Volume 10, No.3 - May 2001
PMA court case- a victory for all the people
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COSATU's Central Executive Committee met on 24-26 April in its ordinary session. It discussed many issues, including making a detailed evaluation of the National Democratic Revolution and the ground covered in eliminating women's oppression. COSATU continues to mellow as a workers' movement. Its hegemony and political cohesion continues. It largely retains its major strengths organisationally and has not compromised its values and traditions, in particular the culture of open debate and frankness. Some have even called it the conscience of the nation, due to its unwavering position on many issues. In this period we have seen major developments at political, organisational and socio economic levels. The Shopsteward's front cover picture reminds all of us of the victory scored by the democratic forces who represent good over forces of evil - the greedy pharmaceutical companies. This victory was won on behalf of our people and the rest of the developing countries and the progressive forces throughout the world. The challenge now is for the democratic government to forge ahead and speedily and fully implement the provisions of the Medicines and Related Substances Amendment Act. We have called on the Minister of Health to convene a conference on how the Act can be implemented and how best under the current circumstances we can develop a comprehensive treatment strategy. In order to prepare our input we are collaborating with our partners in the Treatment Action Campaign and we hope to have a workshop in June to finalise the civil society conference. In September, we are holding the second Central Committee of COSATU. |
In this issue... COSATU - The conscience of the nation Serious concern about Metrorail Free e-mail services Organisers get organised Greetings from England Who gets tenders HIV/Aids : PMA court case victory A victory for all the people ICFTU welcomes withdrawal of pharmaceutical giants Solidarity against PMA Implications of the court victory NUMSA Bargaining Conference The origins and traditions of May Day The key to an integrated economy and society ICTFU launches a new global campaign to stop child labour More killings in Colombia New violence against locked-out Jakarta Shangri-La workers |
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The CEC in February appointed an organisational review commission to prepare for this Central Committee. The April CEC further agreed on the key areas for discussions. These include looking at service to members; COSATU structures; staff development and management and other areas of organisational renewal. The CEC also received reports from the affiliates on the discussions that took place on the labour law amendments. Whilst the CEC feels that certain concerns should still be followed up to improve the package, they endorsed the package and felt that the matter should now be referred to Nedlac. The bosses held their meeting on 25 April 2001 and have since reported that they need another two weeks to finalise their mandate. The CEC called on members not to let their guard down until the law in signed by the President. We must be prepared to back our demands with action when the need arises. The CEC also discussed in detail the current political environment, including the current debacle over claims of plots to oust the President. We are extremely concerned that reports on plots were preceded by the statement from Deputy President Jacob Zuma declaring that he will not stand for the President's position in the next ANC Congress. This creates a sense of instability, confusion and rumour-mongering that clearly puts the movement in disrepute. Clearly the press is being fed these stories by faceless individuals within our movement. In this context COSATU called for an urgent meeting with its alliance partners to discuss this prevailing negative environment. It is even worse when the star witness is a discredited figure such as James Nkambule. Taking into the context of media stories that filled the press over the past few weeks, COSATU felt that it must raise four principles as part of its intervention in this saga.
This is in line with a very rich tradition of the movement that should not be sacrificed in the confusion of investigating plots. The ANC has, to all our relief, come out unambiguously to protect the integrity of the three comrades. It is now incumbent upon the relevant authority to accelerate the investigation. The CEC decided to use May Day to launch an anti privatisation campaign. A section 77 notice will be submitted to Nedlac very soon. In the meantime we are mobilising for a two-day national strike. The campaign should be understood to be a continuation of our broader campaign for job creation and against poverty that led to us mobilising in 2000 and later holding a national strike on 10 May. It is a campaign for the creation of a better life for all and not just a powerful few. It is the campaign for the extension of basic services to all our people, in particular the working class and the poorest. It also about a campaign to defend permanent, secure and better-paying jobs. These are being replaced, through outsourcing, privatisation and contracting out at all levels of government, by insecure, poorly paying jobs which offer no social security to workers. Let me congratulate all our members for coming in their hundreds to the May Day celebrations and appeal to you all to do the same on Youth Day, 16 June. |
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