The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is calling on workers to come out in their numbers on Monday, 7 October and join the National Day of Action against the crippling economic crisis in the country, characterised by joblessness, poverty and inequality.
Led by COSATU, the National Day of Action will take the form of a national strike to mark World Day of Decent Work and raise pertinent issues impacting workers, working class and poor communities.
Chief among our grievances is the staggering unemployment rate in the country. As it stands 11.3 million people need jobs. This includes people who have given up looking for work, but that does not mean they don’t need jobs.
Given the high rate of unemployment, COSATU is demanding a moratorium on retrenchments. It is nonsensical for employers to continue retrenching the few workers who do have jobs. Mining company, Seriti, is the latest in a series of employers to announce plans to retrench, with more than 1 100 jobs at risk.
COSATU Affiliate, the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU) is presently engaging Pick n Pay on its plans to retrench 12 000 workers. We have also seen retrenchments at the South African Post Office. Earlier this year Sibanye Stillwater cut 2 000 jobs and confirmed that it had cut a total of 11 500 jobs in 18 months.
The Federation and its Affiliates have witnessed relentless attacks on collective bargaining with employers reneging on signed wage agreements.
The City of Tshwane under ousted Mayor Cilliers Brink is a case in point. The city submitted applications to be exempted from paying wage increases for two of the three years of the agreement. Both were declined by the bargaining council, but still the Metro refused to comply and escalated the matter to the Labour Court. The matter is still to be heard.
Massmart, on the other hand, dismissed more than 600 workers during a wage strike saying they had violated picketing rules. This matter is also due to be heard in court.
COSATU is frustrated at the snail’s pace at which those implicated in corruption are being prosecuted. Close to R1 billion was spent on the Zondo Commission, but the country has little to show in the way of bodies behind bars. Instead, quite a number of these individuals are now walking the corridors of Parliament as ‘honourable’ Members. The tussle for records between the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the National Prosecuting Authority adds an element of bizarreness to an already odd situation. To say nothing of the slap on the wrist sentences those charged and prosecuted for the Steinhoff heist have gotten away with.
Adding to the worry is the high levels of crime in the country. The murder of 18 people in Lusikisiki last weekend has left the community terrified. Similar incidents, though to a lesser scale, have been reported in KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng and the Western Cape. South Africa is said to rank sixth in the world in terms of kidnappings. Extortion is also on the rise. Gender-based violence is another scourge the country cannot seem shake off. We call on government and employers, including civil society organisations and communities to take a firm stand against all and any form of gender-based violence.
COSATU reaffirms its stance to campaign tirelessly for the implementation of ILO Convention 190, which clearly details the crime of sexual harassment and the required action to deal with it.
The Federation also laments the ever-escalating cost of living with the increase in the price of basics such as bread, milk, eggs and vegetables exceeding CPI, it is no wonder working class and poor communities struggle to feed their families.
To add insult to injury, Eskom has proposed an electricity tariff hike of more than 36% for 2025, on the back of a 12.5% rise this year. If the National Energy Regulator of SA grants it, inflation will spike, prompting the Reserve Bank to once again hike up the repo rate, ultimately arresting economic growth. Workers have had enough.
COSATU and its Affiliates want government to do away with its misplaced adherence to austerity measures especially now that budget cuts are threatening the quality of education of our children with teachers’ jobs on the line, which will in turn worsen the teacher to pupil ratio, and leave both teachers and pupils overwhelmed.
The Federation supports South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU)’s resolution to mobilise society to reject government’s austerity measures as it will have a detrimental impact on the country’s education system.
COSATU calls on all workers to join the action that will take place across all major urban centres in all nine provinces on 7 October and speak in one voice on all these issues that are impacting their lives daily.
This is a legally protected strike, and no worker may be victimised by their employer for participating in it. A strike certificate has been issued by Nedlac confirming this. Any employer who threatens any worker for participating in the strike must be reported to COSATU, its Affiliates, the Department of Employment and Labour or the CCMA so that they can be swiftly dealt with.
Click on the link for more details on this action: pocket-info-national-day-of-action.pdf
Issued by COSATU
Zanele Sabela(COSATU National Spokesperson)
Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639
Email: zanele@cosatu.org.za