SECTOR NEWS

The public service wage dispute has to be seen within the context of public sector transformation. From the government's point of view, any increase above inflation will undermine one of their prime objectives: to drastically cut the wages of more than a million public service workers.

Public sector wage cuts are part of GEAR. GEAR calls for an extreme reduction in budget deficits, privatisation and public spending cuts. It also calls for 'wage flexibility', which is just another term for lower wages and restraint. In other words, it is an attack on public sector workers. The government's commitment to GEAR is the reason why union proposals showing how money could be released for wage increases fell on deaf ears.

The dispute is also a result of undemocratic budget decisions. As far back as January, government had already decided what money to allocate to wage increases this year, next year and the year after that. The announcement of wage cuts in Trevor Manuel's budget speech in March, before negotiation in the Public Service Collective Bargaining Council (PSCBC), set the stage for a bitter conflict and the longest public sector wage dispute ever.

It is clear from this analysis that future negotiations, especially around a 'new wage policy' is no more than negotiating a wage policy that would conform to GEAR requirements.

NEHAWU's answer to wage restraint is a living wage, elimination of the apartheid wage gap and transformation that is friendly to the working class.

It is workers who have to pay more for social services because of privatisation. The poor and the unemployed receive very few services ( for example, child grants, feeding schemes, primary health care) . Instead, workers' wages are the 'unofficial social security net' for millions of people. Public sector wages are crucial in poorer provinces like the Eastern Cape, where 90% of all those employed work for government. White public sector workers are also badly affected, as their participation in the latest struggle shows.

The struggle for a living wage alone will not solve the problems facing the working class. It is one pillar of the struggle for real transformation. Other pillars include:

• a social wage;
• affordable public transport;
• a guaranteed income for the unemployed;
• free or subsidised social services;
• job retention and job creation.

To achieve this will require more debate on the appropriate macro-economic framework needed to achieve these goals. This means 'a post GEAR consensus' in the Alliance.

For some time now, public sector workers who go on strike in support of their demands have been accused of ignoring the needs of our people. This is intended to divide the working class.

The challenge for NEHAWU and other public sector unions lies in forging strong links with popular movements and our people. It means, for example, linking the struggle for a living wage to struggles against exorbitant municipal rates. If we do not build these kind of links, we could become isolated and marginalised.

NEHAWU's recent Special NEC in September has committed the union to not only join with other public sector unions, but also with mass movements, international allies and our communities in the current dispute. This is a perspective which the COSATU position on job losses strengthens.

"We are dying like flies"

This is the reaction of NUM President, James Motlatsi, to two mine disasters in which 22 workers lost
their lives. The accidents occurred within three days of each other.

On 3 August nineteen mineworkers were killed and scores injured at the Mponeng gold mine owned by Anglogold. Mine management said that methane gas caused the explosion. Twenty other mineworkers were rescued.

The mine's safety measures failed to save the workers' lives. Survivors said that health and safety measures at the mine are lax. It is not certain why the warning system did not work. Most of the victims came from Lesotho, Mozambique and the Eastern Cape. The NUM expressed its deep shock and extended condolences to the bereaved families.

On 11 August, while a memorial service for the 20 Mponeng mine victims was under way, a rockburst at the East Driefontein mine killed three more workers. Three more were critically injured .

Health and Safety

Reacting to the disasters, NUM President, James Motlatsi expressed the sentiments of all mineworkers: "We are dying like flies and are buried like dogs"

These accidents again raise the question of safety in mines. Management and government must implement the Mines Health and Safety Act with immediate effect.

The zero tolerance initiative at Anglogold mines can go a long way towards improving health and safety. The development of a clear and comprehensive strategy is very important for this initiative. The Mines Health and Safety Act (MHSA) is a good guide in developing this strategy

There are two issues which need to be considered:

• As a first step, management has to change its attitude towards health and safety. Their commitment should not just be a formal statement, but be clearly seen in the daily activities of the mine Health and safety should come first, before other management functions such as such as production and marketing.
• Health and safety is a social issue. It concerns the conditions in which workers are offered employment and have to work. It must be seen within the context of relations between employees and the legal framework that governs these relations.

Ultimately, it is the task of workers acting collectively to ensure that their health and safety are protected.

Anglogold management may be aware of these issues but management commitment is missing. The changes that the initiative ought to introduce in the management of health and safety of workers are not happening. Training is a critical part of any health and safety programme. The Anglogold initiative is not specific enough on this question.

Human factors are an important feature in accident prevention programmes. Human factors in industrial safety include:

• the physical and mental capabilities and the interaction of individuals with their job and working environment;
• the influence of equipment and system design of human performance;
• a positive company policy towards health and safety will lead to a positive attitude on the part of workers. It is very important to change peoples' attitudes towards health and safety.