1
Subscribe at:
COSATU Daily News
Published by the Congress of South African Trade Unions
1 Leyds Street, Braamfontein
Tel. 011 339 4911
Fax. 086 603 9667
COSATU's Spokesperson is: Patrick Craven
COSATU's Communication Officer is:
Mluleki Mntungwa
To receive COSATU's media releases direct, subscribe at:
COSATU Press
Subscribe to ANC Today
Join the ANC Facebook Group
COSATU Today
Our side of the story
9 November 2009
Contents
1. Workers
1.1 Thousands of workers send final written warning to Anglocoal
2. South Africa
2.1 COSATU joins SACP on NHI rally
2.2 NUMSA wants Maroga impasse resolved
2.3 COSATU and DENOSA outraged at the spate of disclaimers in NC key departments
2.4 NUMSA welcomes Minister Mdladlana's solid stance on labour brokers
2.5 SAFPU mourns the death of Moroka Swallows star
2.6 COSATU accepts the resignation of Falcon Security boss
2.7 ANC YL meets Nedbank CEO
3. International
3.1 COSATU calls for the release political prisoners in Moroccan jails
3.2 COSATU salutes UN General Assembly for supporting Goldstone report
4. Letters
4.1 COSATU must come to our rescue
1 1. Workers
1.1 Thousands of workers send final written warning to Anglocoal
Lesiba Seshoka, NUM's Head: Media & Communications, 6 November 2009
Thousands of members of NUM from the Highveld region marched over the weekend to Anglo-American offices to present a memorandum of demands.
The demands include that Anglocoal which has failed to implement agreements reached at the Chamber of Mines for sometime should implement those agreement now.
Amongst these agreements is the 2002/2003 agreement relating to child care facilities and funeral cover for dependants. "It is our conviction that hence there has been an agreement on child care facilities, the company must build these facilities as a matter of urgency as non-compliance has compromised the dignity of its women workers" says Lefty Mashego, the NUM 's Anglocoal mining house coordinator in the region.
The union further calls for the speedy implementation of the funeral cover which has been agreed on and that it be implemented as of 01 August 2009. The NUM further calls on Anglocoal to stop victimization of its personnel based on compulsory HIV/AIDS Voluntary Tests and Counselling (VCT) results.
Other demands include Global shared services, job grading, and a stop to unilateral employment of contractors. Various NUM branches from the Highveld region will participate in the march. These branches include Goedehoop, New Denmark, Kriel Coal, New Vaal, Isibonelo, Grenside/Kleinkopie/Landbou and Shared Services.
2. South Africa
2.1 COSATU joins SACP on NHI rally
Solly Nani Phetoe, North West COSATU Provincial Secretary, 6 November 2009
COSATU and its affiliates joined the SACP during the closing national rally for the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme programme over the weekend.
The support of the NHI scheme programme is based on challenges faced by poor workers, poor communities and vulnerable workers who cannot access proper health care facilities.
COSATU supported the ANC manifesto for the following main reasons:
§ Decent work
§ Quality and affordable access to free education up to undergraduate level
§ Quality and affordable health care for all through the implementation of a National Health Insurance for all
§ Rural development, with a particular focus on access to land for food production
§ Intensify the fight against crime through, amongst others, building street committees in our locality
Poor workers in poor communities are dying. Two still-born babies in Ganyesa, in the Kagisano Municipality Hospital, where one of the doctors could not assist the pregnant woman due in part of poor health care facilities, poor service including the conduct of the doctor.
Once again COSATU North West calls for a full investigation into the matter and that the Provincial Health department take responsibility for the death of the two lost babies and deal with the negligence of the same doctor.
National rally, which was held at Rustenburg was addressed by the SACP General secretary, Dr Blade Nzimande, and COSATU General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi.
COSATU calls all COSATU members in the areas of Bojanala, members of the community, and churches and the rest of society to join in and support the implementation of our National Health Insurance scheme as soon as yesterday.
2.2 NUMSA wants Maroga impasse resolved
Castro Ngobese, NUMSA's National Spokesperson, 06 November 2009
NUMSA has expressed its concern over the latest developments at Eskom following the 'resignation' of CEO Jacob Maroga.
South Africans have been inundated by media reports on the alleged 'resignation' of Maroga. These reports have been clouded by claims of 'denials', 'lies' and 'conspiracies' within Eskom.
These claims have awakened and invited the bourgeois media to have a poke on Maroga and to apportion the blame on one individual given all woes faced by Eskom. This is a reflection of how South Africa's liberal media is bankrupt and bullied by the ruling elites to impose their class interests and agenda over the strategic direction of the ANC-led administration.
NUMSA will seek an audience with the Ministry of Public Enterprises to solicit a proper and solid understanding on the ongoing impasse at Eskom. We strongly believe the Ministry of Public Enterprises has a political responsibility to publicly clarify our people on this matter. It should be noted and understood that Eskom is a public institution and cannot be used as a battle turf for personal egos and sectarian interests.
2.3 COSATU and DENOSA outraged at the spate of disclaimers in NC key departments
Anele Gxoyiya, COSATU Northern Cape Provincial Secretary, 6 November 2009
The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the Northern Cape has joined its affiliated union, DENOSA, in expressing disappointment at the disclaimer of audit opinion received by two key departments - Health and Education.
As much as we are disappointed we are not surprised as these are the two main departments that were used over the years as platforms for self-enrichment and dispensing patronage in the past many years. These are the two departments where a large number of people were hired without the posts being advertised because they were used to achieve certain political goals for the benefit of certain leaders then.
COSATU has raised this criminal behaviour as the federation in the province to no avail. The current leadership of our provincial government, particularly the MECs of the two departments are faced with a huge responsibility of cleaning the mess that was caused by their predecessors.
The sad part of the whole thing is that the two departments are at the centre of service delivery, hence they account for the bulk of the provincial budget.
The first step towards clean audits is the thorough investigation of the activities of those departments that led to them obtaining the disclaimer of audit opinion and to make an assessment of the entire management and ensure that people with the necessary skills and competencies are appointed at the right positions. On top of the skills and competencies, people must be willing to deliver quality service to our people.
If anyone of the people concerned is found to have violated the law, the necessary harsh steps must be taken and all those people must be exposed.
It is therefore our sincere hope that our new administration is going to deliver on the commitments made to our people in the elections manifesto to uproot corruption at all levels.
We need to reiterate our call that building beautiful clinics, hospitals and schools in our communities does not constitute service delivery. Service delivery means the accessibility and availability of medicine to our people as well as accessibility of quality education.
Presently there are clinics all over the province but they have no medicine and few or no nurses to dispense the unavailable medicine. Doctors are a dream to our clinics as there is a shortage even in public hospitals.
As we speak now the department of education has not yet issued the staff establishments for 2010, instead they issued the wrong staff establishments and withdrew them after being alerted by SADTU. That on its own displays the high levels of incompetency in that department. Some schools have not yet received their learning and teaching support material (LTSM) but educators are expected to teach from day one, come 2010.
In the same breath we need to register our concern at the slow pace of our government in dealing with the rotten potatoes in the system so as to focus on service delivery. The incompetent managers must be removed and replaced with competent ones to accelerate service delivery. We need a committed cadreship free of corruption to deal with the amount of service delivery backlogs that is facing us.
However we need to remind the leader of COPE that at the time when all these incompetence began, he was the provincial secretary of the ANC and at the centre of deploying and recalling people but he never acted at that point. Now that they see the commitment of our government to stamping out corruption he wants to make funny noises and create an impression that he is the voice of reason.
We call on our people not to take the leadership of COPE serious as they are the root cause of the problems that we encounter. They were the leaders of the ANC and they disappointed us. We removed them and they ran away to form another party because of their obsession with power.
Forward to Operation Clean Audit, it has indeed come at the right time and we are fully supportive of it as it will ensure that our people in the province enjoy the benefits of their votes through accelerated service delivery.
2.4 NUMSA welcomes Minister Mdladlana's solid stance on labour brokers
Castro Ngobese NUMSA's National Spokesperson, 06 November 2009
NUMSA has commended the vigor and passion displayed by the Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana to outlaw and ban labour brokers.
He told the Motor Industry Bargaining Council in Cape Town yesterday Thursday 05 November 2009, that the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) has spent five years discussing temporary employment services.
The Minister remarked in relation to this long and fruitless discussions in NEDLAC on labour brokering, 'I don't have time to play around. Now is the time for us to govern. So be prepared for drama'. We are also pleased by his acknowledgement that the existing provisions of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) have provided space for the opportunistic practices of labour broking. These remarks and admissions are a victory to the workers who have been chained prisoners of labour brokers.
NUMSA calls on Minister Mdladlana to move with speed and follow all the necessary parliamentary process to ban labour brokers. The outlawing and total ban of labour brokers is consistent with the objectives of the Freedom Charter. The Freedom Charter clearly states that 'Child labour, compound labour, the tot system and contract labour shall be abolished'. The banning of labour brokers as indicated in the Freedom Charter will fulfill the aspirations of our people as demanded in Kliptown 1955.
NUMSA believes that the Freedom Charter remains the over-arching political programme of our broad movement as led by the ANC. Its relevance must find concrete expression in the ANC-led governments' programme and work.
2.5 SAFPU mourns the death of Moroka Swallows star
Elvis Sekgobela, SAFPU, 5 November 2009
SAFPU has expressed shock at the passing away of former Moroka Swallows midfield maestro, Joseph Rapelego.
"Manelo" as affectionately known by his friend was one of the best midfielders South Africa has ever produced. He was part of Swallows team that beat Sundowns in the Bob Save Superbowl final in 1989.
Rapelego, who died last week Thursday, played a very important role in the development of football both in the Premier Soccer League and Moroka Swallows FC.
SAFPU sends its deepest condolences to Rapelego family and Moroka Swallows FC.
May his soul rest in Peace
2.6 COSATU accepts the resignation of Falcon Security boss
Solly Phetoe, COSATU NW Provincial Secretary, 6 November 2009
COSATU and its members have accepted the resignation of Ben Burger, the boss of Falcon Security, due to the racial attitude of his company at Sun City.
Burger holds 75% shares in Falcon Security company, therefore his resignation does not resolve the racist attitude at the Sun City Hotel (Sun International). Falcon security has a history at Sun City in leading racism.
COSATU's call is that the whole contract of Falcon Security company must be terminated and action must be taken against those who continue to lead racism in Sun City.
Burger will be running the company outside Sun City, so the matter still remains.
COSATU has the responsibility of protecting our members against any racial exploitation such as that led by Falcon Security company for years at Sun City. COSATU will not compromise its members and the people of North West.
A campaign against racism in the North West is being intensified by all our structures, which are making sure that those companies promoting racism at work places are dealt with as criminals. Falcon Security is one of them.
Racism is criminal, against reconciliation, a threat and a violation of human rights.
2.7 ANC YL meets Nedbank CEO
Floyd Shivambu, ANC YL Spokesperson 06 November 2009
The ANC YL leadership met with the Chief Executive Officer of Nedbank, Tom Boardman last week in Esselen Park, Kempton Park.
The ANC YL expressed concern over what was presented as Nedbank sponsorship withdrawal from Athletics South Africa. The ANC YL further raised the need for corporate South Africa and Nedbank in particular to sponsor sports development, successful sports men and women in the country, particularly the IAAF World Championships Medallists.
The ANC YL and Nedbank reached common ground on critical issues, particularly the following:
a.. Nedbank has undertaken to engage with other South African corporates and government, to find ways to further support the development of deserving athletes.
b.. Nedbank reaffirmed its commitment to continue the support for road running at large in South Africa.
The ANC YL is satisfied that Nedbank has shown commitment to sponsor sports development in South Africa and heeded to our call that corporate South Africa should sponsor the IAAF World Championships Medallists.
3. International
3.1 COSATU calls for the release political prisoners in Moroccan jails
Bongani Masuku COSATU's International Relations Secretary, 6 November 2009
COSATU has noted the intensified persecution of the Saharawi people by the occupying force, Morocco, and the continued arrests and detention of political activists, particularly from the Polisario Front, the genuine representative of the Western Saharawi people.
COSATU also takes the opportunity to express its full support for the awarding of the prestigious Swedish Per Anger Human Rights award to the Saharawi human rights defender, Brahim Dahane, for "having fought in the conflict over Western Sahara between Morocco and Polisario with endurance, peaceful means and personal courage and with risk for his own life in the fight for human rights." He, is currently imprisoned in Morocco and will not be able to pick up the prize.
The Federation also notes that the award has reportedly led to the expulsion of the Swedish diplomat in Rabat, Anna Block-Mazoyer, on accusations of delivering Moroccan state documents to "separatists" from Western Sahara.
The diplomat's expulsion comes as public opinion and political parties in Sweden are becoming increasingly sceptical towards the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. Sweden's Social Democratic Party has decided it would recognise Western Sahara as an independent state if it wins the 2010 elections.
COSATU calls for all countries to emulate the example of South Africa in recognising the genuine representative of the Saharawi people, the Polisario Front, and granting country-status to the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.
3.2 COSATU salutes UN General Assembly for supporting Goldstone report
Bongani Masuku COSATU's International Relations Secretary, 6 November 2009
COSATU has welcomed the adoption of the Goldstone report by the UN General Assembly following a two-day debate, which ended with 114 countries voting in favour of the resolution while 18 opposed it - including Germany, Israel and the United States - and 44 abstaining, including Britain, France and Russia.
China voted in favor. The General Assembly resolution calls on Israel and "the Palestinian side" to undertake within three months credible investigations into the report's charges.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN observer, called the resolution "an important night in the history of the General Assembly and the history of fighting against impunity and seeking accountability."
This confirms COSATU's long-held view that the world cannot be bullied by the US and Israel into accepting the lies of self-defence as a pretext to continue occupying and brutalising the people of Palestine. The truth is slowly, but steadily coming out and COSATU shall stand by it, whatever the odds.
COSATU reaffirms its view again that Israel is an apartheid state and apartheid is a crime against humanity.
4. Letters
4.1 COSATU must come to our rescue
Mbulelo Zololo, 6 November 2009
I am very concerned with what I see.
Ministers are indulging themselves from our sweat and hardworking tax money. I am just wondering where is COSATU now. COSATU says CEOs must cut their fat salary & stop getting big bonuses, I personally support that however I am shocked to see people in government enjoying themselves like this in spite of this current situation we are facing.
Can these minister stop to be on top positions for their own benefits only but also serve peoples' interest as they pretend to be.
COSATU please intervene in this issue, when it comes to money taken from Poor of the poorest people to enrich some individuals there is no conscience at all.
What is happening in government is shocking and surprising.
|
