The Black Allied Workers' Union (BAWU) was a national trade union federation in South Africa. The federation was established on 27 August 1972, on the initiative of the South African Students' Organisation. It worked closely with the Black People's Convention, and was part of the Black Consciousness Movement. It argued for an independent trade union movement of and led by black workers. As such, it refused to work with the Trade Union Council of South Africa, which was led by white workers and had at times expelled unions of black workers, and while some members had links with the South African Congress of Trade Unions, BAWU's leadership disliked its non-racial approach.