This week...
In other news...
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1.COSATU calls on workers to join
the marches against Israeli government
The Congress of South African Trade Unions urges all its members,
all workers and all peace-loving South Africans to join the rolling
mass action in protest against the Israeli government’s brutal
assault on the people of Palestine and Lebanon.
Today, thousands of people will converge on the Israeli embassy in
Lynwood, Pretoria, to condemn the Israeli military regime. They will
call on the South African government to recall the South African ambassador
from Tel Aviv and to end all diplomatic relations with the apartheid
Israeli state.
The marchers will also call for trade and other sanctions on Israel
and demand that South Africans that serve (in any capacity) in the
Israeli Occupation Forces be prosecuted under the Regulation of Foreign
Military Assistance Act.
Marchers will gather at the Frik Eloff Park, corner Rosemary and
Lynwood Roads, Lynwood, Pretoria, at 13:45. They will then march to
the Israeli embassy where a rally will be held. A march will also be
held in Cape Town at 20h00 tonight from BoKaap Civic Centre to St Georges
Cathedral.
Across the country, a number of groups have decided on a programme
of rolling mass action to protest against the Israeli-imposed wars
in Gaza and Lebanon. Last week saw the beginning of the programme of
mass action with large public meetings in Soweto, Lenasia, Mayfair
and Cape Town. Many of these rallies were addressed by Leila Khaled,
icon of the Palestinian struggle and member of the Palestinian National
Council.
2. COSATU hosts Trade Union Africa
Conference on Labour and the Environment
80 trade union leaders from 22 countries will be gathering from
today to follow up on decisions taken at the Johannesburg World Summit
on Sustainable Development and on the legacy of the First Global
Trade Union Assembly on Labour and the Environment, organized by
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International
Labour organisation (ILO) and Sustainlabour, on 14-16 January 2006.
The Global Assembly was a giant step in the unfolding of the trade
unions’ environmental and sustainable development agenda. The
time has now come to examine its outcomes in the context of regional
and local realities. Incorporating the environmental dimension into
trade union work, encouraging decent and sustainable job creation
and setting in motion the necessary just transition measures.
The objectives of the African Trade Union Conference on Labour and
the Environment are to establish a framework for discussion and the
adoption of common strategies for action on sustainable development
by African trade unions to:
*Improve the understanding of African trade union concerns and needs
regarding environmental issues.
*Raise awareness about the linkages between Environment, Occupational
Health and Safety and other areas of trade union action, e.g. asbestos
and HIV/AIDS.
*Identify the training needs of African workers, so as to enhance
their role as agents for change toward sustainability, through actions
at the workplace and within the local, national & regional settings.
*Promote an exchange of experiences and good practices.
*Build action networks for empowering national organizations to
implement the decisions taken regionally and to incorporate them
within international processes.
*Support the development of regional actions, i.e. campaigns or
action plans.
Among the many speakers will be: Zwelinzima Vavi, General Secretary
of COSATU, Andrew Kailembo, General Secretary of the International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions - Africa Region, Blessing Manale,
Director of Sustainable Development, SA Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism, Joaquin Nieto, President of Sustainlabour Foundation.
Representatives of African trade unions, UNEP, ILO, WHO and Global
Action against Poverty will also be present.
The conference is sponsored by the United National Environment Programme,
the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation.
3. COSATU JZ Durban March
still on
COSATU will still be marching from Botha’s
Place to the city Hall in Durban with aim to put pressure on the
National Prosecuting Authority not to delay Zuma’s trial.
According to Regional General Secretary of COSATU, the march is
still on even though most media publications said that it was called
off due the union not being granted police permission to march.
“The police apologised and gave us permission to go on with
the march. It was to start at eleven but might be a bit delayed
because of all the miscommunication,” he said.
4. Victory for Rusternburg
Hospital
Following a sit-in by staff at Rustenburg Provincial
Hospital yesterday, a written agreement was reached between the
Head of the North West Department of Health, Dr LK Sebego, and
three COSATU-affiliated unions - NEHAWU, SADNU and DENOSA.
The unions were demanding a written commitment from management
that all charges against workers who participated in picketing
during the trade unions’ Service Delivery Campaign be withdrawn,
and the removal of the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer.
The terms of the agreement are that:
*The department will withdraw disciplinary processes against workers
who were involved in the demonstration of 20 June 2006, and further
that workers will not be victimised.
*The Chief Executive Officer, Ms M Bolokwe, will be given a leave
of absence for a few days in order to allow the investigations
on allegations against her to be concluded.
*The Head of Department will arrange an urgent meeting with the
leadership of COSATU in order to pave the way forward on all the
matters raised.
5. Kumba strike will
be on!
Attempts aimed at resolving the wages
and conditions of service dispute at Kumba Resources failed
after a bilateral meeting last night. The National Union
of Mineworkers (NUM) has, as a result, served the company
with a notice for a strike action.
Among the issues that were discussed are: to pay 70%,
compared to current 60%; maternity leave; to develop social
plan guidelines; offer appropriate time of sick leave in
order to enable ill workers to recuperate prior to returning
to work; offer wage increase of 9% at higher grade and
10.5% at lower levels - and the company offers 6.5%.
“Last night the company agreed on certain things
that the workers wanted. It was agreed that several task
teams would be set up and they also agreed to pay 70% compared
to the 60% on maternity. But more is still to be sorted
out,” said Jackie Tshimanegape.
"We remain open to discussions with the company in
order to find an amicable solution to this current deadlock,
be it now or during the course of the strike", said
Tshimanegape.
Over 4000 members of the NUM will join the strike that
will commence on Sunday at 18h00.
6. CEPPWAWU hope
to go on strike on Monday
The Chemical Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood & Allied
Workers Union (CEPPWAWU) UASA and Solidarity reached a deadlock
with the Pulp and Paper Employers Association over wages
and working conditions.
The National Bargaining Council for the Wood and Paper Sector
(NBCWPS) could not resolve the dispute between the above
mentioned unions and employers in the Pulp and Paper industry,
mainly SAPPI and MONDI.
The employers held a meeting yesterday with the unions to
try and resolve the dispute. According to the General Secretary
Welile Nolingo of CEPPWAWU, no agreements were made and the
dispute was not resolved.
The unions gave the employers a 48 hour notice for industrial
action.
“We hope to go on strike from Monday”, said
Nolingo.
7.Cleaning sector
to put their brooms down
The South African Trade and Allied Workers'
Union (Satawu) will launch another national strike next week
after a wage dispute involving the contract cleaning sector.
The union is demanding that workers be given a 12% increment,
and 15 % for those working in rural areas, said spokesperson
Dolly Mlotshwa.
"
This means they will get an increment of R88,30," said
Mlotshwa.
The increment would drive the minimum salaries from R594
and R745 to R682 and R833 respectively.
Employers are only willing to increase salaries by 6%.
"We also demand that the annual bonuses be based on
the equivalent of one month's pay, as the sectoral determination
indicates," said Mlotshwa.
In February, Satawu and 15 other unions initiated wage talks
with the Black Empowerment Cleaning Association and the National
Contract Cleaning Association aimed at improving conditions
in the contract-cleaning sector.
After four months of talks the union failed to reach an
agreement and efforts at mediation have also been unsuccessful.
In Johannesburg Satawu will meet at the Library Gardens next
Tuesday and Wednesday for a build-up to the strike.
"
We will then go on the national strike on August 3," said
Mlotshwa.
Satawu will be meeting employers on Friday but does not think
anything positive will come of it.
KwaZulu-Natal will not be affected by the strike as the
area is not part of the wage negotiations because they have
their own Bargaining Council.
8.Kraft foods strike
enters second month
The second largest food and beverage company
in the world, Kraft Foods, refuses to work towards resolving
a legal strike of 480 FAWU members at its Elandsfontein plant
in Johannesburg.
“We met with management last week Friday and no agreement
was reached,” said General Secretary of FAWU Katishi
Masemola.
According to the union, it is clear that the company’s
agenda is to reduce the number of permanent workers and increase
the use of casuals. This seems to be a typical trend by large
multinationals that want to escape South African labour regulations,
which many of them label as too strict and in doing so, they
opt to undermine labour laws and frustrate workers.
To further frustrate the process, the multinational company
has since shown absolute arrogance in changing their wage
offer of 5% and is seemingly unwilling to compromise on a
suspension on proposed retrenchments.
“The moratorium on retrenchment has expired a few
weeks ago and workers want it to be extended for a year,
noting the impending retrenchment of fifty workers in the
light of a high unemployment rate,” Masemola said.
Workers demand an 8% wage increase, a stop on retrenchments
and severance pay of three weeks for every year completed
of service.
“Management has also decided to change the severance
pay into a conditional one, where a worker needs to be fifty
years or older in order to qualify,” said Masemola.
However, the union has managed to get the support of COSATU
Gauteng.
“We are dismayed by the exploitation of these workers
who have now been on strike for nine weeks, and by the employer
who initially locked out the workers and then employed scab
labour. This is an international company, and we see this
dispute as part of a global attack on workers’ rights,” said
COSATU.
International federations have also been invited to come
on board and FAWU fight their battle.
The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant,
Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Association (IUF)
has come out in strong support for FAWU members. It has issued
the company with a notice to show positive progress or else
workers across the globe would embark on solidarity action
(strikes, picketing, petitions, etc) in support of the KRAFT
strike.
South African citizens are also encouraged to boycott products
of KRAFT foods manufactures.
The strike started on Thursday, May 25, 2006. A CCMA facilitated
meeting on July 7, 2006 failed to bring the two parties closer.
KRAFT’s local brands include Oreo cookies, Jacobs Coffee,
Royal baking powder, Manhattan Sweets, Toblerone, Lecol juice
and squash, Riviera biscuits, Kraft margarine, Kraft mayonaise
and Cote d’Or chocolates.
9.Union to hold
talks over Kwality biscuit strike
About 200 FAWU members have been on a legal strike since
06 July at the Kwality plant in the Brommerspruit industrial
area, near Pretoria.
Members are said to be earning a meagre wage of R205.00
per week and the employer is only prepared to offer twenty
-five rand increase per week.
FAWU members embarked on a strike because the last increase
they received was in 2003.
“It is our view that the company can afford to
meet our demands as it happens to be part of the profitable
Pioneer Food group. We reckon it is absurd that a company
of its stature cannot provide its workers with at least
a provident fund and an annual bonus,” said regional
secretary of FAWU Simon Mabunele.
Operations at the plant were at a complete standstill
until management started bringing in scab labour last Thursday.
10 .FAWU members to appear in court
300 FAWU members were arrested last Thursday
on so called allegations of intimidation in Mpumalanaga. However
on Tuesday first time offenders were granted free bail except
for the official who was granted R500 bail.
500 FAWU members on Schoombee Landgoed have been on a protected
strike since 22 June 2006. According to Regional Secretary
of FAWU, Simon Mabunele, part of the 300 arrested was the nine
members arrested on June 26 and later released on R200 bail
each.
“They now have to appear in court today,” he said.
The union is demanding R150.00 per month increase across the
board as well as a 13th cheque. Tensions are rife between the
striking workers and scab labour that has been brought in by
the employer. A total of 800 workers are employed on the grape
and citrus farm.
11 .Jewellery employees
get retrenchment threats for striking against physical
attacks by managers
At least 225 workers were fired for showing support
for a female worker that was assaulted by a manager
at Eve Gold Jewellery, in Botshabelo outside Bloemfontein.
This comes after the 225 workers decided to go
on strike in protest of managers assaulting workers
and in turn the victims being fired.
According to Numsa’s Northern Free State
local organizer Samuel Malinga, the company instead
dismissed the assault victim last Friday and refused
to discipline the manager after he allegedly assaulted
the female worker, repeatedly in front of other
employees.
“The 225 workers that went on strike were
fired on Wednesday and the company has already
started hiring people from the community,” said
Malinga.
Malinga said that the company was also sending
sms’s to some workers asking them to return
work.
“Seventeen of our members have received
messages telling them to come to work and not take
part in the strke,” he said.
Workers have demanded his immediate suspension,
and sought government intervention because they
were tired of assault incidents by managers in
the workplace which were never investigated by
the company.
According to the union the company is threatening
to relocate back in Israel and dismiss its entire
workforce after operating in the former Bophuthatswana
Bantustan for 17 years.
On July 04 employees embarked on an illegal strike
after the company had refused to speak to the union’s
leadership and rejected out of hand attempts to
follow dispute procedures on the matter.
“What made workers angrier is that the
company has refused to talk to the union, but insisted
that the workers who were provoked by their insensitivity
and myopic approach were dismissed,” Malinga
said.
The assaulted female worker has reported the
assault incident to the police, but no action has
been taken yet.
Eve Gold Jewellery management which refuses to
pay basic employment benefits such as pension,
sick leave payments, Sunday work overtime payments
and safety clothes has been targeted for a series
of legal strikes actions.
“We have also called on the provincial COSATU
offices and the SACP to help up us fight the company.
We would like them to encourage the community not
to work for the company,” said Malinga.
The union started their pickets outside the company
yesterday. The union has also taken the matter
to the CCMA
12 .Northam Platinum found
guilty by inquest into mine deaths
The Northam Platinum mine in Limpopo
has been found negligent and in breach of the mines
safety act. The decision follows an inquest into a
fatal 2004 mine accident where nine mine workers were
killed while fighting an underground fire.
“This is a strong message, that companies cannot
overlook important requirements that would safeguard
the lives of workers. The judgement vindicates those
workers whom the company chose to fire when they complained
of lack of safety and, certainly, points a finger at
the manager who got a promotion to the corporate office
after this serious accident,” said Eric Gcilitshana,
National Secretary: Health and Safety.
The inquest found the company guilty of negligence
because, the company could have avoided the accident
had it applied its mind on safety standards and that
there was only one entry/exit point and no alternative
route to escape.
According to Gcilitshana the refuge bay was also too
far from the working area and the ventilation system
was too poor.
“This is the second case in a space of two weeks
where companies have been found guilty of negligence
leading to the death of workers,” said Gcilit
Gcilitshana shana.
He also mentioned that the union was impressed with
the swiftness with which the Inspectorates moved to
bring the cases to their finality then recommending
prosecution.
13 .Seven in dock for
murder of mine worker
Seven men appeared in the Carletonville magistrate's
court on Tuesday in connection with the murder
of local National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) branch
chairperson Elias Mulaudzi.
The accused are David Vilakazi, Jabulani Ntshangase,
Zakhele Mbatha, Siphokuhle Mhlambo, Dan Mkhwanazi,
Amos Postal Mthetwo and Mbuso Simon Mthethwa. The
men applied for legal aid on Tuesday and proceeded
with bail applications that were denied yesterday.
They are due to appear in court on August 15.
Mulaudzi, branch chairperson of NUM at Carletonville's
Driefontein gold mine, was killed on July 3 while
on his way home from work.
Ntshangase, Mbatha, and Mhlambo are alleged to
have paid Dan Mkhwanazi to assassinate Mulaudzi.
14 .SACP celebrates 85th
Anniversary
The SACP is holding its 85th anniversary national activities
this weekend. The main event will be a national anniversary
rally in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday.
The main speaker at the national rally will be the General
Secretary of the SACP, Blade Nzimande. Other main speakers
at the rally will include ANC Deputy President, Cde Jacob Zuma,
who will be speaking on behalf of the ANC nationally, and the
General Secretary of COSATU, Cde Zwelinzima Vavi.
According to the party this will be a finale of a month long
activities which primarily focused on debating the SACP Central
Committee Discussion Document on the relationship of the SACP
to state power, including its future electoral options, post-1994
and into the future.
The 85th anniversary celebrations are being held under the
theme, whose focus is to highlight the challenges of creating
jobs and sustainable livelihoods for the overwhelming majority
of our people.
The national rally will be preceded by two other main activities.
The SACP has declared 29 July as a Red Saturday – a national
day of action to press our demand for a once-off amnesty for
all those blacklisted by the faceless Credit Bureaux.
The main activities in this regard will be held in Bloemfontein
and Cape Town. At these demonstrations the SACP will be demanding
a meeting with the Board of the Association of Credit Bureaux
before the end of August 2006 to discuss the granting of such
an amnesty.
In addition the SACP will be demanding a new model to finance
low-cost housing and protesting the intentions of the banks
to raise interest on mortgage bonds for the poor to 21%.
On Saturday evening the SACP will have an anniversary dinner
at the Coastlands in Durban. The dinner will be addressed by
the Minister of Public Enterprises, Cde Alec Erwin, where he
will talk about the planned multi-billion rand investment by
state-owned enterprises over the next few years.
The SACP calls upon millions of the workers and the poor of
to join in these celebrations, as well as in the demonstrations.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions
believes that responsibility for the collapse of the
world trade talks lies squarely with the governments
of the United States and European Union. They put their
selfish, short-term interests before their previous
commitment to a ‘developmental round’ of
trade talks.
They were not prepared to lower subsidies and import
tariffs on farm products, which deny access to producers
from the developing countries of the South, yet demanded
massive cuts in tariffs on industrial imports into
Southern countries which are struggling to compete
in a world market dominated by the rich Northern countries.
And in addition they demanded greater access to services
in the South, so that they could extract big profits
from the provision of essential services to the people.
COSATU does not welcome the collapse of the talks
but believes it would have been worse for the developing
countries to have signed an agreement which would have
sabotaged their economies and strengthened the domination
of Northern big business over the world economy.
The Southern governments were right to reject the
idea that developing countries must accept deep cuts
in tariffs in exchange for an end to unfair trade practices
in the North. Any agreement must protect the ability
of poor countries to implement policies to develop
their economies and meet the needs of their people.
No solution that leads to deepening poverty and unemployment
in countries which already suffer from joblessness,
hunger and poor infrastructure. Ultimately, too, any
agreement that undermines development in the South
would also have undermined conditions for working people
in the North.
COSATU calls on the governments of the South to join
together in an expanded G11/G20 to ensure that the
credibility of the WTO is not salvaged by any other
agreement that sabotages development in the South,
and to resist any attempt to impose such a deal. World
trade must be driven by the needs of the majority of
the world’s population and not the greed of the
rich and powerful minority.
16 .International Labour
News
USA: California vineyards attempt to
break farm workers' union
Those of us who have been around for a while will
remember the heroic struggles of the United Farm Workers,
led by the legendary Cesar Chavez.
A big part of that struggle was a series of boycotts
-- grapes, lettuce, Gallo wines. Decades later, the
struggle in the California vineyards continues. The
Krug-Mondavi winery refused to bargain with its workers
over renewing their union contract.
When the state government decided to intervene, the
bosses sacked all of the workers. Those workers are
now asking for your support, and have once again turned
to the weapon of the boycott.
Please visit their online campaign page: http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/krug72006
Indonesian security guards-final push for justice
One of the most dramatic campaigns we have been involved
in recently is the ongoing struggle of Indonesian security
guards employed by a giant transnational corporation,
Group 4 Securicor.
Over 6,000 of you have already sent protest messages
to the company and the workers continue to maintain
a tent camp outside the company headquarters. There
has been some progress; the company has indicated a
willingness to move forward. But we need a big final
push to get thousands more messages sent.
Your messages are not only being read by the company
-- they are being shown to the workers in Jakarta and
it is an enormous morale-boost when during a long struggle
you learn you have supporters all around the world.
The campaign page is here:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=125
Diary of events:
-
COSATU march in protest of
delaying JZ’s trial,
28 July at 11h00 in Durban from Botha’s
Place to City Hall.
-
Cape Town Friday evening,
28 July: There will be a screening of the film
about the life of
Leila Khaled
at 18h00 at the BoKaap Civic Centre, followed
by a candlelight march from there to St George’s
Cathedral, at 20h00.
-
Johannesburg, 28 July:
March to the Israeli Embassy, marchers will
meet at 13h45 at the
Frik Eloff Park,
corner Rosemary and Lynwood Roads, Lynwood,
Pretoria. They will then march to the embassy
where a rally
will be held.
-
Johannesburg, 28&29 July:
There will be a Trade Union African Conference
on Labour and
the Environment
at COSATU House, 1 Leyds Street, cnr Biccard,
Braamfontein at 09h00.
-
29& 30 July
SACP 85th Anniversary: The National Rally
will be at Wadley Stadium, Edenvale, Pietermaritzburg
starting at 10h00 on Sunday 30 July. There
will
also be events in Bloemfontein at the Batho
Community Hall and in Cape Town at No.1
Thibault Squre
starting
at 10h00 on 29 July. The anniversary dinner
will also take place on Saturday 29 July
at 19h00
at Coastlands Hotel, Durban Beach Front.
28- 31 July. Challenges facing labour
movements in SA and the world Conference
at Wits
University. Starts
at 19h00 on Friday in the John Moffat
Building, East Campus.
Cape Town POPCRU NEC sitting at Protea
Hotel Arthur’s
Road Seapoing on Saturday 29 July.
This week in history:
30 July
1921-Communist Party of South Africa is formed
1967-Wanki Campaign started (MK operation)
1981- Joe Gqabi assassinated in Zimbabwe
03 August
1941- African Mine Workers Union formed
03-04 August
1992- 4 million workers stay away in protest against
Boipatong Massacre.
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