shops 11.02

We must support Congolose people

Dear Comrades,

COSATU in the Western Cape has in the recent past joined the Moslem community to form the Palestinian Solidarity Movement, to show support to the besieged Palestinians and demonstrate against Israeli aggression in the Middle East.
This was a good development because, as a country that is coming from such conflict, we cannot be seen to be just watching when basic human rights we have fought for all these years, with the support of the besieged Palestinian people, are trampled on by Israel.

We as COSATU shop stewards are expected to view our work in the workplace, national and international context. It is in our international obligation that we support the call for Israel to withdraw from all Palestinian territories and stop killing innocent women and children.
What makes the picketing and demonstrations against the Israel aggression even more effective is the media coverage the Middle East conflict seems to attract. However there are other similar or worse conflicts happening within our continent that do not receive the same kind of coverage.

A case in point here is the ongoing war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where millions of people have died!
The primary cause is the aggression of Rwanda and Uganda who both want to control power and the vast natural resources of that country. They have waged war against the DR Congo since 1998 when the late President Laurent Kabila, who came to power supported by both countries, started asserting his authority as a Congo national.

"It is catastrophic," says Professor Georges Nzongola Ntalaja, a DRC academic. "It has resulted in the death of over three million people. This is a crisis of monumental dimensions. And it is really unfortunate that the world community is not taking us seriously. Our situation is just as grave as the situation in Palestine, just as grave as the situation in Afghanistan. But we are not given half the attention given these other crises."

How can we continue to look at west for support and plan such as Nepad and the African Union when certain African leaders are still using the little resources they have into war, killing and destruction of insufficient existing infrastructures? This will be a big joke to think that this will happen while this madness is still continuing unabated in the continent.

If Mugabe is excluded from the Commonwealth because of human rights abuses, what he has done is far too little compared to what Museveni of Rwanda and Kagame of Rwanda have done in Congo. Why can not they be punished and excluded from these organisations? Is it because those martyred are just black? If not, why not act now?

We therefore urge COSATU to act and demonstrate together with civil society to highlight to the world the plight of the people of Congo and demand that actions be taken against the perpetrators of these gross human rights abuses.

Thembela Gazi , Surveyor General's Office - Cape

CWU is getting weaker by the day

Dear comrade

I am proud to have been a POTWA member and belonging to CWU. CWU is a giant that was formed between three trade unions, POTWA - predominantly black people, PEASA - predominantly coloured people, and SAPTEA - predominantly Indian people.

This was a giant step by the leadership of the time towards the realisation of one of COSATU's long standing resolutions of 'One industry, One trade union - One country, One federation'.
The old POTWA took on the then stubborn apartheid government in 1987 and the results are known by everybody - that in the Post Office blacks in particular became members of medical aid, had housing subsidies, became members of pension schemes, etc.
There are four points from my side that I think have contributed to the problems of the CWU:

1. The merger itself.

It took place between three different traditional organisations. By traditional I mean their conduct when dealing with the intransigent PO management. POTWA shop stewards knew this difference in traditions and were determined to help or teach their POTWA traditions to the new comrades.
Coupled with this there was an election pact that had to be obeyed, which stipulated clearly how many and which positions should be given to the other two organisations, from national office to the yard committee. The nursing of this merger wasted a lot of time.

2. Integration process

I remember we had questions like "What do we shop stewards from the former republic do with shop stewards coming from the former keis? Do they retain and be transferred with their shop stewards moved to us or do they wait and stand for election on our side on their arrival and when election time comes?" Secondly comrades participated in different structures of the integration process and this in a way stretched our scarce resources.

3. Setting up structures

Meanwhile, the union had the task of setting up its own structures, as envisaged in their new constitution. National office had to set up provinces, provinces set up regions, regions set up branches and branches set up yard committees. Comrades from COSATU and its affiliates know exactly what a daunting task this is.

4. Education

The last shop stewards to be trained were before the merger. Shop stewards are elected now and again but they don't know what to do. The union is enjoying a majority and has a closed shop agreement. It has full-time shop stewards but, believe me, it is becoming weaker and weaker. Workers get no understanding of what is going on on issues that affect them directly, e.g. shift changes, salary anomalies, transformation, etc.
The leadership turn us on and off as and when they feel necessary and conducive for them and we (as workers) gain nothing. This situation is bad and it needs urgent attention.
My humble suggestion would be - if our current leadership is honest in building its own and put aside their petty selfish interests:

1. Implement the constitutional structures, employ organisers and education officers. How on earth can a province so big as Eastern Cape have no service of the two mentioned above? This is the recipe for the dying of CWU.
2. The union must negotiate adding another full-time shop steward per province. The workload I suspect is too much for one. Then comrades, two full-time shop stewards, an organiser and educational officer and their provincial secretary can put the union on a sound financial footing.

Definitely comrades they can take the organisation to where it belongs to members, if they know teamwork and building the organisation. Or, comrades, are you benefiting with the present set-up? Is it so? I thank you.

Vuyeni L Blori, member of CWU, PE Main PO

Worker Unity

Worker unity

I am presently working as an organiser at the national office for an independent trade union. This union is a white-collar union, organised in the retail sector and the membership is composed of middle managers, supervisors and administrative staff.
A resolution has been adopted to affiliate to COSATU and I have been working tirelessly towards that. I also put forward the issue of worker unity, which the structures debated and a resolution was taken at our recent special congress that it should persist with vigour. We cannot afford the division of workers on the shop floor.
At my instigation we met SACCAWU twice to explore the possibilities of forging unity. At least both parties acknowledged that a starting point had been established and the whole issue is on the agenda. What is left is for both parties to go back to their respective constituencies to seek further mandates. If these organisations can merge it will be a personal victory to me and the working struggles at large.

Norman B Ackerman, Pimville

Can you please help us?

Dear comrade

We were working for Woolworths, Mabopane, and were dismissed in the year 2000. We were told that our stock-take results were so bad that they cannot keep us any more, the reason being that on 1 November 1999 we were given three chances to count stock. If it continued to be not good, they would dismiss us.

On 9 January 2000 we counted stock again and we waited for the results. We waited until 31 January 2000, when they sent some managers and HR people, telling us the results and a letter telling us to take a day off on 1 February and meet on 2 February for consultation, and they invited us to bring representatives.

On 1 February, we went to the union (SACCAWU) office to ask them to help us. They agreed, even though we were not members of any union. On 2 February we met the company's representatives but nothing was resolved until they sent us telegrams to meet them on 21 February. We informed the union but were told not to attend. Woolworth reps phoned us individually but we didn't attend. Later the company sent us dismissal letters and our severance pay and pension calculations.

The union then took the matter to the CCMA, but the matter was not resolved. We decided to take the matter to court. We have our case number and we even went for pre-trial the same year. While still waiting for the date to appear in court, one of our union officials who was representing us was dismissed and the other was suspended. Again, in between the hearings, the union made two court interdicts but failed to attend.

Up to now we are still waiting for the union to help us. Instead we hear different news every day. We are desperate. We want our jobs back. We feel we are being unfairly dismissed and the union seems not to help us any more. Can you please help us, please?

Suzan Chauke and Rebecca Sekgwatle

Capitalist exploitation