Rachel Simons, then known as Ray Alexander, played a significant part in setting up the organisation, and was helped by Johnny Gomas, the General Secretary of the Cape Town Stevedoring Workers Union.
As Africans could not rent premises in towns it operated from the premises of the Cape Town Stevedoring Workers Union at 57 Plein Street, which was rented in the name of White members of the South African Communist Party.
The Union submitted grievances to the management of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration, but were not allowed to negotiate.
In Bloemfontein there was a general minimum wage of 3/6d a day but this did not apply to railway workers, who were paid less.
Until he was banned Ben Turok worked closely with him and took up cases using his position as a member of the Cape Provincial Council.
The union organised for each one to give evidence individually about why they stopped work, and this usually led to prosecutions being withdrawn.
After an unsuccessful strike in Port Elizabeth in 1957, defeated by the use of prison labour, the railways strikers all dismissed.
A number of the union's organisers, including Sibeko, were arrested on at 4 am 5 December 1956 among those charged in the 1956 Treason Trial, which continued until 1961.
It affiliated to the Congress of South African Trade Unions, whose offices it shared, and the United Democratic Front.
A successful boycott campaign encouraged about 3/4 of the railways workers in the Southern Transvaal to join by the end of 1986.
A strike started at the container depot in City Deep, Gauteng on 16 March 1987 over the sacking of a delivery driver.
There were many violent incidents, including the burning of trains at Orlando Power Station and the murder of strike breakers.
Transnet made an offer which was accepted by Sebakwane on 29 September 1991 without consulting the unions full negotiating team.
The Southern Transvaal shop stewards objected and they occupied the unions office and later kidnapped Sebakwane.
Sibeko, who had been elected Honorary President, was brought in to run the head office for several months.
Furthermore, the new government were not prepared to continue to subsidise the transport industry and the numbers employed declined significantly.
The merged organisation was called the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) and was launched at a special congress on 16 December 1998.