This week...
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1.Cosatu sets strategy for Jobs
& Poverty Campaign
On Monday, 29 May, a meeting of the General Secretaries of COSATU
affiliates determined the future direction of the Jobs and Poverty
Campaign. They decided:
1. COSATU and its affiliates must continue to take action because
none of their core demands in this campaign have been met. We will
submit a notice of dispute to NEDLAC under Section 77 of the LRA.
2. The campaign will continue to focus on the need to create more
decent employment, as well as strengthening programmes to address poverty.
Critical issues include:
-
Ending retrenchments and casualisation.
-
Retailers, other large companies and government
at all levels must commit to expanding local procurement.
-
The government must ensure that trade negotiations
at the WTO do not undermine employment creation or limit the provision
of basic services
by the government.
-
Government must do more to expand public works programmes
as a source of employment, including in provision of social services
and cultural
programmes as well as infrastructure.
-
The provision of quality education and other basic
services must be guaranteed to all South Africans at an affordable
cost.
- The state must end understaffing, which places an intolerable burden
on public servants.
3. We will work to ensure a discussion of these demands in the Tripartite
Alliance. We are particularly concerned that the industrial strategy
now being developed by the government be discussed in depth in the
Alliance.
4. In addition to the programme of action agreed at last week’s
CEC, COSATU will intensify efforts to build a broad coalition with
civil society around these demands.
5. We will also explore ways to mobilise the unemployed in support
of demands for decent work.
2. Cabinet statement : Cosatu's
response
COSATU has noted the Cabinet statement of 31
May 2006, and its comments on “statements made during the
course of last week about the character of our democracy and
the place and role of the Presidency in its evolution”.
COSATU stands firm and will not back off from the
assertions and political observations made by its CEC, including
the concern
it expressed that there are “signs that we may be drifting
towards dictatorship. This appears in the use of state institutions
in the narrow factional fights. We see it in the use of sections
of the media to assassinate the character of individuals
through off-the-record briefings and the leaking of sensitive
information
in the hands of those charged to investigate crimes.”
COSATU is not surprised at all by the statement
of cabinet and business rejecting this assertion. Of course those
who
enjoy the power they have accumulated as a result of undemocratic
practises will see nothing wrong with this. Business, who
has been the main beneficiary of the transformation of the economy
for the past twelve years, will see nothing wrong with the
marginalisation of the alliance and the generally ‘low-intensity’ democracy.
They have benefited immensely from the status quo.
COSATU welcomes the ANC NEC’s invitation
to discuss these matters with them and will not comment further
until
this discussion has taken place, except to say that the
federation stands by every word of the statement of its CEC of
25 May.
Lastly COSATU wishes to clarify that nowhere in
that statement, nor in any subsequent comments by the COSATU
leadership, has
there been any reference to President Thabo Mbeki or
the ANC. We condemn attempts by the media and others to personalise
and sensationalise the serious issues we are raising
by
falsely
suggesting that the statement was some kind of attack
on the President Mbeki as a person. Equally we condemn the SABC’s
deliberate misrepresentation of the interview it did
with ANC Secretary General, Kgalema Motlanthe.
At no stage has the ANC Secretary General called
on the alliance to “refrain from making baseless statements”.
These words in quotes are the work of innovative SABC editors pursuing
their own political agendas. If anything the ANC NEC statement
and the ANC Secretary General reaffirmed the right of COSATU
and the SACP to think and to hold independent views. This
is
something that the SABC editors are slowly and voluntarily
giving up.
3.National security strike
- Secondary strike Action
SATAWU has issued notices in terms of section 66
of the LRA to all employer association and Transnet on 24 May 2006.
This now puts SATAWU in position to take all other sectors out
on strike today, 2 June 2006, commencing at first shift between
4 – 6 am.
“The sectors which will be affected,” say the union, “involve
trucks, busses, rail (freight and commuter transport), ports (port
operations and port authority), all Transnet businesses, tollgates
and contract cleaning. This is an integral part of our intensification
strategy to force the security bosses back to the negotiating table.
“On 2 June all our shop steward committees will convene
special meetings with their management and hand over letters demanding
that their employers make direct contact with the security bosses
within 12 hours imploring them to return to the table failing which
failing their own business and operations will become disrupted
as a result of solidarity action by all other SATAWU members. Their
employers must provide proof that they had made contact and indicate
responses.
“This will also include the demand that scab labour not
be used in any of the operations in all our sectors and termination
of contracts where necessary. Lunch time demonstrations will also
be held in all workplaces reflecting on the above mentioned demands
as a mobilizing basis for one day secondary strike.”
SATAWU says it intends to call a one-day general secondary strike
next week pulling out all its sectors across the country supported
by COSATU and its affiliates in order to induce a settlement favourable
to its members through negotiations and an agreement.
“This is in addition to the program of solidarity adopted
by COSATU in its CEC last week through provincial strike committees
will coordinate solidarity actions targeted at all employers through
pickets and demonstrations demanding an immediate return to the
negotiating table to settle the dispute.”
SATAWU believes that both the public and private sector are users
or clients of private security services and therefore is direct
link to the dispute and can exert pressure on the security employers
to return to the negotiating and reach an agreement with SATAWU
on urgent basis. The multinational companies like ADT, Chubb, Bidevest
(who own Magnum Shield) and Group Four Securicor, who are operating
in our country but are here to exploit cheap labour should go back
to where they come from.
In this regard SATAWU has successfully called on its global union
federation to whom it is affiliated, United Network International
(UNI), to which millions of security officers through the trade
unions across the world is also affiliated to bring pressure to
bear on these multinational companies to the right thing and settle
the dispute as they can afford to do so.
Government at all levels and its parastatals and agencies are
the largest procurers of private security services and pay huge
amounts to the providers who ultimately do not pay workers what
they deserve. They remain quiet about the obvious exploitation
and they clearly do not bother whether providers are complying
with the sectoral determination or not. As a result of the continued
outsourcing of security services the ability to regulate it will
become more and more difficult given the “cut throat” competition
which takes place on a daily basis.
SATAWU calls on clients whether government departments, parastatals
like Transnet, provincial hospitals, residents living in the comfort
of gated communities and complexes, private sector with regard
to banks, shops and malls to speak out against the injustice being
meted against security guards in our country. “They must
all call on the security employer associations to return to the
negotiating table with immediate effect and reach an agreement
with SATAWU as the majority union in the industry given that it
is an industry that made in excess of R16 billion in the last financial
year.”
4. Solidarity action in
search for peace in violence-ridden security strike
NUMSA in support of the COSATU programme of action is approaching
employers in the metal and engineering sectors, which utilized
the services of private security companies involved in the strike
to put pressure to bear on them to resolve the deadlock or face
the wrath of the metalworkers and their employers. The proposed
solidarity action by NUMSA includes pickets outside major security
companies and secondary strike actions.
5. Steel retrenchments
deplored
COSATU says it is outraged by the plan of Mittal
Steel South Africa Ltd to cut 800 jobs this month. “This
is a cruel blow to workers and their families, who face a bleak
future of poverty and a struggle to survive,” says the federation.
“The announcement illustrates perfectly why COSATU needs
to continue and intensify its Jobs and Poverty Campaign. At a time
when the whole country should be uniting to save and create jobs,
we see the world’s biggest steel producer ruining the lives
of 800 families just to save R160m per year. To Mittal this is
a drop in the ocean but to the retrenched workers the loss will
be huge.
COSATU demands the immediate reversal of the decision and, failing
that, the federation pledges its full support for any action its
affiliate NUMSA decides to take to save their members’ jobs
and livelihoods. This issue will also be included in the submission
to NEDLAC under Section 77 of the LRA to facilitate discussion
and future action on jobs and poverty.
6. "Unity of purpose
and serving members are the yardstick" - NUM president
In closing the 12th National Congress of the union the
President of the NUM, re-elected unopposed to serve another
three-year term, made an appeal to the delegates that greater
unity should be sought within the ranks of the organisation.
This call was made following a tense and difficult Congress
where about 1200 delegates, national and international
guests, participated.
“What is important is the need to serve our organisation
and its members without any bias. Those who brought disrepute
to the organisation should be forgiven, engaged and shown
appropriate ways of behaving within an organisation. I
also ask for forgiveness for the unintended consequences
of my statements on Christianity”, said Senzeni Zokwana,
NUM President.
Congress took resolutions on a number of issues. Some
of the resolutions are:
-
To mark the 60th anniversary of the
1946 strike by the African Mineworkers Union in the week
of August 12
-
To develop a plan on how to support
the SATAWU strike, including financial contributions
-
To keep TEBA Bank as a workers’ asset
and not privatise it
- To prioritise the issue of compensation and convene
a compensation summit
-
To develop a code of practice to deal
with corruption
-
To root out tribalism and factionalism
-
The NEC to develop a discussion document
on the Alliance
-
To engage employers on the re-opening
of shafts in order to create employment
Congress also elected nine national office bearers. They
are:
President: Senzeni Zokwana;
Deputy President: Crosby Moni;
General Secretary: Frans Baleni; Deputy General Secretary:
Oupa Komane; Treasurer General: Derick Elbrecht;
Chairperson of Education: Helen Diatile;
Secretary of Education: Zwelitsha Tantsa;
Chairperson of Health and Safety: Peter Bailey and
Secretary of Health and Safety: Eric Gcilitshana.
Congress also had an opportunity to bid farewell to its
outgoing General Secretary, comrade Gwede Mantashe. In
a gala dinner organised in order to mark this occasion
various speakers - national and international, from labour,
business and politics - commended comrade Mantashe for
his dedication and commitment to workers and to the struggle
for a socialist dispensation. In his speech, the ANC Secretary
General Kgalema Motlanthe - former General Secretary of
the NUM, made an interesting comment:
“Comrade Cyril Ramaphosa was general secretary of
the NUM then he became secretary general of the ANC. I
myself followed the same path. Comrade Gwede is leaves
the union and he must not break that tradition. There is
a special place for you in the ANC, welcome”
In the tradition of the union, today the leadership and
delegates joined broader membership at the Kloof Rugby
stadium for a report-back rally and celebrations.
7.Three die in Grinaker
LTA accident in Port Elizabeth
On Wednesday evening, around 17h00, three construction workers died
while working on a construction site at Volkswagen in Port Elizabeth.
One survived with slight injuries and was sent to the hospital for
examination. The four workers are employees of Grinaker LTA.
“Attention should be paid to these accidents in construction
because they happen frequently. This is the second accident
this year at the same site. We need regular inspection to
be conducted on construction sites, so we can ensure compliance
with safety standards”, said Tebatso Mokoena, NUM’s
Eastern Cape Regional Chairperson.
According to leaders of the union in the area this is the
second accident at this Volkswagen site where Grinaker LTA
is involved. In January this year two workers died. The three
workers who lost their lives last night were, apparently,
dismantling a crane.
Concern has been raised that there is little attention paid
to accidents in the construction industry. What has happened
in the past is that one would see national figures and ministers
arriving after an accident at a site, but soon as they leave
and the dust settles it is back to business as usual. Companies
are not, in most cases, penalised for these loss of lives.
“We urge the inspectors of labour to conduct inspections
with union shop stewards and not just go with white management
alone on such visits”, said Mokoena.
The union is mostly concerned about this trend especially
when considering the critical role construction has to play
in the current infrastructure development programmes of government,
and the work to be done in relation to the 2010 World Cup
preparations.
8.Kraft SA workers
on strike
Our union and our members are seriously traumatized by what
we regard as a serious tragedy of three workers who died as a
result of crane crash accident that claimed the lives of members
of NUM, our sister union, who are working for LTA.
Our union and our entire membership are sending messages of
condolences to the families of these poor workers and to NUM.
What has happen makes every conscious worker and ordinary trade
unionist angry, as it undermines the very reason we value work
as a prime necessity for life.
It degrades, it is depressing and we are indeed overwhelmed
in rejecting what has become a notorious trend in VWSA where
a number of workers have been dying in the plant.
As we grapple with problems such as repetitive strain injuries,
back injuries, boredom, monotony and stress among our members
we confront many issues which employers see as their prerogative,
as "management's rights":
The choice of materials, chemicals, processes; the pace of production;
harassment by supervisors; shift work; excessive overtime; work
cycle times; and the entire design and power structure of the
workplace and production systems.
We need to shift the balance of power away from the employers
and towards workers. We risk our lives, our limbs, and our health
in the workplace. By contrast, the employers' only risk is profit.
Workers in VWSA plant were forced to run production when the
two bodies of the deceased fellow workers were still on site
hanging there.
Our members our union reject this insensitive stance taken by
the senior leadership of management of VWSA, led by Mr Tosman,
who challenged our shop stewards to go back to work.
Our shop stewards were under pressure from our members as to
why can they be expected as workers to work when the bodies of
the deceased are still hanging in the plant?
Management position to push our members to work was simply about
the fact that these three workers belonged to a company called
LTA. NUMSA has taken a view which was communicated to VWSA management
that they cannot expect NUMSA members to work when the bodies
of the deceased fellow workers were still in the plant.
Our position is that for VWSA management to take such a mechanical
position was nothing less than being insensitive bordering into
a strange culture and NUMSA will continue to reject this and
we will take up this matter and demand a serious apology by management
to our members and to our union.
Our union position of solidarity and of valuing life cannot
be compartmentalised; we cannot have a situation that the company
outsources work and when workers die in these companies VWSA
workers should be expected to continue to work normally.
This is not workers humanity it is the bosses’ strange
greed culture and NUMSA is extremely disturbed by this behaviour
as even animals when another one is dead they mourn they show
remorse. This is a persisting culture in VWSA:
In 2004 a Schnellecke worker died on the VWSA production line
and VWSA managements view was that production should run as normal,
this was against shop stewards cushioning management and sensitizing
fell on deaf ears.
In 2005 a VWSA employee in paint shop died on the production
line and management expected that work should continue as normal,
it was out of intervention by shop stewards that the paint shop
workers were sent home.
At the beginning of this year at the very same LTA, 2 workers
died in the paint shop and work was pushed to continue as normal.
We shall be convening a meeting with VWSA management and we
shall be demanding that they should apologise to our members
and to our union.
It is a fact that both the continuation of these incidents where
poor workers are dying and the cold reaction that VWSA management
continues to demonstrate in responding to cases unless something
different is demonstrated.
NUMSA definitely will have to take measures that will risk the
relationship between NUMSA and VWSA.
We are calling on all our members and the rest of workers working
within VWSA premises that as workers its time that we must stand
up to take full responsibility for our lives.
We can longer trust our lives with any of the employers that
are operating within.
LTA must explain why they failed to safeguard the lives of these
workers as if this is the first incidents from their site.
We are also asking the question why they should continue with
this contract if they continue to cost us lives of workers and
VWSA should also be asking the same question.
NUMSA is calling on all its members and shop stewards to have
a clear agenda that our right to safety to the rest of workers
in all contract workers is about our right to life
Therefore we must ensure that health and safety is reprioritised
above production and profits and our demand will be as follows:
The union health and safety committees must be revived and develop
their own agenda for health and safety improvements before meeting
with management as the joint committee.
Joint union-management health and safety committees must have
the power to make decisions, not simply to make recommendations
to management. Worker majorities are needed on the joint committees
to ensure that the health and safety needs of our members are
addressed. Our health and safety representatives must have the
power to shut down unsafe equipment to ensure that our members
are protected.
We need to expand the scope of issues discussed by the joint
health and safety committees. Ergonomics, the practice of fitting
the workplace to the worker rather than the worker to the workplace,
and this must be taken to new horizons for safety of workers.
Effective laws must be vigorously enforced so that unorganized
workers are also protected that include Department of Labour
reporting to all social partners about cases that have been investigated.
This includes the struggle we must wage for the three rights
to be accepted by management of VWSA and by all contractors that
are involved in what ever form in the plant:
The right to know about hazards of the workplace, especially
chemical hazards;
The right to participate in health and safety activities, especially
joint worker-management health and safety committees; and
The right to refuse hazardous work.
NUMSA Eastern Cape takes the view that we must challenge management's
claimed prerogative over production and insist that toxic substances
used or produced in the workplace be replaced by substances which
are less harmful to the workforce and to the environment.
To NUMSA members we must remain strong and in solidarity take
care of our situation
To the families of the latest departed comrades and to NUM,
our sister union please accept our condolences.
We know that sorrow give sorrow takes, what appears today is
its way to disappear
We shall for ever miss the comrades’ thuthuzelekani
Aluta continua
9.SALGA undermines
employee retirement fund benefits
About 480 FAWU members are on a protected strike at Kraft
SA in Elandsfontein since Thursday, 25 May.
The strike action is centred around a wage dispute as well
as working conditions. It has also come to FAWU’s attention
that two casual workers have been injured on duty on Tuesday
and Wednesday respectively. A pallet apparently fell on one
casual while the others were injured by a machine.
These workers have no experience and were brought in as part
of a team of scab labour from neighbouring townships like Tembisa,
Pretoria and Soweto.
FAWU is utterly shocked at the multinational company’s
decision to disregard South African labour laws and non-compliance
with a collective agreement about the use of casual labour
during industrial action. The two parties have an agreement
that the company would use casuals that are familiar with the
type of work performed on the plant.
FAWU urges the Department of Labour to investigate speedily
into current health and safety standards at the company as
well as the exact causes of these “accidents”.
FAWU members demand:
An 8% wage increase whilst the company offers 5%;
Severance pay of four weeks versus the status quo of two weeks;
A moratorium on retrenchment; and
A night shift allowance of 25% versus the current 20% .
FAWU has called for a moratorium on retrenchment to give the
union time to have a proper input into such processes. As expected,
the company claims they can’t entertain a moratorium.
The company also offers severance pay of three weeks for every
year worked but the catch is- that it is meant for workers
over the age of fifty only. The union however refused to accept
this offer, as we believe that it boils down to discrimination
based on age and will bring divisions amongst our members.
FAWU strongly believes that the company acted irrationally
and prematurely in terms of its lockout without adhering to
the 48-hour notice as stipulated in the Labour Regulations
Act.
By doing so, it was impossible for any probability for parties
to engage one another. Furthermore we strongly believe that
we have sufficient grounds to challenge the company’s
non-compliance with possible legal action.
The Elandsfontein plant is the only production unit in South
Africa.The union has indicated its availability to discuss
possible solutions to resolve the dispute.
9. SALGA seeks to undermine employee retirement fund benefits
through lies and deception
The SA Local Government Association (Salga) has issued a circular
to all municipalities and retirement funds in the local government
sector. This circular commands all retirement funds to transfer
all members and compel new employees to join the newly created
Local Government Pension Fund (LGPF).
This fund is a creation of Salga and will be controlled by
Salga appointed trustees. The fund will undercut existing retirement
benefits enjoyed by local government employees.
An agreement exists under the auspices of the SA Local Government
Bargaining Council which states that no new fund may be introduced
into the sector. Furthermore, this agreement prevents the movement
of members from one fund to another. “Salga’s actions
are in contravention of this collective agreement,” says
SAMWU.
There are a number of disputes pending concerning retirement
fund arrangements. One of these is a dispute lodged by SAMWU
concerning the introduction of the LGPF. It was agreed at conciliation
that we would not pursue this dispute pending finalisation
of a second retirement fund dispute.
The second dispute concerns the overall framework for retirement
fund provisions in the sector. This dispute will determine
the employer contribution rate, compensation for moving members
from defined benefit to defined contribution funds, the process
and criteria for determining the recognition of funds in the
sector, etc.
At a meeting of all local government retirement funds and
the two unions on 29 May 2006, a unanimous agreement was reached
to reject Salga’s instructions as unlawful and detrimental
to the retirement fund benefits of the funds’ members.
Salga’s actions show utter contempt for all the above
bargaining processes and members accumulated retirement benefits.
An equally serious matter is that Salga has indicated that
the LGPF is a fund registered with the Financial Services Board.
This is a lie as an investigation has been determined that
this fund is in fact not registered. It is therefore unlawful
to recruit members to this fund. This action comes soon after
the Auditor-General rejected Salga’s internal accounts
as irregular. Yet they want to take control of R30 billion
of retirement fund assets.
SAMWU and Imatu have issued ultimatums to Salga to withdraw
their instruction. Their failure to adhere to this ultimatum
will result in action of both a legal and industrial nature.
It is the second successive year that Salga has moved against
the unions during the wage negotiations. We will not tolerate
Salga’s criminal attempt to undermine the union, unilaterally
undercut retirement benefits and to blatantly disregard bargaining
council processes.
10.NEHAWU pickets
DPSA imbizo at Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hosptal
As part of NEHAWU’s Service Delivery
Campaign announced at the end of April 2006, members of NEHAWU
will have a lunch-hour picket outside the venue of the Imbizo
organised by the Department of Public Service and Administration
at the Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital on Monday 29 May 2006.
The picket formed part of the programme of action adopted
by NEHAWU’s Service Delivery Summit held at the end of
April 2006, which is aimed at highlighting the poor state of
public services.
Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital was used as a pilot project
to study the effects of public service restructuring on service
delivery. The report of the research done by Naledi on Chris
Hani-Baragwanath hospital revealed amongst others, that in
Baragwanath:
-
The average overall shortage of staff
is as high as 32%.
-
Average shortage of nursing staff
is as high as 36%.
-
Shortage of pharmacists
is as high as 73%.
-
Shortage of staff
in allied professions is as high
as between 30-45%.
-
Shortage of support
staff such as
cleaners, clerks,
porters
is as high as
30%.
As a result of shortage of support staff, professionals such
as nurses are increasingly forced to do extra work of cleaning
and administration work and this result in increasing cases
of patient neglect.
The purpose of the picket is to highlight these issues and
press forward the demands developed by the Service Delivery
Summit, which include; increasing employment in the public
service, increasing funding to the public service and improving
the conditions of public servants amongst others.
11.DENOSA welcomes
MEC's promises
DENOSA is looking forward to see the promises
made by the Health MEC Pierre Uys Western Cape at the budget
speech for the province yesterday.
“We hope that this will not just be a lip service but
a promise he intends to keep and deliver on it. Right now we
are excited about the fact that he’s promising to look
into the shortage of nurses and also review salaries of health
professionals. Addressing the issue of shortage would make
a huge difference in the lives of our nurses and the fact that
the MEC is promising to make HIV/AIDS and TB a priority in
the province also gives us hope as these diseases add even
more work on the already overloaded nurses.
12.CEPPWAWU and Nampak
enter into Global Agreement
CEPPWAWU, under the auspices of the Global
Union, Union Network International (UNI), and Nampak Ltd, have
signed a global agreement. By signing this agreement Nampak
committed itself to respect and promote ILO standards wherever
it has operations or subsidiaries. The agreement cover’s
the following fundamental Human rights in the community and
workplace:
-
No discrimination in employment (ILO convention
100)
-
The prohibition of forced labour (ILO convention
105)
-
The prohibition of child labour (ILO convention
182)
-
Freedom of association (ILO convention 87)
-
The right to collective bargaining (ILO convention
98)
-
Adherence to health and safety
This agreement go a long way in ensuring that Multinational
Corporations like Nampak respect decent labour standards even
in Countries who have not rectified ILO conventions.
13.POPCRU disturbed
by the alleged involvement of police in theft
POPCRU is seriously disturbed by the arrest
of police members from the East Rand for their alleged involvement
in the burglary, which led to the theft of handsome amounts
of money from the serious and violent crime unit’s safe
in Benoni. “For police members to even be suspected of
having a hand in this type of shenanigan is cause for concern
more for so because it has the potential to distort the positive
image of the police service,”” says the union.
“The crime for which these police members have been
arrested is of a very serious nature and if indeed they have
involved themselves in this nefarious activity such would be
damning indictment to the police service. As an organisation
we take a very dim view of police members who partake in any
form of criminal activity and when such happens we always insist
on the need for justice to be meted out in the most deterrent
way. We cannot allow crooked elements to tarnish the good image
of the SAPS, which our members work hard to build and maintain.
“We call for an urgent investigation into this matter
and for the truth to be unravelled at the soonest. This way
we can be able to have the matter laid to rest with little
damage done to the work of the policing fraternity
12.CEPPWAWU and Nampak
enter into Global Agreement
Striking security workers, picket lines, mass
demonstrations against unemployment and poverty - these are
the everyday pictures of trade unionism. But there is more!
Especially if you look behind the scenes. Last Wednesday a
small miracle was celebrated, and there’s every chance
that the mainstream media will miss it. Almost 100 trade unionists
received coveted graduation certificates accredited by Wits
and Cape Town Universities for successfully completing a demanding
advanced labour studies course.
They were awarded by the Development Institute for Training,
Support and Education for Labour (DITSELA), a project of the
two largest union federations in the country, COSATU and FEDUSA
which will be celebrating its tenth anniversary in November
later this year under the banner of Ten Years of Service to
Worker Education.
This event was not the sombre affair that characterizes typical
university graduations. It was marked by spontaneous singing,
joyful anecdotes, militant speeches and an infectious spirit
of optimism about the future.
For these are not your ‘everyday’ learners. These
are worker leaders from the shop floor, who in the past were
denied a decent education, who experienced the harsh hand of
discrimination and oppression, and who have struggled to get
themselves a quality education. But this has not been to further
their careers, or personal wealth potential. As one participant
noted:
‘This programme has literally changed my life and the
relationship with my family, my community but mostly with my
union. There are lots of challenges that we need to address
in our union movement, but it is here to stay. It is a vital
part of a democratic South Africa. I intend to stay in it and
change the world we live in, nothing less!’
On top of holding down a job, managing demanding union duties,
and family and community responsibilities, these ‘worker
learners’ have successfully completed a programme that
many full time university entrants would find challenging.
Over five one week residential blocks, spread out over a year,
they have undertaken intense studying, action research, and
produced a range of high level assignments on the challenges
facing the labour movement. As Jerry Malatji, Ditsela’s
Programme Manager said recently:
‘To watch a group of 25 worker leaders be transformed
is a sight to behold. Being subject to a second rate education
in the past, left many of them feeling inadequate and lacking
the confidence to engage their employers on an equal footing.
But that is not the case now. These comrades leave us empowered,
confident and articulate and as deeply committed trade union
activists. They stunningly remind us of the power of education,
and indeed of the organized working class when it is empowered.
They say out loud, ‘listen we do not have to accept the
status quo. Change can take place, it must take place, and
the future be made for all of us!’
This year three groups of worker-learners including guest
participants from Zimbabwe and Swaziland, will receive their
certificates for advanced courses in Labour Law, Leading and
Managing, and Trade Union Education.
One of the key note speakers at this year’s graduation
ceremony was none other than Comrade Gwede Mantashe, the recently
retired General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers,
who has been appointed to the government’s new agency
to accelerate skills development, JIPSA. Comrade Mantashe is
known to be passionate about trade union education and its
role in building vibrant trade unionism.
Mr. Les Kettledas, of the Department of Labour also delivered
an address. Mr Kettledas played an instrumental role in helping
to establish DITSELA under the then Minister of Labour, Mr
Tito Mboweni in 1996, and it is therefore especially appropriate
to have him in attendance ten years later.
15.CEPPWAWU and Nampak
enter into Global Agreement
The NEC of SADTU met in Johannesburg from 30-31 May to address
the major challenges and priorities facing the union. It resolved
on the following areas:
1. Political developments
In the light of recent momentous political developments and
debates within the Alliance, the NEC resolved to reconstitute
the union’s Political Commission (PC) at the highest
level of the union to include leaders from each of the nine
provinces. Its main aim is to facilitate debate and develop
a SADTU response to current political debates. The tasks of
the PC include:
-
To survey and analyse the current
political conjuncture and broader issues relating to the functioning
of the Alliance
and the nature of the South African state,
including the increasing class contradictions emerging within
the Alliance.
-
To identify key strategic issues for
discussion at the SADTU National Congress in August this year;
-
To engage with the discussion documents of the Alliance
partners – in order to make an input
into COSATU, SACP and ANC debates and national
congresses scheduled for 2006-7.
Some of the issues identified for debate include the following:
-
Need to address the organizational
weaknesses of the Alliance and the over-centralisation of power
within the
ANC; and the need to clarify policy making
processes, and to develop strategies for strengthening the
Alliance as the political
centre.
-
Need to engage with policy debates over the government’s
shift towards neo-liberal economic policies.
In particular, we need to carefully analyse the new policy
of AsgiSA.
-
Following debates at the 2006 NGC,
engage with continuing attempts to transform the ANC from a
mass-based national liberation
movement into a western-style bourgeois party
-
The use of state resources and media
to fight factional battles within the movement. For example,
the unprecedented
measures by which the complainant in the
recent Zuma trial was spirited overseas – presumably
at great public expense.
2. Comrade Jacob Zuma
The NEC also reaffirmed SADTU’s support for Comrade
Jacob Zuma’s right to a fair trial, and to take up his
duties and responsibilities as Deputy President of the ANC
following his recent acquittal. In line with this, the NEC
reaffirms support for COSATU’s call to mobilize members
to ensure that his upcoming trial is conducted fairly.
3. ANC Succession Debate
In relation to the succession question within the ANC, SADTU
holds the view that this is a matter to be debated and settled
by the members of the ANC, in the tradition of the ANC. At
the same time we see this as a crucial debate – not about
any particular individual – but about the future ideological
direction and programmes of the movement. The labour and democratic
movement will need to combat the influence of vested interests – large
capital and the parasitic black bourgeoisie – which will
use their control of the media to try to influence the outcome.
4. Chris Hani
NEC supports the call made by the SACP for the reopening of
the Chris Hani inquest.
5. AsgiSA
As SADTU we need to develop our own response to the AsgiSA
initiative which is widely seen to be merely the latest version
of conservative macro-economic policies such as Gear. This
will be one of the tasks of the Political Commission. Broadly,
as part of COSATU, whilst we reject the neo-liberal basis of
government policy, we will still engage with specific policies:
hence the involvement of labour representatives in Jipsa to
promote skills development, e.g. in relation to the critical
lack of artisans and other professional skills, and to ensure
that resources are mobilized accordingly, particularly within
the SETAs.
6. FET (Further Education and Training: grades 10-12, colleges)
The NEC rejected moves towards privatisation in the college
sector contained in the new FET Bill – with college lecturers
falling under college councils instead of the Department of
Education. Should this aspect of the Bill proceed, SADTU will
take legal advice on this with a view to declaring a dispute.
Reports from provinces indicate that implementation of the
new FET curriculum is in crisis. There are also challenges
in the GET (General Education and Training grades 1-9) sector.
NEC therefore resolved to call on the Department of Education
to convene a national forum in 2007 to review implementation
of the new curriculum and progress with education transformation.
7. Teacher Development Strategy
Twelve years into our democracy, we still do not have a national
teacher development strategy. This is key to developing quality
teachers to deliver quality education. In line with this, SADTU
fully supports the proposal to hold a National Forum for Teacher
Development, to include all stakeholders, to be facilitated
by SAQA (South African Qualifications Authorities). The union
will also workshop members around the framework for teacher
education.
8. GEMS (Government Employees Medical Scheme)
SADTU will not sign the current GEMS proposal until a number
of issues are addressed, including:
-
The extension of the 100% subsidy to level 6 employees – in
order to include entry level professional
such as teachers and nurses;
-
The need to provide for labour representation
on the board of trustees of the scheme.
-
Maintain choice for members who opt
to join the new scheme and then wish to exit GEMS. They must
be allowed to
retain their subsidy.
-
Provision of medical aid for retired
public servants.
SADTU will continue to engage the employer on these matters.
In the meantime, SADTU will workshop its members on the drawbacks
of GEMS.
9. Wage Demands for 2007
NEC resolved to consult with members during June on proposed
wage demands for the 2007 wage round. These proposals are based
on discussions with the other unions in the public service.
Labour is seeking to finalize its demands for the 2007 wage
round in good time to influence the budgeting process.
10. SADTU 6th National Congress 30 August 2006
SADTU’s National Congress is held every four years and
brings together leadership from all levels – national,
provincial, regions (50) and branches (500). NEC adopted the
theme for the Congress:
“Empowering educators to reposition SADTU for peoples’ education
and working class power.”
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