From 1946 to 1948, he served as president of the Cape Federation of Labour Unions, then in 1949, he began working full-time for the AEU as secretary of its South African Council.
In 1954, he was a leading figure on the Unity Committee, which opposed government plans to prohibit trade unions including both white and "coloured" workers.
The committee founded the Trade Union Council of South Africa (TUCSA), and Budd served on its executive, becoming president from 1959 to 1961.
[1][2] In 1960, the South African AEU gained full independence from its British parent union, and Budd became its national chairperson.
the AEU resigned from TUCSA in protest at its plan to admit trade unions representing black workers.