The National Federation of Workers (NFW) was a national trade union federation in South Africa.
The federation was established in 1980, as a split from the Black Allied Workers' Union. Based in Durban, it was led by Matthew Oliphant and Themba Nxumalo, both of whom were also linked with the banned South African Congress of Trade Unions. By 1985, the federation had the following affiliates:
Union Abbreviation Membership (1985) Brick, Clay and Allied Workers' Union BRICKAWU 1,262 Cleaning Services and Allied Workers' Union CSAWU 1,050 Commercial Distributive Workers' Union CDWU 2,050 Health and Allied Workers' Union HAWU 2,000 National Post Office and Allied Workers' Union NAPAWU 3,900 National General Workers' Union and Retail and Allied Workers' Union NGWU/RAWU 6,057 National Iron, Steel and Metal Workers' Union NISMAWU 2,279
NISMAWU left the federation early in the year. In November 1985, the federation dissolved itself into the new Congress of South African Trade Unions, with NISMAWU also joining the new federation.
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