Volume 8 No 1 - January/February 1999
The year has just begun. Yet the COSATU campaign machinery is already in overdrive. Two major campaigns are already under way. The first one is the 1999 general elections, which as we all know are scheduled to take place sometimes in Mat 1999. The second one is the "one day's jobs out put" scheduled for 03 March 1999. Both these campaigns require strong organisation at regional and affiliate level. They require effective affiliate participation at all levels. It is in this regard that I thought it necessary to devote more time to these two priority campaigns.
COSATU has since its inception been concerned with the need to protect as well as create jobs. Unlike the DP and the NP who pretends that unemployment in South Africa is new, we know that unemployment stood at well over 25% for more than a decade. At our 4th National Congress we adopted a resolution urging all workers to donate a portion of their salaries to the RDP fund. As part of this resolution, at the Presidential Jobs Summit COSATU, NACTU and FEDUSA called on our members, workers in general and the broader public to make a contribution of their wage on 03 March 1999. This initiative has has to be seen as part of the package of 34 agreements reached in the Presidential Jobs Summit. In addition we challenged business at all levels to demonstrate their commitment to job creation by donating a day's profit to the Job Creation Fund. Together this would make a total of "one day's output" of the economy, or a day's GDP, available to implement a wide range of projects primarily aimed at creating numbers of sustainable jobs within the economy.
We undertook this initiative against the background of an unemployment crisis. This is a desperate situation for our people and one, which requires bold measures. very few can argue that workers bear the brunt of this crisis. They are the first to be affected by slow economic growth or jobless growth. They are the ones who have to support extented families with their meagre salaries. It is not surprising that this call has received such a strong support by large numbers of workers.
The purpose of the Job Creation Fund is to raise contributions from workers, from business and from the general public, and to apply these funds to job creation projects throughout South Africa. The subsidiary objectives will be to: Make donations to unemployment programsincluding youth brigades to afford young unemployed persons the opportunity of participating in community service and receive allowances for their effort; Make donations to projects targeted at women and the rural poor; Support literacy and health education programmes, including HIV/Aids programmes; Work in partnership with government, other similar funds and international organisations to achieve the above objectives.
We call on all workers and our unions to take this issue forward. As regards how to collect money, there are four mechanisms through which contributions can be made:
Join us in Working to Create Jobs!
As part of our campaign for the decisive victory for the ANC, regional Shopsteward Councils of all shopstewards were convened between 21 and 26 January 1999 to mobilise shopstewards to be active in factories and communities during the entire campaign. It was agreed in these meetings that Shopstewards mobilising task teams should be set up to focus on specific industrial areas as well as adjacent residential areas. Their participation in residential areas should be part of the BET's rather than as separate or parallel structures. After two round of registration, only about 15 million people have registered. This is a very number and is unacceptable. With the next last and final round scheduled for 5 - March 1999, we have to ensure that all workers register and are ready to vote for the ANC. Victory in any region by the opposition will see a reversal of all the gains made since 1994.
As part of the elections, we have developed initial draft input into the manifesto process to advance the issues raised by the CC in June 1998. Below is a broad outline of the issues. The details are still being trashed out by the constitutional structures.
Building the economy and creating jobs
The manifesto should advance the emerging consensus within the ANC and the alliance around the need for macroeconomic policy to be dynamic, and oriented towards addressing the social deficit, employment creation and the eradication of poverty and inequality. The manifesto needs to clearly indicate to the electorate that our approach to fiscal and monetary policies; industrial, trade and investment policies, and other areas of economic policy; will ensure that these objectives are met. We must ensure that the message given to the electorate on economic matters is not 'business as usual', but is responsive to peoples real concerns on burning issues such as high interest rates, unemployment, poverty, cutbacks etc; and is offering new hope on such issues.
Labour market
It is imperative that the advances secured in transforming the labour market be highlighted in the manifesto. In addition, these gains must be defended and consolidated as outlined in the President's speech. However, labour market transformation is not over. On the one hand, is the need to implement legislation that was recently passed. On the other hand, it is necessary to underline the need to transform the labour market and improve some of the legislation. Key attention should be paid towards the protection of vulnerable workers, specifically farm workers and domestic workers.
Providing Basic Needs and Developing Human Resource
The election platform should seek to defend, consolidate and advance the gains made in implementing the RDP such as access to health care, water delivery, and electricity supply and workers' rights. There is a need for discussion on how these programmes will be driven in the next five years, including prioritisation of areas in which there was relative but not sufficient success in taking the RDP forward:
Transforming the state
The manifesto should reemphasise the commitment to transform the state. This includes the public service, parliament, the reserve bank, judiciary and other organs of state power. Restructuring the public service should be located within the vision to realign the state machinery to the demands of our development programme. The new democratic government inherited a distorted public sector, designed to cater for the needs of a minority. The strategy to transform the public service should be premised on a detailed and comprehensive audit of the public service to identify areas where there are serious shortages of personnel, facilitate an effective programme of redeployment; training and reskilling; and identify areas of overstaffing. The manifesto should integrated this vision on the transformation of the public service, the job summit resolution on the NFA for the public service, the redeployment agreement signed with the teachers and the resolutions of the public sector bargaining council. It should further re-emphasise the transformation of the state's capacity in service delivery.
There must be a recommitment of the leading and exemplary role of the state in maintaining proper labour standards and policies, in fighting corruption, etc. It is clear that the struggle for transformation has just begun. We can either help consolidate it, or destroy it.
Use you vote wisely!
Vote for transformation!
Vote ANC!
Write to The Shopsteward to give your views on how to deepen transformation in our country or any other issues and debates on Cosatu’s agenda. Send your letters to:
The Shopsteward
P.O. Box 1019
Johannesburg 2000
| WINNING LETTER |
Introduction
The plight of farm workers can be traced back to the precolonial era. Poverty and harsh working, conditions under which farm workers live and work, exhibited massive structure inequalities that were introduced in the 17th and 18th century by Dutch Colonisation of the Cape.
This situation continued far beyond 1948 (time when the repressive policy of apartheid was institutionalised) until the 1990's. The advert of a new political dispensation after April 1994, brought new hopes and aspirations to millions of South Africans.
The newly elected government fulfil their election promises to give hope to the majority of South Africans. The issue(s) of land and agricultural reform were some of the first issues to be addressed by the newly elected government. Many of the previously disadvantaged communities for example, got their land back. Some farm workers even became shareholders in white farms, e.g. nulaid (chicken farm). There are however other farm workers who's plight have not been addressed properly.
The Northern Cape Province: A brief background.
The Cosatu region spans over three provinces namely, Northern Cape, Free State and part of the North West Province (Kuruman and Vryburg). This is a vast region which covers 40% of South Africa's surface area (includes 7-8% of the total population) and which contributes 7-8% of the country's GDP(Gross Domestic Product).
The Northern Cape has by estimation approximately 760 000 people (inhabitants). The labour force comprises of 278 000, whilst the main economic activity in this province is mining and agriculture. The latter sector comprises of 19% of the total labour force in this province.
The Plight of Farm workers.
The nature of economic activity in this province is mining and agriculture. One can therefore easily assume that there should be a vast number of farm workers who are working on farms in places like Keimoes, Kakamas, Upington, Grobleshoop etc. Many of these farm workers earn a mere pittance (wage) of R80.00 to R100.00 per week. The latter is further exacerbated by the fact that farm workers buy their food products directly from the farmer. This means the (white) farmer back indirectly from the workers. The latter situation will in the long run plunge farm workers in abject poverty.
The above mentioned situation is further aggravated by the harsh working and living conditions of these farm workers. Many of these workers are working from early in the morning till late at night for a mere pittance of R80.00 per week. It is further clear that many white farmers don’t pay much attention to the provisions of the BCEA (Basic Conditions of Employment Act). The latter clearly spells out that farm workers are entitled to lunch breaks and overtime payment. This Act also deals with the issue of dismissals with which many farm workers are some time or the other confronted with.
It is no secret that many farm workers are increasingly being chased away from the farms of white farmers, particularly, seasonal workers. Many of the workers do not even receive a mere pittance when they are chased away.
We must admit that farmers are under threat in this region, particularly in this area. The question is: "What are we as COSATU going to do to vigorously address this problem?"
The Role of SAAPAWU or a SAAPAWU co-ordinator in the area.
There is currently no existing structure through which the plight of farm workers can be addressed. The ANC advice office previously tried to fulfil the role of helping farm workers. Many of the issues which the ANC could not handle, were referred to the Cosatu local office, but it could not handle all the complaints due to infrastructual problems. The ANC's advice office is not in operation anymore. The latter means that the Cosatu local office must now address the problem of the farm workers. Given the infrastructual problems of the Cosatu local, it is just unrealistic to expect that the local structure is in a position to handle all the complaints of workers, particularly farm workers.
SAAPAWU or a co-ordinator of SAAPAWU can play a fundamental role in this regard. In the first instance it can serve as a mechanism or structure that can represent workers. Secondly it can play a vital role in mobilising farm or agricultural workers, which are mainly unrecognised workers.
A Saapawu co-ordinator should:
A court hearing is necessary, before an eviction can take place which will assess various factors such as:
- Was the agreement between the owner and the tenant ended in a fair way.
- Was the eviction caused by the mistake of the occupier (e.g. A tenant refusing to pay his or her rent or worker who refused to work).
- Is there other accommodation available for the people threatened with eviction(s).
Conclusion
The devastating effects of colonialism is clear, particularly in this region. The effects of apartheid have left a lesson on many of our farm workers. It therefore remains our social responsibility to make sure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated. The cardinal importance of a SAAPAWU co-ordinator in this area is of great importance, because only a concerted effort will have positive results. The El Salvador CUT's Armed Villatora started it very clearly when she said: " Bad working conditions and the oppression of workers and trade union rights are bad for workers everywhere".
I therefore urge comrades to comment on this article, and further urge to support SAAPAWU in its task to address the harsh living and working conditions of farm workers in this country.
By: Comrade E. Crouch, Upington - Cosatu local, Popcru
| Until the lions Have historical tales of hunting The history will always Glorify the hunter. When human beings breathe confusion How long, how long How long am I - to be a monopoly of poverty How long, how long The masses are crying in agony What is the item on the agenda? |
No poor on earth can kill The will of people to live People’s education is the mirror Of the society, each one teach one Operation of racism, class oppression Is internationally condemned How long, how long The is a need to change this situation Oh! Workers of the world How long, how long How long is the time - for people’s power Yes!! How long How long, how long SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!! |
By: Thobile Maso, Organiser, Samwu Eastern Cape
My first concern is that all people must vote for the ANC, because it’s the only party that can bring peace, share in the country's wealth, share the land amongst those who work it and shall enjoy human rights. Some other people are complaining about our party unreasonable because this is not the government of the ANC, but it is the Government of National Unity although it is led by the ANC.
If you think of the National Party who have governed this country so far, many years without changes. During that time people were beaten by boers daily, now there is no such.
I will vote for the ANC because I believe the ANC is the leading organisation that has fought vigorously over the years for revolution and the liberation of the people as a whole, black people and Africans in particular. I am a member of the ANC.
Some of our members are saying, that on the ballot paper, should appear the face of Nelson Mandela or the ANC logo. Our grandmothers and grandfathers are willing to vote for the ANC, but they don’t exactly know Thabo Mbeki.
By Moses Mandla Zulu, Full-time Shopsteward, Taaiboschspruit Colliery
