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- COSATU Today -
Our side of the story
Thursday 2 July 2009
Contents
1 Workers' news
1.1 Passing on of Comrade Obadia "OG" Mathebula
1.2 POPCRU mourns yet another untimely departure of its leader
1.3 Untimely death of Cde O.G. Mathebula
1.4 Reinstate sacked doctors - says COSATU
2 South Africa
2.1 COSATU backs textile tariff increases
2.2 Continued fiasco of food price-fixing scandals
2.3 YCLSA welcomes government's commitments to free education for the
poor!
2.4 Address to COSATU Education and Skills Conference
3 International
3.1 COSATU against break up of SACU
3.2 COSATU condemns coup in Honduras
1 Workers' news
1.1 Passing on of Comrade Obadia "OG" Mathebula
Dan Sebabi, COSATU Limpopo Provincial Secretary, 1 July 2009
COSATU in Limpopo is saddened by the passing on of its PEC member and
also the Provincial Secretary of POPCRU, a COSATU Affiliate, Cde Obadia
"OG" Mathebula. Cde OG Mathebula, who died tragically in a road accident
on 28 June 2009, Sunday night, will be remembered for his sterling
contributions to the struggle of the working class and the poor in the
province and nationally.
The Federation has lost a unionist, an educator, organiser and a
revolutionary. He was a principled, committed and dedicated cadre.
We would like to send our condolences to his family, the POPCRU POBs and
all comrades. In his memory, we vow to do everything in our power to
ensure his legacy of fighting the struggles of the working class and the
poor lives on and continue to inspire the next coming generation.
Arrangements of the funeral service are as follows:
Date : 04 July 2009
Time : 07h00
Venue : Acornhoek, Mpumalanga
We are calling on the workers and members to attend in their numbers to
celebrate the life and times of Cde Obadia Mathebula who dedicated all
his life to the movement.
For more information please contact:
Dan Sebabi - Provincial Secretary
Tel : 015 291 2981/3
Cell : 082 455 2648 / 082 779 2421
Fax : 015 291 3232
Khehla Masemola - POCPRU Provincial Chairperson
Cell : 082 398 4529
1.2 POPCRU mourns yet another untimely departure of its leader
Benzi Ka-Soko, POPCRU National Spokesperson, 1 July 2009
POPCRU sadly announces yet another untimely departure of its leader in
Cde OG Mathebula, Limpopo Provincial Secretary who was knocked down by
an on-coming vehicle. We are really shocked to learn of the death of Cde
OG Mathebula, one of our rising revolutionary leaders in Limpopo. We
should mention the fact that POPCRU has lost a gallant firebrand whose
leadership capabilities have made the province to be a force to be
reckoned with.
We join hundreds and thousands of our members in sending our heartfelt
revolutionary condolences to the Mathebula family. Cde Mathebula was one
of the highly gifted leaders within the structures of the union and as a
Provincial Secretary; he formed a pivotal part of the NEC and CEC, two
critical constitutional components of POPCRU. May his soul rest in
peace.
1.3 Untimely death of Cde O.G. Mathebula
Fidel Mlombo, COSATU Mpumalanga Provincial Secretary, 2 July 2009
COSATU in Mpumalanga also mourns untimely death of Cde O.G. Mathebula.
He has served COSATU Mpumalanga as the Chairperson of the Bushbuckridge
COSATU local with dignity, commitment, dedication and sacrifice. At the
time of his death he was the Provincial Secretary of POPCRU in Limpopo.
During his term of leadership as the Bushbuckridge COSATU local
Chairperson, that local was amongst the best managed COSATU local in the
province. As a result the Bushbuckridge local hosted most of the COSATU
campaigns.
Our Province, the workers and the entire working class will always
remember comrade Mathebula for his dedication, honesty and bravery in
confronting working class challenges.
Our structures are already at work mobilizing for a funeral service
befitting the contribution and sacrifice that comrade O.G. made during
his life time.
May his Revolutionary soul Rest in Eternal Peace
1.4 Reinstate sacked doctors - says COSATU
Patrick Craven, COSATU National Spokesperson, 2 July 2009
COSATU has called for the immediate reinstatement of all the doctors who
have been dismissed for taking part in the recent unprotected strike
action.
The unions are currently in the process of reporting back to their
members on the draft agreement reached in the Public Health and Social
Development Sectoral Bargaining Council, and the SA Medical Association
is recommending acceptance.
It has become clear however that the main stumbling block is now the
dismissals of doctors. COSATU accepts that their strike was illegal, and
supports the view that essential service workers should find other
methods of resolving disputes, through negotiation, conciliation and
arbitration, as allowed for under the Labour Relations Act. We concede
that the strike has hurt the public.
Nevertheless we appeal to the Minister of Health and Provincial MECs for
Health to reverse the dismissals, so that we have only one issue on the
table - the draft agreement on OSD salary increases, and not the
dismissals.
The federation feels the doctors' understandable anger and frustration
at the government's failure to implement the terms of the 2007 public
sector salary agreement on OSD. This is not a normal salary dispute but
one created by government which failed to deliver on its promises and is
therefore largely responsible for the situation.
The federation has offered to mediate with the Minister of Health and
the provincial MECs and will be pursuing the matter throughout the day.
The National Office Bearers will be ready to fly to KZN today to try to
resolve the issue in that province.
2 South Africa
2.1 COSATU backs textile tariff increases
Patrick Craven, COSATU National Spokesperson, 2 July 2009
COSATU has welcomed the increases in import tariffs on clothing from 40%
to 45% on 35 lines of garments. The purpose of these tariffs is to
protect the local market against cheap imports that might destroy local
industries and jobs.
The G20 Forums in November 2008 and April 2009 urge countries to avoid
protectionism, through the use of import quotas and tariffs, and/or
local procurement strategies to protect domestic markets.
But despite these calls to avoid protectionism, protectionist measures
by the rich have been increasing. For instance, rich countries continue
to subsidise their farmers to the detriment of those in poor countries.
This was recognised by President Zuma in his speech to the World
Economic Forum in Africa when he said that "protectionist policies by
the haves will deepen Africa's woes".
Farmers' subsidies in wealthy countries have led to disinvestment in
agriculture, loss of jobs, migration to cities with resultant pressure
on resources and they have destroyed farmers' and rural people's
livelihoods.
For the past three years SA has been importing subsidised dairy products
from the US with detrimental effects on the domestic dairy industry and
jobs.
For more than 40 years rich countries have used the Multi-fibre
Agreement to protect their clothing and textile industries to the
detriment of poor countries industries. The MFA was terminated in 2005
but these countries continue to use tariff peaks to discourage clothing
and textile imports from poor countries.
COSATU believes that SA like any other country is within its rights to
increase applied tariffs to their bound or maximum levels and the
increases are WTO-consistent. Protectionism is a lawful trade policy
measure to the extent that it seeks to protect infant or small
developing industries against cheap imports which might destroy jobs
within WTO rules. So too are local procurement campaigns like Proudly
South African, which seek to maximise local procurement of goods and
services
SA is not banning imports but is trying to ensure that global trade
benefits are spread equally among participating nations and not only to
benefit exporting, mostly rich, countries.
The Nedlac Framework Agreement provides that SA must use trade measures
to protect its industries and jobs. Whilst rich countries have used the
financial muscle to bail out their industries, poor countries should not
be prevented from using trade measures to do the same.
Polokwane resolved that all economic policies should be based on
industrial policy and that decent work should remain at the centre of
all economic policies.
COSATU urges government to use tariff and local procurement policies and
other measures in this period of recession to protect existing jobs, key
labour intensive industries and industrial capacity, as envisaged by
Polokwane and the Nedlac Framework Agreement.
These tariff increases will have a long-term effect of strengthening
domestic capacity, improving local production and creating more decent
jobs.
2.2 Continued fiasco of food price-fixing scandals
Katishi Masemola, Labour Caucus Coordinator, 1 July 2009
FAWU has welcomed the continued and expanded investigation by the
competition commission into food price-fixing beyond just manufacturing
to include the food retailing stage of the value chain.
FAWU has always believed that anti-competitive conduct, such as
price-fixing and excessive pricing, is behind skyrocketing food prices.
FAWU feels vindicated by this investigation.
We call on all the four retail companies to fully co-operate with the
authorities and fully disclose all required information relating to the
subject-matter.
2.3 YCLSA welcomes government's commitments to free education for the
poor!
Castro Ngobese, YCLSA National Spokesperson, 1 July 2009
The Young Communist League of South Africa [uFasimba] has noted and
welcomed the Budget Speech tabled by the Minister of Higher Education &
Training and SACP General Secretary Cde Blade Nzimande. The YCLSA is
excited by Cde Nzimande's commitment in broadening access to higher
education for the poor students in sync with the ANC Alliance elections
manifesto and the Freedom Charter.
We are excited that there will be a major focus and improvement of
infrastructure in the former historically disadvantaged institutions of
higher learning. Over the past 15 years of higher education
transformation, institutions of higher learning have been used to
maintain and reproduce the racial, class and gender apartheid legacy
inequalities.
The Budget Speech as tabled by Cde Nzimande is a major departure from
this apartheid inclined and neo-liberal approach to higher education
transformation towards achieving people's education as envisaged in the
Freedom Charter.
The YCLSA is also excited by the following commitments made by the
Minister of Higher Education & Training Cde Nzimande;
* The allocation of R2,144 Billion to the National Students
Financial Aid Scheme;
* The establishment of a coherent college sector and which
includes 50 Further Education Training Colleges;
* The increase of student enrolment in Further Education and
Training colleges to at least 1 million by 2015;
* The allocation of R1, 462 Billion for improving teaching,
learning and residence infrastructure and academic efficiency.
The YCLSA believes that these commitments make a firm and solid
foundation for the attainment of people's education and achieving the
noble goals of the struggle of the martyrs of June 16.
As the YCLSA we will engage the Minister of Higher Education Cde
Nzimande to solicit his views on the expansion of higher education in
the country. Therefore the establishment of Universities and Colleges is
very key and critical in our country. The out-gone Minister of Education
Naledi Pandor had earlier warned government that by 2010 South Africa
will not have the capacity to absorb the growing influx of students.
2.4 Address to COSATU Education and Skills Conference
Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education and Training, 2 July
2009
It is a profound honour for me to address this milestone conference and
to have the opportunity to engage with you on the crucial issue of
skills development in our country.
At the outset, I want to commend our revolutionary trade union
federation, COSATU, on taking the initiative to convene this summit and
elevating the important issue of skills development on its agenda.
It is a welcome development that there will now be over-arching
co-ordination and attention from the federation on the issue of
education, training and skills development, rather than these matters
being dealt with only by the affiliate unions - important as this may
be. It is commendable that COSATU is able to examine its own policies
and strategies in this area with the determination to tackle our skills
crisis head-on.
It is also very necessary that we produce a full appraisal of our
current education, training and skills programme and needs, identify
weaknesses and failings, and make recommendations on how these can be
remedied. In short, we need a skills revolution.
As the biggest and most powerful trade union federation in the country,
COSATU is a critical stakeholder in the national dialogue on matters of
the economy and in particular, issues related to the empowerment and
skilling of our workforce. I am therefore confident that this conference
will provide a comprehensive and valuable assessment of the challenges
and responses needed to transform the skills training system.
As the line-function representative responsible for government's skills
development and training programme, it is especially significant and
helpful for me to have my comrades in COSATU in partnership to overcome
the immense challenges we face as a nation on these issues.
Comrades, as you are aware, the Department of Education was split into
two following our momentous election victory in April. The rationale
behind this bold move to create dedicated ministries of Basic Education
and Higher Education and Training was to ensure that these two critical
segments of our education system receive greater attention and dedicated
focus from government.
It was also in recognition of the developmental challenges of our
country that the Department of Higher Education and Training was
conceptualised to focus on the provision of diverse and relevant
post-school educational and training opportunities for youth and adults,
and cater for the social, cultural and economic needs of South Africa.
Our strategic objective in the department is to accelerate the
transformation of the higher education and training landscape in line
with our overall developmental agenda. The setting up of such an
education and training system was envisaged in 1994 when the ANC
government first took power, but had never been taken to this level.
The agenda we have now set out includes:
* Improving access and success in higher education, with a
particular focus on black, women and poor students
* A co-coordinated skills development strategy, informed by an
overarching industrial strategy, based on clear sectoral industrial
strategies, placing particular emphasis on scarce skills. This will
require re-focusing and possibly restructuring of the SETAs to be guided
by this overarching objective, rather than the other way round
* Improving quality and capacity of the FET Colleges (rename
Vocational and Career Colleges), with a particular focus on artisans and
other scarce skills, and as primary delivery centres for Adult Education
and Training
* Rebuilding a vibrant, expanded and quality college sector to
improve post-schooling options and access to skills for youth. A
complicated question here relates to the resolution of re-opening
teacher training colleges? What does this mean? Does it mean colleges
separate from universities, or expanding delivery sites of university
schools of education in the form of dedicated teacher colleges?
Comrades, a number of cross-cutting issues and perspectives that need
must be factored into the above, include the following:
* At the heart of all this is also the implementation of the ANC
Manifesto, which essentially means that no deserving poor student must
be excluded from access to higher education
* Rural higher education and skills for rural development
* The nature of a developmental state that seeks to address the
class, national and gender contradictions in their interrelationship
* How do we integrate the key streams of the Department of
Higher Education and Training without collapsing the particular
contribution of each into the others?
* How do we creatively use funds in our hands for example the
National Skills Fund to advance these objectives, and what additional
resources are needed in line with the prioritization of education in
government's policies?
* Clearly the success of implementing our mandate in higher
education and training rests in improving the quality and outputs from
the school system. But at the same time we cannot wait for this and what
can be done with what we have now to improve access and success in
higher education and training
Earlier this week during the Education Budget vote in parliament, I
explained some of the findings of a ministerial report on
Post-compulsory and Post-school Provision, which reflects a grim picture
of our society. According to the report, 2.8million of the 6.8million 18
to 24 year olds in South Africa are neither in employment, education
institutions or workplace training. This figure of 41% of all our youth
is attributable to, amongst other things, very limited access into
post-school education and training opportunities, poor resources, the
lack of financing and the restricted availability of jobs.
As the leading voice of the organised working class, COSATU has a
first-hand and deep understanding of our profound challenges regarding
unemployment and the difficulties facing unskilled workers. Millions of
our people experience daily hardships, bearing the brunt of the tough
economic climate.
We therefore require a fundamental rethink of our skills development
strategy as well as the respective roles of, and relationships between,
Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges, Universities of
Technology, other universities, the National Skills Fund and the Sector
Education and Training Authorities.
This fundamental rethink requires that we have to think out of our boxes
if we are to development an overarching, highly integrated and
articulated system of higher education and training, but without at the
same time mechanically collapsing into each other the distinctive roles,
features, and contribution of each of the components of such a system
(colleges/universities of technology/other universities/SETAs).
But it is clear that these pillars of our higher education and training
system can also not operate as silos. In this regard I am especially
concerned about the continuing "ivory tower" attitude of many
universities, reluctant to develop appropriate systems of articulation
with FETs and other schooling qualifications, for example the National
Vocational Certificate.
Articulation can also not be left to individual choices of universities,
to cherry-pick on college programmes. It is clear to me that an
articulated system and standards needs to be centrally driven.
I know that in raising this matter an accusation of wanting to lower
standards may be raised. Therefore we need to look at accreditation and
articulation in an all-rounded fashion, including matric exit standards,
FET/College standards as well as university requirement. In all this, we
need to be guided by the need to create a high quality higher education
and training system that is responsive to our skills development needs.
Comrades, as I mentioned earlier, a refocusing and restructuring of the
SETA landscape is on the cards ahead of the proposed re-establishment in
April next year. In the meantime, the SETAs and all associated
institutions and legislation will relocate from the Department of Labour
to the Department of Higher Education and Training.
While it is wrong to paint all the SETAs with one brush, there is
clearly unevenness in their performance. There is definitely a need for
an intensive assessment of the SETAs to ensure greater accountability,
improved employment of resources, better management of funds and
streamlining and alignment of their operations in order that they fulfil
their role as a central cog of our skills training and job creation
machinery. I will shortly be engaging the SETAs to examine these issues
and enhance their capacity to meet the skills needs of South Africa.
There are some important questions we need to examine about the SETAs:
1. Why were they named sector EDUCATION and training authorities, if
their primary focus is biased more towards workplace training to the
total exclusion of formal skills training in for instance the FETs,
universities of technology and other types of universities?
2. Where does training start and where does it end? Isn't there a
continuum between formal (academic) skills training to
internships/learnerships to ongoing workplace training to be duly
undertaken by employers in any case?
3. What is workplace training and what forms of workplace training
take place: internships/learnerships from new graduates from FETs and
universities? Shouldn't the SETAs also facilitate the placement and
effective training of these graduates?
4. Do SETAs and the NSF not have a role to play in relation to formal
skills training in FETs/colleges/universities? This seems to be
happening but outside of a strategic and programmatic framework. What
should be the appropriate balance between NSF and SETA funds earmarked
for formal skills training in colleges and universities on the one hand,
and workplace training on the other? Would this balance not be
determined by the needs in each sector? Is it not possible that in one
sector there might be a need for more funding and support to formal
training in colleges and universities as a result of lack of throughput
of those basic qualifications from the formal education system; whilst
in other instances the need maybe greater in terms of creating
opportunities for placement of interns/learners; and yet in others a
more focused opportunities for (further and ongoing) workplace training?
In April next year, National Skills Strategy Number Two is coming to an
end, coinciding with the renewal of the mandate of the SETAs. We hope
that this conference would help to guide us towards NSDF Three and the
kinds of transformation needed in the renewal of the mandate of the
SETAs.
In light of these questions and challenges, there seems to be a need for
deeper engagement to assess our overall skills needs in the economy, as
well as in each economic sector, and the appropriate funding model for
our skills training system. The process of developing a national skills
development strategy needs to be informed by an overarching industrial
strategy.
It is also however important that the existence of the SETAs should not
be a substitute to ongoing workplace training. We are concerned that
some employers simply regard their contribution to the SETAs as the
fulfilment of their obligations for ongoing workplace training. The
SETAs should be seen as just one of the tools for ongoing workplace
training.
It is also important for the federation to oversee effective deployment
of worker representatives onto the boards of the SETAs so that such that
this does not become co-option and access to benefits that go with being
members of the boards.
This conference is therefore an important facet in kick-starting this
engagement. I am committed to continuing dialogue between government and
stakeholders, particularly the labour movement.
Comrades, it is clear that creating an integrated higher education and
training system is no easy feat. However through my department, I will
strive to have within the first half of our term in government, to have
the fundamentals in place to begin to deal with our vast skills backlog,
and education training challenges. By the end of the term of this
government we should have built a very strong foundation for such, and
also be able to realize some possible short term deliverables for the
sake of our youth, our workers, the unemployed and the poor of our
country.
I thank you.
3 International
3.1 COSATU against break up of SACU
Patrick Craven, COSATU National Spokesperson, 2 July 2009
COSATU regrets the signing of the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement
(EPA) between the European Union (EU) and Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho,
and Swaziland, who are members of both the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).
COSATU condemns these countries for sacrificing regional integration and
the future of African integration in return for short-term benefits by
increasing their exports to the EU.
Subsequent to the signing off on the EPAs there has been media
speculation about the possibility of SACU being dissolved, because of
South Africa's possible withdrawal. This may be premature and
unfortunate, as SACU is an established regional institution despite
weaknesses and disagreements among its member states.
It will be celebrating 100 years in 2010 making it the oldest customs
union in the world; because of this experience it should be left intact
and provides an opportunity to unify and take SACU to higher levels.
The federation however shares the concern expressed by Trade and
Industry Minister, Rob Davies, that this agreement could allow cheap
European imports to enter South Africa through these countries. This
might make it necessary for SA to put up border controls and demand
rules of origin certificates in order to prevent this from happening.
This would seriously undermine the basis of SACU. For that reason we
welcome the EU's commitment to review the rules of origin provisions of
the EPA.
The federation condemns the EU for disregarding regional integration
objectives within SADC, to the detriment of jobs and industries in these
countries. The EPA only serves to guarantee market access for the EU
multinational companies to exploit raw materials in SADC, to open up,
deregulate and privatise the services markets and gain market access to
government procurement within SADC countries.
That is why COSATU supports the SA, Angolan and Namibian governments for
standing firm against the bullying arm twisting tactics of the EU.
COSATU appreciates that countries within SADC are at different levels of
development and their trade interests would often conflict. That makes
it even more imperative that the SA government, through consultations
and negotiations, unite SACU and SADC in order to ensure that regional
economies are not destroyed by the economic crisis.
Notwithstanding the differences in the levels of development it is also
imperative that countries should not overly rely on national sovereignty
issues to block regional integration efforts. Consequently the dispute
on EPAs, if not properly handled, might complicate and prolong regional
integration efforts within SACU and SADC.
COSATU urges SA, Angolan and Namibian governments to continue to
negotiate their concerns on the EPA within SACU and SADC and with the EU
to align tariffs under the SA's Trade Agreement with the EU (TDCA) with
tariffs under the EU-SADC EPA and to remove objectionable issues from
the EPA agreement.
COSATU demands that:
* Resolution of outstanding matters within SACU, such as the
harmonisation of agricultural, industrial and trade policies and
establishment of institutions, e.g. the Tariff Board, should be
accelerated,
* Amendment of the revenue sharing formula that determines a share
of each member from the common revenue pool should, through
consultations and consensus, be expedited to provide among others that
money from the common revenue pool should only be used for developmental
purposes such as building of road and clinics. SACU should avoid a
situation where countries use money from the common revenue pool to
engage in extravagant activities such as the purchase of luxurious cars
by the Swazi government for the King's birthday.
* SACU should be used as a springboard to establish the new SADC
Customs Union to expedite and enhance regional integration in this
period of economic crisis and recession. Countries should only join the
CU when they comply with a set of requirements including a common
external tariff.
* Civil society, including Labour, within SADC countries should be
included in the negotiations of a full EPA.
* The EU must stop its bullying tactics to coerce the SACU/SADC
countries to conclude an agreement which is WTO plus in that it contains
issues that are subject to a deadlock at WTO such as trade and
investment and services.
*
3.2 COSATU condemns coup in Honduras
Patrick Craven, COSATU National Spokesperson, 2 July 2009
COSATU has called on all democrats, workers and revolutionaries to
condemn the coup in Honduras which has overthrown leftist President,
Manuel Zelaya.
He was abducted from his official residence by the Honduran army and
forcibly taken to Costa Rica on Sunday morning. It followed a growing
controversy over a vote over term limits between the President and
General Romeo Vasquez, who is reportedly in charge of the armed forces
that abducted the President.
According to the US-based Institute for Southern Studies (ISS), "At
least two leaders of the coup launched in Honduras on June 28 were
apparently trained at a controversial Department of Defence school based
at Fort Benning, Georgia, infamous for producing graduates linked to
torture, death squads and other human rights abuses."
Also at stake is the life of Foreign Minister, Patricia Rodas, whose
whereabouts are unknown. She was with the ambassadors of Cuba, Venezuela
and Nicaragua in Honduras when 15 soldiers wearing ski masks broke into
their meeting place. The soldiers pushed and beat then, stole their cell
phones and took them to an air base.
These cruel acts are reminiscent of past dictators in Latin America,
such as Pinochet, who were in the active service of US imperialism.
These brutal dictatorships were used against to attack and kill
communists and other revolutionary activists who were defending the
people's natural resources and democratic rights.
This is a dastardly act of cowardice against a democratically elected
leader of the Honduran people, who have chosen to follow the path of
Cuba, Venezuela and other countries that have opted out of the clutches
of neo-colonial imperialism supervised by the US.
This coup has lessons for Africa, where we also struggle daily with the
reality of underdevelopment, neo-colonial plunder of our natural
resources and destabilization through proxy forces killing our people.
We call on the global trade union movement to condemn this act, and
defend democracy and the right of the Honduran people to choose their
own leaders freely.
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