COSATU Announces Strike Wave for Western Cape COSATU press conference Statement. The deepening levels of poverty and inequality due to unemployment and low wages have seen 2 Industries explode in protest and violence last year. There is a real danger of this phenomenon repeating itself this year and spreading to more Industries. The entire society agrees that we must find ways in which to avoid this and the Deputy President is working with the parties to find solutions. The attitude of Business leaders and advisors are however taking us to the brink of renewed conflict with their unsubstantiated claims in relation to the economy. The claims presented by business leaders set the context for the engagements and makes the finding of solutions even more difficult, as it disregards the difficulties of working class communities. An example of this is where Loane Sharp, the Adcorp economist, claims that Labour productivity has declined by 41% since 1993. This is in direct conflict with the Reserve Bank’s own figures that says Labour productivity has increased by 70% since 1994. These assumptions in the economy are fundamental and will lead to conflict and strikes if clarity is not sought. Leading economist across the economic spectrum has rejected Mr Sharp’s calculations and described it as nonsense. The sentiments that Adcorp presents is however shared by the National Employers Association of SA, as well as by the Deputy President of SA who in a speech at the Wits Business school quoted Sharp’s figures of a 40% decline in productivity. This voodoo economics of Mr Sharp will see growing levels of strike action across the country due to the parties having such divergent views. This is a reckless statement that should be clarified by Government so that we have a common reading of the information and facts that affect the South African economy. It is also the voodoo economics of Sharp that guides the DA policy on economic matters as they thanked him in one of their economic position papers. This kind of attitude will see increased strike actions in the W Cape, as workers are committed to fighting the growing levels of inequality in the W Cape economy. The attack on workers’ rights by the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, whose chair of the human resources committee calls for the removal of Labour Laws on bill boards on the freeway, will lead to Industrial relations tensions in the W Cape. This collusion between the DA and CCCI against workers is unacceptable and for them to try and construct an illogical economic model to justify this, will only lead to further strikes in Western Cape. COSATU in the W Cape will be completely dismissive of the employer’s plight if the Adcorp sentiments are presented in wage negotiations, and, we will declare disputes and go on strike without further engagement on this nonsense. All of our unions will be at the press conference and will outline their negotiation plans for 2013 and their desire to use wage bargaining as a key means of redistributing wealth across the economy. We as workers are tired of the blatant exploitation across the economy, as reflected in the growing levels of inequality and will be challenging this in negotiations this year. However, bosses are warned that to add insult to injury by presenting the kind of voodoo economics of Adcorp will see immediate strike action in those sectors. The COSATU members will be demanding minimum wages of R4500 per month and increases above 10%, so that real improvements in the relative position of workers are achieved. COSATU has consistently been calling for engagements with Government to respond to the social challenges that exist in the Western Cape. These calls have however been ignored by the Premier Zille who has an aversion to engaging with the Unions/COSATU because of her own arrogance. This same aversion led to her closing down the institutions for social dialogue, replacing it with a business centred structure that does not represent Labour democratically. The social challenges in the Western Cape from education, electricity pricing, public transport, safety and security and basic service delivery and housing, will also lead to further protest and strike action. The inability of the Provincial Government and the DA to engage with trade unions to find solutions to these social challenges will lead to strikes and protest actions in the Western Cape around those social issues. The DA has shown a disregard to working class communities, in favour of the wealthy and this is leading to increased strive that could be resolved in good faith discussion. There is still no public transport system for the rural areas that links towns and MEC Carlisle does not even talk about it, as it is only needed by farm workers and poorer rural communities. Given the refusal of the Provincial Government to engage, COSATU had to file a Section 77 notice to force them into a discussion on education and the crisis faced by our kids in townships. This discussion had provided some basis for working together, but the government cannot bring themselves to say that all kids should have the same resources at their schools. The most urgent issue now is no doubt the crisis in the townships where people are being slaughtered by gangs. The Provincial Government is not even acknowledging it as a crisis and taking special measures to address it. The problem is partly policing but an additional urgent area is to get communities to be part of defining and implementing the solutions. The Premier’s arrogance stops her from appealing to communities and unions for assistance, because she sees them as part of an ANC grouping and so refuses to partner in solutions. This crisis in townships where our people are being killed on a daily basis requires urgent action that unites all sectors in the fight. We will not be constrained by the law in defending the lives of our people against these thugs. So COSATU will go on strike against the Provincial Governmnet at the start of August, should the Provincial Government refuse to engage communities and Unions and with other social partners by the end of July, to find solutions to the crisis in townships linked to the killings. The Provincial Government refuses to acknowledge that they cannot address the issue, other than to play politics with people’s lives. They see a call to communities to partner them in addressing the issue as being an admittance of failure from their side so rather than calling for help and assistance; they see the deaths of people as not being important enough. COSATU will not stand by idly whilst our people are being killed on a daily basis and no solutions are pursued. The social injury that affects our communities is ignored by the DA administration whose main focus is to defend the historical advantages of apartheid for white communities. COSATU will strike against the Provincial Government to force them to take action in these urgent matters.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 14:14:54 +0000
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