This week... Proposed determination almost good, Cosatu Nehawu welcomes govt decision to suspend Santa subsidy PAC's land grabbing cynical opportunism, says Cosatu 15% provident fund dispute heats up Nationwide strike looms as NUM, Chamber reach a deadlock Union members down tools as company retrench 31 'Crippling' strike looming in the car industry Cosatu slams Zim union leader's arrest Anti-privatisation picketing continue Letters | Write to us | Back Issues In other news...

EDITORIAL:

Cosatu awaits Sunday Times apology…

COSATU is still waiting for the Sunday Times to publish a full article apologising about misinformation reflected in the article it published earlier this year on the outcome of the Pietersburg Jobs Summit.

Sunday Times journalist, Mawande Jubasi, who is in the centre of all controversy, wrote an article headlined, "The team that tamed the unions", that suggested to the readers that COSATU president has sold out the workers by agreeing to the retrenchments.

After some members of the unions took the matter to the Press Ombudsman office, the newspaper was ordered to apologise through publishing an article in front page and provide a space for the federation to put the facts straight.

However, in last week's edition of the Sunday Times, the paper only chose to published the rulings of the press ombudsman and the ombudsman appeal committee and summary of the contents of the Jubasi's article.

The article the Cosatu president, Willie Madisha, wrote to the newspaper has not been published yet.
In the article, the president said what Jubasi took as news was essentially the views of one party in the negotiations, i.e. the employer.

He said it is not surprising the press ombudsman found that the article lacked balance. "Jubasi bought the line of the employer hook, line and sinker and tried to pass it off as the news," said Madisha in the article.

One of the important agreements between public sector unions and the Department of Public Service and Administration was that "restructuring may take place only in accordance with the state aims for transforming the public service, and must ensure the public service remains the provider of services that constitute the social wage".

Important to this agreement was that "in light of the overall unemployment crisis, restructuring should lead to redeployment, not job losses."

The contents of the agreement unequivocally illustrate how Jubatsi, who allegedly did not stay for the entire duration of the summit, got his facts wrong.

Said Madisha: "Beat journalism is vital if we want to improve the quality of our journalism…getting scoops over the phone without doing fieldwork undermines the integrity of journalists, which we hope this ombudsman's award will go a small way in promoting."

Proposed determination almost good, COSATU…

COSATU this week welcomed the discussion document released by the Department of Labour with proposals on a sectoral determination for domestic workers, but said it differs with proposals on minimum wages.

The federation said most of the proposals in the document are good as they reflect the department's determination to protect the domestic workers, who are the "most oppressed and worst paid in our society".

It said that it is pleased that the department proposes that virtually all requirements of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), which includes also working hours, be applied to domestic workers as well.

"We are also pleased by the proposal that all domestic workers receive a seven percent pay increase in each of the coming two years," said COSATU.

However, the federation said it is concerned about the proposal for minimum wages of R400 for rural domestic workers and R600 for urban workers.

It said the recommendation indicates a disregard for the competencies, needs and dignity of the workers concerned. "Contrary to the department's explicit intention, the very low minimum wages proposed would send a signal that government considers these wages in some form acceptable, even though they lie far below the minimum required for survival," said the federation.

It further said the minimum wage proposed only serve to maintain the current levels of inequalities and trap hundreds of workers into what is known as "the category of the working poor."

Nevertheless, COSATU said it welcomed the decision by the government to issue a determination, as most of its proposals are appropriate.

"The publishing of the paper takes forward the commitment the ANC made to domestic, farm and other vulnerable workers in the 199 elections manifesto that steps will be taken to protect them from unscrupulous employers," is said.

NEHAWU welcomes govt decision to suspend Santa subsidy…

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) this week urged the government to conduct comprehensive and transparent investigations into how the South African National Tuberculosis Association (SANTA), a TB body, uses its money and how it handles its general operations.

NEHAWU's comment follows the national Health Department's decision to suspend Santa's R6, 6-million subsidy on Monday.

The union said the government has acted correctly as some provincial health departments have been failing to act on the evidence of whistleblowers concerning corruption, abuse of patients, malpractices and nepotism in various Santa hospitals.

"The announced decision to suspend the R6, 6 million annual subsidy to Santa is the correct thing to do and it should have been done years ago.

It will also lift the spirit of our members who have done everything in their power to alert the government of corruption in vain," said Nehawu spokesman, Moloantoa Molaba. Molaba further said the investigations into Santa must also involve ordinary workers rather than being limited to managers' reports.

"Nehawu is ready to mobilise all its branches to assist the state in the investigations," said Molaba.

PAC's land grabbing cynical opportunism, says COSATU…

COSATU this week condemned the "cynical opportunism" of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) for exploiting the despair of the homeless to make money and short-term political capital by selling land that does not belong to them.

It said persuading desperate people to pay to queue-jump on to land that is unsuitable for housing would never solve the housing crisis.

Homeless and poor people in Elandsfonteing near Kempton Park have been buying land for R25 that the PAC illegally grabbed last week. The Pretoria High Court on Tuesday ordered the occupants to leave the premises within 48 hours after the Land Affairs Ministry took the matter to court.

COSATU, however, urged the City Council in the area to "resist the temptation" of sending police to throw homeless families into the streets in the middle of winter.

Similar sentiments were made by the country's civil society organisations and churches. "The ANC government must let them stay until suitable alternative accommodation can be provided," COSATU said.

It said the PAC is hoping the council will use strong-arm tactics in dealing with the matter and thus turn people against the ANC councillors in support of the party.

"The Council (ANC) must not give them that satisfaction but prove to the poor and homeless that they are the party that genuinely has their interest at hear by redoubling its effort to provide good home for all," said COSATU.

COSATU further said it recognises the progress the government has done in providing more houses for the poor but emphasized it can do better.

"We believe however that the government could have provided even more homes had they not relied to the extend on the private sector for finance and construction," it said.

15% provident fund dispute heats up…

The long dragging provident fund dispute between the National Union of Mineworkers and the Gray Security heated up when close to 2000 NUM members marched to the company's offices to present a memorandum yesterday.

The union is demanding that the company contribute 15 percent to the workers' provident fund.

Gray Security, a UK-based company that has just expanded its business to USA, is offering only a 6 percent contribution - a situation that has led to a three-week strike.
The NUM said it is evident that the management of the company does not care about its workers and their livelihood, despite its rhetoric that it does.

It said that the company has also shown no interest in finding an amicable solution to the problem.

"The NUM, while willing and open to dialogue with the company, is not prepared to call off the strike until management demonstrate its seriousness in dealing with worker issues responsibly.

Furthermore, the company should stop its intimidation tactics," said the union Publicity and Information pillar, Moferefere Lekorotsoana. Lekorotsoana said the company should maintain the same standards of service in this country as in the UK and USA.

Nationwide strike looms as NUM, Chamber reach a deadlock

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Wednesday threatened to go on a nationwide strike after it reached a deadlock with the Chamber of Mines over wage dispute and other working conditions.

The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) could not resolve the dispute that has been dragging for weeks now. The NUM demanded, among others, a guaranteed 8.5%, wage increase, the inclusion of the terminally ill in the medical scheme, and thirty days annual leave.

The NUM spokesman, Moferefere Lekorotsoana said the industry need to address without fear the disparities in wages and leave between black mineworkers and their white counterparts.

He said that the industry should also pay great attention to the terminally ill workers than sending them home to meet even more sufferings.

"Our view is that we would like to see the mining industry moving towards being a caring industry…we would like the Chamber of Mines to recognise that these issues are not just union demands but issues that affect the industry," said Lekorotsoana.

Union members down tools as company retrench 31…

Employees of Robertson Foods, a subsidiary of Best Foods, in Alrode earlier this week went on strike demanding that the company reverse its decision to retrench about 31 workers, COSATU affiliated Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing and Allied Workers Union (CEPPWAWU) said on Tuesday.

CEPPWAWU said there was never proper consultation or reasons given to the union regarding the decision. It said the company further failed to adhere to both the spirit of the Redundancy and Retrenchment Policy and Procedure Agreement as well as the Labour Relations Act.

It said the company published the names of the workers to be retrenched even before proper consultation process.

"The union believes that the management had already decided on the retrenchments and had no intention of properly engaging in discussions on any possible alternatives," said Ceppwawu general secretary, Welile Nolingo.

Nolingo said Robertson Foods company management is also sowing divisions among workers within the company by threatening unaffected workers not to support the action. He said this might create conflict among the workers and amounts to union bashing practices.

"What the company is doing is exploiting the level of uncertainty and job insecurity by diving workers," he said.

Robertson Foods was voted as one of South Africa's worst employer during last year's National Congress of COSATU.

Ceppwawu has called the Managing Director of the company, Mr Miles Daly to intervene.

'Crippling' strike looming in the car industry…

A major crippling strike in the motor industry could be inevitable if the Automobile Manufacturers Employers Organisation (AMEO), and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) do not reach a consensus over the long dragging wage dispute - NUMSA warned this week.

The dispute, which started in May this year, is centred around the union's demand for a 15 percent wage increase on two-year agreement as opposed to the employer organisation's "miserable" 6,5 percent on five-year agreement.

The union said the employers' wage offer creates a huge problem for workers and their families as it will neither buy good nor pay services.

"The employer organisation has not put much effort in the negotiation forum thus putting the whole industry at great risk…it is acting in aberration of the Labour Relation Act by refusing to negotiate in fair and considerate manner," said Numsa spokesman, Dumisa Ntuli. He further warned that the AMEO's stubborn attitude would aggravate the already sour relationship.

Other issues the union is demanding from the AMEO are:

• Permanent employment of temporary staff
• Provision of four apprentices for every artisan
• Merge Auto and Tyre sectors into on statutory council
• Extension of all scope of agreements to cover all bargaining units, and
• Increase of paternity and childcare leave days and fully paid up six months maternity leave.

Ntuli said it is important that employers pay attention to the plight of unemployment and start giving equitable wage increase that will ensure consolidated industry and social stability.

He called to the employers to take their demand seriously as it is "important to conclude the agreement so that the dispute is avoided," said Ntuli.

COSATU slams Zim union leader's arrest…

COSATU yesterday condemned the recent arrest and questioning of the Zimbabwean trade union leader, Wellington Chibebe, by police officers in the country.

Chibebe, general secretary of the Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) was earlier this week arrested and questioned by the police in connection with last week's two-day stay away in the country.

COSATU said that the actions by the police were irrelevant to their work and that the union federation or its leadership should not have been interrogated as their roles are defined in the constitution.

It said the ZCTU is a legitimate body and its leaders have constitutional rights to call a strike if necessary.

"As such we believe the police were out of order for they know that the strike was called by the ZCTU and that its members participated," said the federation.

COSATU further said the political affiliation of the ZCTU is totally unquestionable as the union federation represent workers regardless of their political affiliation or interest. It said it is unreasonable for the federation to be accused of its political interests.

"ZCTU is an independent trade union body whose primary accountability lies with workers not any political party…(however) it is common sense that its members would come from various political persuasions, therefore ZCTU cannot be static or definitive," it said.

COSATU further called to the Zimbabwean government to deal "decisively" with members of the police involved as failure to do so can only suggest that they were acting on government's instructions.

"This will therefore cast doubt on their impartiality," it said.

Anti-privatisation picketing continue….

After a successful Pretoria picketing and presentation of memorandum to the American embassy on Monday this week, the Communications Workers Union (CWU) is today scheduled to lead yet anther picketing in Durban.

The demonstration, expected to be led by SACP and COSATU leadership, will head to the American embassy where the anti-privatisation memorandum will be presented.
More than a thousand workers are expected to attend the march.

"Our union view this demonstration not only as a build-up to the industrial actions against privatisation scheduled for August this year but as a process of obtaining broad mass based mandates on the future of government parastatals," said CWU spokesman, Sizwe Matshikiza.

More picketing and industrial actions against government's decision to privatise stat-owned parastatals have been organised throughout the country.

Letters

COSATU Weekly believes that there are a variety of weekly developments that need to be discussed or raised to the attention of the readers and workers at large. If you have any compliments, queries or comments on the current issues, send us your brief letter to The Editor or fax it to (011) 339-7788. The newsletter can only publish a few letters a week.

Dear Editor

Re donation for Swazi refugees in Amsterdam- Mpumalanga…

The Swaziland Solidarity Network is appealing for donations of any kind for the evicted refugees from the two villages in Swaziland who are now housed by our comrades in Amsterdam.

These people are direct victims of the autocratic rule of the king of Swaziland who evicted them towards the end of last year because they resisted the imposition of Mswati's elder brother as a double chief of these areas.

They have been surviving through handouts from individual comrades from Swaziland and South Africa, but as the number keeps on growing there is a dire need for all people to make contributions of whatever nature.

Primarily these people are forced to share a sheet in such cold and sometimes go to bed without having eaten a thing.

All donations can be made through the head office of the Swaziland at COSATU House, 7th Floor, Braamfontein, 1-5 Leyds street.

We thank you in advance. In the true spirit of international solidarity.

Fraternally yours

Sandile Phakathi
Publicity and Campaigns officer
Tel - 011 339 3621+ADs-