Inaugural Conference of the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU)

On 4 -5 March 1955 the Inaugural Conference of the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU) was held at the Trades Hall in Johannesburg. SACTU was until the banning of political organisations in 1961 the leading non-racial trade union co-ordinating body and the trade union wing of the ANC led Congress Alliance. After Sharpeville most of the office bearers of SACTU went into exile, were banned, banished, imprisoned for ANC and MK activities. SACTU office bearers in exile re-established the organisation and used it to mobilising international solidarity action against the Apartheid regime.