November 2025 in the Johannesburg Labour Court.
This victory closely follows NUMSA’ s historic win against ArcellorMittal reaffirming that the tide is turning against corporate arrogance, union bashing and the ongoing retrenchment bloodbath engulfing South Africa’s workplaces.
The Braamfontein Labour Court ordered SAB to reinstate dismissed workers.
FAWU Media Statement
FAWU Tribute to comrade Nathi Mthethwa
03 October 2025
FAWU Tribute to comrade Nathi Mthethwa.
The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU), together with the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), bows its banners in sorrow and pride as we pay tribute to comrade Nathi Mthethwa, a son of the working class, a fearless organizer and worker leader, and one of our own.
FAWU Media Statement
FAWU Takes SAB/In Bev to Labour Court
29 September 2025
The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) has taken urgent legal action against South African Breweries (SAB)/Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) in the Labour Court, invoking Section 189A (13) of the Labour Relations Act (LRA). This follows the company’s decision to unilaterally implement retrenchments, which began on August 31, 2025, and are set to continue on September 30, 2025.
FAWU Media Statement
Koos Stroskie Farm Murder
02 September 2025
FAWU Condemns with strongest possible terms, the Murder of Young Worker at Koos Stroskie Farm, Welkom.
The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) expresses its deepest outrage and sorrow following the brutal murder of a young man at Koos Stroskie’s farm, located between Kroonstad and Welkom in the Free State.
This heinous act, allegedly involving an 80-year-old suspect who has since been arrested, is a stark reminder of the persistent violence and exploitation faced by farmworkers across South Africa.
FAWU Media Statement Archive
Browse historical media releases and updates from FAWU
FAWU VICTORIES
FAWU Celebrates Justice as Dismissed Blue Ribbon Workers Are Reinstated After Eight Years
07 July 2026
The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU), a proud affiliate of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), stands triumphant alongside our members as we celebrate a historic, landmark victory for the working class. After nearly 8 years of bitter legal resistance and corporate delaying tactics, 31 of the initial 56 unfairly dismissed workers of Premier Foods’ Blue Ribbon Bakery will finally be reinstated to their rightful positions.
FAWU Protest Action
Fight Back Against ABinBev SA
FAWU Constitution
About Our Constitution
The Constitution of the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) outlines the union’s guiding principles, structures, and the rights and responsibilities of its members. It serves as the foundation for all union activities, ensuring transparency, democracy, and accountability in representing and protecting workers across South Africa’s food and allied sectors.
FAWU Workshop
Social Awareness
Every month, FAWU organizes a workshop for workers to gather and learn more about their right in the workplace.
Campaigns
Notice
Campaigns
FAWU Commemorates
The Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) wants to pay tribute to one of our great former leaders,
Dr. Neil Aggett, a white trade union leader and fierce labour activist who died in detention on 5 February 1982 after being arrested by the South African Security Police on November 27, 1981, whilst busy organizing a mass action campaign meeting in Langa in Cape Town.
FAWU Commemorates the 40th Anniversary of Neil Aggett Death
FAWU's Leadership
National Office Bearers 2025
National Office Bearers - Contacts
National President
1st Deputy President
2nd Deputy President
National Treasurer
General Secretary
Vacant
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