Cosatu backs its members 08-03-07

 

COSATU backs its members
The Congress of South African Trade Unions pledges its support for the workers presently in dispute in three sectors

Primrose Mine

COSATU joins the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in condemning the continuous humiliation and harassment of 480 striking workers at Primrose Goldmine.
In particular we deplore the management's decision to call the police to come and intimidate workers engaged in peaceful protests, and to deny workers access to the kitchen, which has left them without food for days. We condemn this policy to starve the strikers back to work.

COSATU also condemns the mine management for refusing to engage in any form of negotiations with the striking workers, contrary to their promise late last year to engage with them on wages and a recognition agreement.

We agree with the NUM that "this arrogant behaviour on the part of the employer is only reminiscent of apartheid-era management style".

COSATU and the NUM demand that management:

a.. Stops apartheid-era style union bashing
b.. Signs a recognition agreement with the NUM
c.. Resumes talks on wages as per the end-of-year agreement
d.. Stops the unilateral reduction of worker 's salaries under the pretext of 'new management'.
Blue Ribbon

COSATU also fully supports the strike by about 2000 members of the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) at the Blue Ribbon bakeries.

They are right to protest against the company's refusal to agree to the demand for a centralised bargaining forum to replace the previous National Recognition Agreement which the company terminated unilaterally in 1997, and its rejection of the CCMA's advisory award in favour of revisiting that recognition agreement.

COSATU shares the FAWU members' anger at the wage disparities between employees nationally and agrees that the same work deserves the same pay. It will back FAWU should it become necessary to resort to secondary strike actions within the Premier Foods group, and its call on SACCAWU to ask its members to refuse to handle Premier Foods products in the shops.

Just like the Primrose management, Blue Ribbon has shown contempt for their striking employees, refusing them access to water and toilet facilities during picketing in some plants. 300 strikers at the Salt River plant in Cape Town were intimidated when management called in about 10 police vans.

COSATU supports FAWU's call on all citizens of our country to boycott all the Premier Foods products, such as Iwisa mealiemeal, and particularly the Blue Ribbon branded bread products.

Vodacom

The COSATU Central Executive committee has already declared its support the Communications Workers Union (CWU), which has formally notified Vodacom about planned industrial action to begin on 12 March, in su[pport of its demand for recognition.

We note that the CWU is also contemplating an application in terms of section 69 of the LRA, but share their hope that strike action may not be necessary if the parties meet and resolve the dispute amicably.

We condemn management for:

a.. Shifting the goal posts and forcing the union to seek the CCMA's intervention to compel the company to recognise the union, which workers have been joining in numbers.
b.. The use of disciplinary hearings and the cancellation of union membership of members of the Interim Committee that constituted the CWU's delegation to the CCMA,
c.. The victimisation of former MWASA members who have migrated to CWU, through dual deductions, although the CWU forms states the intentions and wishes of the employee,
d.. The illegal termination of union membership
e.. Unlawful lock-outs,
f.. The unlawful ill treatment of CWU members who were coming from a team building exercise.

COSATU will back the CWU to the hilt in their fight for recognition.