The union was founded under the influence of an employers' organisation, the Motor Industry Employers' Association, which wanted to deal with a single trade union representing all white and "coloured" workers in the industry.
[1][2] The union affiliated to the South African Trades and Labour Council, and by 1947, it had 4,753 members.
[5] By 1982, it had disaffiliated from TUCSA, but continued to grow, with 23,000 members, all of whom were white.
[6] By 2003, the union principally represented technical employees in the industry.
That year, it merged into the Motor Industry Staff Association.