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Privatisation - NO! Development - YES! COSATU emerged from a very successful EXCO on 4-5 June. It adopted
important decisions, mainly to embark on an anti-privatisation campaign
to culminate in a national strike at the end of August. See page 29
for the programme of action. The strike is sparked by government's programme of privatisation -
masked as restructuring - at national, provincial and local government
level It is driven by GEAR's shortsighted objective to balance the books
of the state rather than a developmental objective. Invariably, labour and communities are not meaningfully engaged in
developing an acceptable and appropriate restructuring strategy. Rather
we see government seeking to get the labour movement to buy into its
privatisation agenda. COSATU demands meaningful discussion on restructuring,
based on the notion of a developmental state, to set the policy parameters
for restructuring. Running through these issues is a single thread of failure by the strategic partners, at least in Telkom and Post Office, to meet their obligations. While they have failed to fulfil their obligations, the state has spent millions of rands to compensate these companies, including lofty pay deals for the SAA's former CEO. In local government outrageous performance incentives are given to senior mangers who then cut corners to achieve their results. The abuse of state resources must stop now! Privatisation is benefiting a few multinational companies,
and some of the formerly oppressed, and is not achieving its stated
goals. Privatisation must stop - it means job losses and denial of basic
services to historically under-served communities, thereby perpetuating
the inequalities of the past. More fundamentally it means a diminished
role for the state to steer transformation and development. Preparations for the second Central Committee in September are now in full steam. The CC will have a critical look at the state of the organisation and provide strategies to reposition the organisation in the current era. |
Click here to subscribeIn this issue...Cover story: Beatrix mining disaster CWU congress Numsa bargaining programme Engen contract workers battle Viva domestic workers SACTWU cheap imports NEHAWU condems drugs theft Ban the Botshabelo bucket system Driving Competitiveness - DTI FAWU - concerned at racist e-mail Members first, says NUM Poor people before profit CEC report Exco report Black economic empowerment Bitter cup of tea Workplace challenge Project Make the banks serve the people ICFTU Afro conference ICFTU on the WTO Palestine in perspective "Learn from Cuba" says World Bank Human rights in Swaziland |
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As we look at ourselves we must retain our best traditions of internal democracy and activism yet also be bold enough to tackle weaknesses wherever they arise. We must build strong structures committed to providing quality service to members and ensuring members take an active interest in the affairs of their organisation. Since February COSATU has held three bilateral meetings with the ANC at Office Bearer level. These were successful and have laid a basis for resolving outstanding issues in the alliance. EXCO discussed the outcome of these meetings and endorsed the agenda for an alliance summit in August. This will focus on ensuring that the alliance drives transformation by defining clearly its role in the current conjuncture, relations between alliance partners and the alliance and governance, and, most importantly, developing an alliance programme for transformation to take forward the RDP in the current circumstances. COSATU and the SACP will hold a bilateral on 26 July at the executive and politburo level. The United Nations World Conference on Racism and Xenophobia will take place in August/September in Durban. Racism and xenophobia are still rife in South Africa seven years after the democratic elections. This is manifest in attacks on farm workers, unequal access to services and opportunities, and other less visible developments. Thus the resolution of the racism and its legacy remains one of the supreme challenges confronting our society and the rest of the world. To highlight the issue of racism and xenophobia COSATU will embark on a campaign to coincide with the conference. We will also develop a clear position on how we should deal with racism and xenophobia both at the workplace and in the broader society. The situation in Palestine and Zimbabwe remains fragile and a matter of concern. In this edition we track the origins of the Palestinian question and fully support the PLO's endeavour to seek self-determination for the people of Palestine. There can be no peace until Israeli occupation is ended and refugees are allowed a safe return. The US cannot be trusted as honest brokers due to its historical and current ties with Israel. There is a need for a UN team comprised of other member states. The situation in Zimbabwe, where self-styled war veterans usurp the role of the unions cannot go unchallenged. Their actions, with tacit approval by government, represent a direct threat to the future of the trade union movement. They are exploiting people's genuine grievances to render society ungovernable. If this lawlessness is not stopped, eventually it will be turned against the state itself to the detriment of the entire region. We call upon the Zimbabwean government to act decisively against the anarchy unleashed by the war veterans. Finally we pay our tribute to Xolani Nkosi-Johnson who became a symbol of courage, strength and determination. Our sympathies go to his family - may they find strength in the knowledge that Xolani's struggles were not in vain but are beginning to bear fruits. Condolences also to the nameless people who die silently of the dreaded AIDS epidemic. COSATU will double its effort to ensure the dignity of people living with HIV/AIDS and work with its strategic partners, including TAC, to achieve this objective. |
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