COSATU condemns police again against demonstrators 14- 07 - 06

COSATU condemns police again against demonstrators

The Congress of South African Trade Unions is shocked at the overreaction of the Cape Town police, who opened fire on strikers employed by Lithotech Africa Mail on 12 July and arrested more than 200 of them.

We send our best wishes to the four workers who are still in hospital and hope that they make a full recovery from their injuries. We also convey our solidarity and support to CEPPWAWU, whose press statement is attached below.

COSATU demands the immediate release of all the workers arrested and the dropping of all charges against them.

This is not the first time that the SAPS have responded with excessive force against trade union demonstrators. In Cape Town during the security guards’march on 16 May 2006 police also opened fire and arrested the COSATU and SATAWU Provincial Secretaries. At the Swaziland borders on 12 April 2006, police opened fire on COSATU members and arrested COSATU leaders who tried to negotiate with police, and over 20 other demonstrators.

COSATU endorses CEPPWAWU’s call on the Western Cape MEC for Safety & Security to take steps to ensure “the safety of striking members from the brutality of the police who are abusing their power”.
The right to strike and demonstrate is enshrined in our democratic constitution and we will not allow these hard-won rights to be attacked and negated by trigger-happy police and mass arrests of strikers and demonstrators.