Volume 11, No.4 - Nov-Dec 2002

Letters

COSATU is right

Comrade

First of all I would like to congratulate you for the supply of COSATU information. It is just unfortunate that all the information you send, some of our members don't get, because of e-mail problems. The members who share the information are those who work with use computers but the majority out there they don't get your message.

To follow your e-mails, there is one which touched me especially, the e-mail of Monday Oct 21, 2002, of which the subject was COSATU's position on privatisation of basic services.

The issue of privatisation is a mandate from the majority of workers in the country. It is also from unemployed people and the children of the country, except the youth of ANC who are earning salaries from the government and so are worriless.

So what worries me, com, is the campaign which the president is using to criticise our union. Recently he was at Rosslyn and he still repeats his words of labelling COSATU and said COSATU lies to the workers. We also read that from the weekend newspapers.

Now it seems the alliance partners compete for point scoring. But the workers know that COSATU is right.
But now seeing that the situation is getting worse. How would it be if COSATU
starts scheduling rallies to address this issue to the members in all regions. Because this creates a great confusion to the alliance members and supporters. Therefore my suggestion is to solve this before is too late.

I also want to enlighten you comrade with something that would be dangerous
to our side, especially as we are now facing the 2004 elections. Our ruling party must be very careful for the white minority. Those people only want to penalise the black government and take over. When they see the alliance media fight, they start to build themselves up.

Comrades our people are losing confidence in our government. Most of them in the trains, at the townships, they are not prepared to vote in the next elections for the government who is careless for them.
In that regard, com, I am much worried because ANC don't foresee the danger of fighting with their partners. One example they must remember is that when we voted for the municipality, most of youth didn't vote. The ANC won by the majority of workers and the pensioners.

That was a warning. If they undermine their constituency, if they do that they will pay the price, because they have now promoted the NNP. One thing is sure - all white people are preparing themselves to join their favourite party, therefore blacks will cry.
I just want to put that concern forward and I hope maybe you will understand my points. Thanks com

ST Nkwana, NEHAWU, Unisa, Pretoria

Greetings from Bangladesh workers

Dear Editor

Greetings from Kormojibi Nari, Bangladesh. Kormojibi Nari is a women worker's organization working for women workers' rights in Bangladesh. It has been also working to face the challenges of globalisation to trade unions.
In Bangladesh, we have many national trade union federations. This multiplicity of trade unions is a threat for the country's united workers' movement. We are for one country, one federation, one union.

Trade unions in Bangladesh are also very politicised. Because of political complicity, many works and efforts of the workers get lost. We think one movement to unite all the trade unions of the country is necessary.
The name of our federation is Bangladesh Jatiyo Sramik Jote (BJSJ). I am the President of the federation. Its historical background goes back to the 1971 liberation war. The freedom fighters of Bangladesh established this federation. But, in the last 30 years, much fragmentation has taken place. But, now we have taken an initiative to be united under one slogan: "One country, One Federation".

In this respect, we can benefit and be united if you let us know about the experience of COSATU and its work. Our federation also wants to have bilateral relation with COSATU. Please let us know the name and contact address of the President, Secretary of and of the contact person for foreign affairs.

If you are interested to know more about our organization, Karmojibi Nari and our Federation BJSJ, please contact us without any hesitation.

Thanking you, with best regards in solidarity,

Shirin Akhter, President of Kormomjibi Nari and Bangladesh Jatiyo Sramik Jote

Expats not proudly South African

To whom it may concern,

Being a South African living in Australia it concerns me the attitude of South African Companies operating in Australia; maybe you organization may be able to shed some light on the matter.
Firstly I'm yet to find a South African that represents these companies say a good word about South Africa. They paint a terrible picture about South Africa, so obviously they don't help with foreign investment which obviously will contribute towards creating jobs.
They also seem to want to distance themselves from being South African companies, considering it was the ordinary South African worker who contributed to their success.
I've also come across South African companies who initially import their products from South Africa and after a few months start manufacturing in Australia. Obviously this doesn't help South African exports, which I think they don't seem to care about.
Companies that go offshore should be permitted to do so only if their head offices remain in South Africa. By the head offices moving abroad it undermines the country, which the whole world can see.

Sagren Govender, by e-mail

CWU replies to critisism

Dear Comrade Vuyeni Blori

It is with a great sense of pride that we take this opportunity to interact with you on the constructive criticism as contained in your letter to the Shopsteward (issue 11.3). Our sense of pride derives from the realization that we have, amongst our midst, awakened workers who would not hesitate to engage in constructive criticism of their own organisation for its betterment.

We also subscribe to a view that locates genuine ownership one's own organisation to encompass, among others, critical analysis of the past of one's organisation, its present circumstances and a focus to possible options for a future that will deliver in the best interest of all its members.

Within the same vein of criticising to build, we wish to take up issue with some of the points that are raised in your letter as follows:

u The merger: The principle of " One Union - One Industry One Federation One Country" is one of the most important principles of COSATU. The daunting challenges that we face as workers in general, and as the working class in particular would almost be insurmountable outside this maximum unity of workers.

In this era, where imperialism has assumed the form of globalisation, thanks to unprecedented technological developments, the maximum unity of workers also needs reciprocal intensification in form and content. This maximum unity of workers needs to practically transcend territorial boundaries. It is a unity of the most noble cause on earth - the liberation of mankind, unlike the ignoble and rapacious globalisation that feeds on the sweat and blood of workers across territorial boundaries.

Considering this global social development, the mergers process of POTWA, PEASA and SAPTEA becomes a brave and significant step forward. Indeed, it was a very brave and revolutionary contribution to the working class struggles.

Comrade Vuyeni is, however, definitely correct in asserting, if this is a correct assumption of the point he is making, that we need to manage this necessary merger of workers. Such measures do tend to stretch resources. They also call for a large measure of leadership skills to manage the consolidation of different struggle backgrounds.

u Education: We acknowledge that our worker education programme needs to improve. However, the assumption that we have not invested in worker education programmes in not entirely correct. A number of shopstewards, across our mine provinces completed their basic shopsteward training during the cause of this year. A number of worker leaders also attended different training programmes offered by institutions such as

Ditsela and other Workers Colleges. Indeed, the next National Executive Committee (NEC) of the union has, amongst its agenda items, discussion on the union's education programme.
The view by comrade Vuyeni on the need to employ more organisers also coincides with a discussion that our next NEC will engage with. Our ongoing review of our organisational capacity and abilities concluded that we needed to commit our investment unit, CWIC, to sponsor a more professional and thorough research into our union operation and the general trends in the communications sector.

The outcome of this research, conducted by Sediba, will also be presented to this NEC meeting.
Finally, we once again wish to confirm our delight and pleasure in inter-acting with the views as contained in Vuyeni's letter. We will also examine the feasibility of discussing Vuyeni's letter in our NEC meeting.

Comradely

Seleboho Kiti, General Secretary - CWU