Your workers' magazine

By Zwelinzima Vavi, General Secretary, COSATU

Majam Moloko is correct in singing praises to the Shopsteward magazine as a "force to be reckoned with" with "intensive muscle of information".

Whilst I think we have still not improved on affiliates' news, there is no doubt that increasingly we are matching the expectations of the COSATU Shop Steward movement. This magazine was created to inform, educate and politicise the cadres of the movement; slowly we are achieving that objective. Slowly the Shopsteward is becoming not just a magazine for organised workers, but a working-class magazine designed to empower all our people to play an active role in the transformation of our country.

We are now running on full complement in our communications and information and technology units. Patrick Craven has led the production of the Shopsteward in the recent past. Moloto Mothapo is the writer, Yolande Mokhantso the manager responsible for increasing the distribution of the magazine.

Recently we have been joined by Nandipha Miti as the website designer, who is also responsible for laying out of the magazine. This team is assisted our spokesperson Siphiwe Mgcina. I congratulate this great team for this excellent edition and trust that we shall continue to inform, educate and politicise our members through the Shopsteward.

Labour law amendments

A wide range of issues are covered in the magazine. One of the important issues covered is the report back we are giving to members on the labour law amendments. Already seven of our eight regions have held well-attended regional shop stewards councils.

Healthy debates are taking place and the leadership is being made to account. This is a very important culture of the federation and this tradition must be defended at all cost.

This debate and mandating process will continue throughout March and, based on further developments, it is no longer necessary to hold a special EXCO. Instead we shall have a final discussion on the matter at the CEC to be held on the 24-26 April 2001.

As the information in this edition indicates, the package negotiated with employers and the government has been endorsed by the CEC held in February.

Taking due regard to the balance of forces and the current political situation the CEC believes that under the circumstances, in particular in the light of the original government proposals, the package represents a major advancement for workers.

It is inherent that in negotiations compromises are made. We believe that compromises under the circumstances are unavoidable. The issue for the continuing debate is - where should the compromises be made? We cannot be demanding an all-or-nothing position. Nor can we afford to snatch defeat in the jaws of victory.

I want to appeal to the Shop Stewards in particular to report back to members and engage them on the whole process. There is nothing more dangerous than to use members as a tap. Members must speak in the CEC, through the delegates from COSATU-affiliated unions.

In this issue

Editorial Comment

Letters

Appeal to all friedly organisations

Problems facing supervisors

Union for union officials

Take the Shopsteward door to door

Interviews with Connie Chiume and John Moeti

We're part of the union

HIV/Aids:

The PMA court case

Post Office strike

Local Government wages

NUM Statement

Job Sector Summits

VWSA court decision

Life in Hospital

COSATU 7th Congress final resolutions

Labour Law amendments

Cholera and water privatisation

Venezuela, Fiji

Zimbabwe

Ghana child labour

Cuba

Palestine - SACP visit

Colombia

SACP debate

Musicians union

HIV/AIDS - it is a national emergency

We have made a call on the government in line with our Special National Congress of August 1999, as reiterated by the 7th National Congress, that the government declare the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a national emergency. It is estimated that 400 000 people have died of AIDS since 1997. It is also estimated that up to 4 million South Africans have been infected with HIV/AIDS. Declaring HIV/AIDS as the national emergency will allow the government to bypass the TRIPS rules and issue compulsory licences to the local manufactures to produce generic drugs that are so vital in the treatment of curable opportunistic diseases which attack our people living with HIV/AIDS. It is a pity that the DA opportunists jumped on to the bandwagon and muddied the water.

We have also called on the government to implement the Medicines and Related Substances Control Amendment Act which has been put in abeyance following the legal challenge by the greedy Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PMA) - an association of multinational companies who have patent rights to the drugs that treat these opportunistic diseases.

Government has an overwhelming support on this matter. Above all it was elected by almost two thirds of the population. The Pharmaceutical companies cannot be allowed to hold the entire nation's health and well being to ransom.

We need a comprehensive strategy for treatment. Compulsory licensing and the provisions of the Medicines and Related Substances Control Amendment Act, which would allow parallel importation of generic drugs, are not in contradiction to one another.

With this epidemic worsening, we need every weapon to fight it from escalating. Regrettably government has rejected this call and instead reaffirmed that it would wait for the court ruling on the Medicines Act.

Our people continue to die. By the time this matter is finally settled by the constitutional court, where it is likely that it will be finally settled, thousands of lives that could have been saved would have been lost.

Apartheid in Israel

There is good information contained in the magazine on our international work. I draw your attention to the report compiled by a five-person delegation of the SACP to the Palestine. A catastrophe is underway in Palestine. Israel is completely shielded by the USA government and as a result its arrogance is growing. It has imposed another apartheid on defenceless Palestinians who continue to die like flies whilst the UN reduced into a helpless spectator.

The Cuban report also shows the devastating impact the USA blockage is having on that country. Again in contradiction of the WTO rules the American government is being allowed to unilaterally suffocate the economy of a small country whose only sin is the commitment of its people to socialism and solidarity. The democratic world must arise against this and demand self-determination for Palestinian, Cuban and Western Saharan people.