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“Viva Sasbo, Viva! Viva UNI, Viva”, were the cries from a packed hall to mark the centenary of the birth of the powerful African finance union Sasbo. It has been a century since a handful of bank clerks gathered in March 1916 and dedicated themselves to create a national union in the conservative bank sector.

Hundreds gathered to pay tribute to the founders at the Sasbo annual conference, with Sasbo General Secretary Joe Kokela describing their courage as “giving a voice to the voiceless.”

UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings addressed the conference, observing “Sasbo is a union that is Breaking Through. This union is growing as quickly now as at other times in its long history.”

“Sasbo is a heavyweight in South Africa’s core commercial banks and we support your determination to build the union presence throughout the finance sector. “

The union now has over 70,000 members, and Sasbo President Moses Lekota said, “We will break the barrier of 80,000 members! What finer tribute can we make to those that went before us?”

Moses recalled the historic bank strike in 1920 - a nationwide bank strike that shut the Johannesburg stock exchange and was only ended after the intervention of the then Prime Minister General Jan Smuts.

At the time, the Johannesburg Star headlined the event as “a glorious Sasbo victory” – a victory which won Sasbo union and bargaining rights which continue today.

Jennings also underlined how important collective bargaining was for inclusive growth in the finance sector.  “You have successively beaten the CPI in your wage negotiations,” said Jennings.  “Without your tenacity and professionalism, the quality of life of banks staff in South Africa would not be what it is today.”

Sasbo has been a key part in building UNI Africa union alliances in Barclays/Absa and Standard Bank and its solidarity is appreciated by UNI Global Union and UNI Africa trade unions. Sasbo pledged to continue to press for global agreements with South African banks.

The digital revolution was also addressed and Sasbo will now pursue a future world of work project to prepare for the new challenges that lie ahead.

“We are not over-awed by the digital revolution,” said Joe Kokela. “Our response to the challenge will be based on fairness, opportunity and decent work.”

The Sasbo conference were vocal in their support of the organising push in upstart bank Capitec. From scratch in 2001, the low-cost model bank now has 12,000 staff and there is some disquiet about how it can sustain this growth. It has drawn critical comments from the union centre, Cosatu.

“If a bank is cutting corners in staff relations it's a sign of trouble elsewhere,” observed Jennings. “The Cosatu observations were serious and there must something amiss in a bank where staff turnover is so high.”

With UNI support Sasbo has spearheaded an ambitious recruitment drive and already significant numbers have signed up. The UNI Youth World Conference also took to the streets of Cape Town to help the push.

“With all the enthusiasm of an engaged membership and a strong leadership team, I am confident that Sasbo will reach the 80,000-member milestone, negotiate a GFA and gain recognition at Capitec,” said Jennings. “You are making a positive difference to the lives of your members. It’s been a century long walk and now you are breaking into a sprint!”