COSATU Today, 7 February 2012
Patrick Craven
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Our side of the story
Tuesday 7 February 2012
Contents
Ø Outrage at rape and murder of woman worker
Ø NUM angry over worker rape and murder
Ø Outcome of COSATU Free State Provincial Shop Stewards Council
Ø Dismissal of Gautrain bus drivers
Ø SAMWU tests and welcomes Gauteng Provincial Hotline
Ø COSATU NW continues to demand the SIU report on corruption
Ø We need urgent intervention at National Health Laboratory Services
Ø Johannesburg action against India-EU FTA
Workers
Outrage at rape and murder of woman worker
Gertrude Mtsweni, COSATU National Gender Co-ordinator, 7 February 2012
COSATU is revolted and outraged at the reported rape and murder of a woman worker at the Khomanani mine in Rustenburg. She was found violated and dead underground at the mine yesterday afternoon, 6 February 2012.
Such an atrocity is a primitive act that takes us back to the stone age.
COSATU and its affiliates have fought long and hard for men and women to be treated equally at the workplace, not only by the bosses, but by every fellow worker as well. This heinous act needs an urgent response from our law enforcement agencies to apprehend the perpetrator(s) and from the employers to prevent similar events ever happening in the future.
The federation fully agrees with the National Union of Mineworkers that women workers who are already subjected to the evils of capitalism, face yet another challenge, “that of being invaded and killed by co-workers who are supposed to be their protectors and comrades in arms”.
COSATU unreservedly condemns this inhumane act and sends a word of comfort and condolence to the family and colleagues of this heroine of the working class who had to pay with her life in the struggle to ensure the equal treatment and emancipation of women in the workplace and in society.
Aluta Continua! Forward with the struggle for gender equality and women emancipation!
NUM angry over worker rape and murder
Lesiba Seshoka, NUM National Spokesman, 7 February 2012
The National Union of Mineworkers is disgusted at the reported rape and murder of a woman employee at Angloplatinum ‘s Khomanani mine in Rustenburg. The worker was found violated and dead underground at the mine yesterday afternoon. “We condemn the barbaric and neanderthal act that happened.
We call on the law enforcement agencies to ensure that no stone is left unturned and that perpetrators are brought to book” says Frans Baleni, the NUM ’s General Secretary. The National Union of Mineworkers is particularly disappointed that after many years of campaigning for equal rights and for women to be allowed to do any work, beasts would like to unceremoniously turn back the clock.
It is disappointing that women workers have to in pursuit of livelihoods, while being subjected to the evils of capitalism, face yet another challenge, that of being invaded and killed by co-workers who are supposed to be their protectors and comrades in arms. Although the culprits are still unknown, it is only beast men that can carry out the barbaric act as machinery do not have the capability to do that.
The National Union of Mineworkers appeals to female comrades to remain calm as investigations are underway. The NUM further appeals to the Department of Mineral Resources to reject any innuendo that seeks to bar women from working underground.
Outcome of COSATU Free State Provincial Shop Stewards Council
Sam Mashinini, COSATU Free State Provincial Secretary, 4 February 2012
COSATU in the Free State held its Provincial Shop Stewards Council on 4th February 2012. It was attended by its 17 affiliates across the length and breadth of the province and by more than 1000 shop stewards from across the sectors both public and private.
The council was blessed by the presence of the alliance partners, the SACP and the ANC who delivered their messages of support. The President of COSATU Cde Sdumo Dlamini addressed the council as the key speaker. The main purpose of the council was to mobilise the stewards and workers on the ground for the coming national strike against labour broking and e-tolling on 7 March 2012.
Firstly, the 1000 stewards who attended the council spoke with one voice that workers on the ground are sick and tired about the labour brokers who continue to exploit workers at different companies where they are employed whilst their bosses continue to rake in super-profits.
Secondly, the council also adopted a mobilization program beginning on 6 February 2012 against the e-tolling system that is being imposed to workers and communities. The levels of poverty and unemployment in South Africa are high. E-tolling cannot be a solution to eradicate poverty; instead it exacerbates poverty and inequality. In fact e-tolling is a system of capitalism and will benefit only those that are financially healthy and not the poor.
Thirdly, the council also expressed its support to the ANC NDCA decision on its decision and further confirmed that the matter of discipline within the ANC remains an ANC matter.
Fourthly, the council expressed its disappointment on the fact that COSATU was not given a platform to deliver the message of support to the ANC Centenary celebrations held at Mangaung. The council took a decision that this matter should be taken up with the upper structures of the Federation.
Finally the Council adopted the programme of action for 2012 and agreed that this will be the guiding document for the province for the year.
Dismissal of Gautrain bus drivers
Pat Ntsobi, SACP Gauteng Provincial Spokesperson, 7 February 2012
The SACP Gauteng Province is dismayed by the recent dismissal of over 300 Gautrain bus drivers by their employer Mega Express. These workers have been at loggerheads with their employer to recognize their rights as enshrined in the Labour Relations Act and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. It has come to our attention that workers in this company are denied the right to collective bargaining and the employer unilaterally decides on their conditions of employment.
As the SACP Gauteng Province, we condemn the suppression of the rights of these employees by the employer as it only exposes the conviction of Mega Express to subject the workers to undertake their working responsibility under unfavorable conditions. It is only prudent that the employer must provide transport to these workers, especially given that their shifts start at 4h00 in the morning ending at around 14h30, without food and reasonable break to go to restrooms.
We are also disappointed that the BEE partners in the Gautrain Consortium (Bombela) have not said a word whilst the workers are being exploited by foreign operators. We have also noted with contempt the intention of the capitalists, to subject workers into starvation whilst they stand aside to receive more profits made by the workers, all in the name of attracting foreign investment and developing local infrastructure. It is for these reasons that we, as the SACP Gauteng Province, will continue to fight sharply against the exploitation of labour by capital.
South Africa
SAMWU tests and welcomes Gauteng Provincial Hotline
Tahir Sema, SAMWU National Media and Publicity Officer, 7 February 2012
The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) - the largest Local Government Union - welcomes the Gauteng Provincial Hotline launched by Premier Nomvula Paula Mokonyane in the Province. We have no doubt that this hotline will be used extensively, by Gautengers, to report service delivery challenges, fraud and corruption and all other related problems – of which there are no shortages of.
The service must be welcomed because it empowers citizens to hold local politicians and local authorities accountable. The hotline will also come as a massive relief for citizens who had been plagued by the notorious billing crisis in the City of Johannesburg.
SAMWU personally tested the Hotline services this morning and it worked well in receiving our call. We certainly would monitor the service from time to time, to ensure it functions as intended to.
We are of the opinion that South Africa needs many more professional services to empower its people. We only hope that all other Provincial Departments around the country implement a similar kind of service to assist communities in dealing with day to day challenges.
Lastly, the Union would like to encourage the Gauteng Provincial Government to extend the Hotline to social media platforms as well, to ensure it is easily accessible to as many people as possible and it is properly utilised.
COSATU NW continues to demand the SIU report on corruption
Solly Phetoe, COSATU North West Provincial Secretary, 7 February 2012
COSATU in the North West will not lose momentum in its campaign to demand to see the SIU investigation report which was proclaimed in 2009.
The SIU was commissioned to investigate 24 municipalities, but to our surprise the summary overview that we received contains a report from only eight municipalities.
As COSATU we are of the view that the summary overview has been edited to hide some information from us as we have observed that some municipalities which are not part of the report are continuing to conduct disciplinary actions related to the SIU’s activities.
To our surprise there is nothing happening in municipalities like Madibeng where the report has revealed that there are elements of corruption. For example a tender of more than R5 million was awarded to one service provider who is not registered for VAT and there were other irregularities which amount to more than R135 million if all added together and nothing is happening in that municipality.
The overview also shows the inflation of a tender of over R10 million in the same municipality of Madibeng.
The overview is quite detailed and shows that Madibeng is the worst municipality in the province but it fails to do the same with other municipalities.
COSATU was promised by the premier and the deputy minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs in Rustenburg on 13 October 2011 that we will get both the SIU report and the report done by the former minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Sicelo Shiceka, but up to now, four months down the line, we have not received the report but just a summary overview of the SIU investigation.
COSATU calls on the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Hon Richard Baloyi, to release the report un-edited to us as promised. Failure to do so will leave us with no option but to refer the matter to the courts as the report should be for the public.
COSATU will support its affiliate SAMWU on its intended protest action in the municipalities across the province which are related to the incidents which we believe were part of the investigation mandate.
As COSATU we will be part of the mass action of the communities of Madibeng fighting against poor service delivery, fight against corruption and that those who are implicated must be charged and arrested.
The local action against Madibeng is taking place on 13 February 2012 to hand over a memorandum to the MEC.
We need urgent intervention at National Health Laboratory Services
Sizwe Pamla, NEHAWU Media Liaison Officer, 7 February 2012
NEHAWU is seriously alarmed by reports that a number of laboratories under National Health Laboratory Services {NHLS} have been closed and more will be shutdown because of financial limitations. This follows allegations that some provinces have failed to settle their debts to the NHLS. This situation never arose when these laboratories were fully run by government institutions, in particular government hospitals.
Time and again we have seen how outsourcing, privatisation and public private partnerships {ppp’s} have resulted in disastrous situations where the members of the public are made to pay with their lives. That is why NEHAWU argued against the establishment of the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) from the onset but that fell on deaf ears at the time. We hope that what is happening in NHLS today is a critical lesson to the National Department of Health.
We must learn from the insights of the then KwaZulu/Natal Department of Health which resisted integration into NHLS until an act of parliament was passed. Clinical logic dictates that you cannot distance diagnostic tools from the sick if you want to urgently deal with human suffering. The current situation in NHLS is very worrying for those who are solely reliant on the public health sector for their health needs and services. The fast and precise processing of diagnostic tests is very critical in amongst others, the fight against TB, HIV, cancer, anaemia etc. We urge the national department of Health and Treasury to intervene before the situation worsen.
The closures of laboratories will also negatively affect staff members from the closed laboratories because they will be forced to relocate to other workplaces, inconveniencing them greatly. The NHLS cannot afford to lose some of its skilled employees at a time when all attempts are being made to attract and retain scarce skills in the public health sector.
NEHAWU is concerned by reports that there is a moratorium on hiring new staff. This means that laboratory employees are forced to work overtime with no overtime allowances because of financial constraints. All of this does nothing to convince workers that they are valued and appreciated by the public health sector, therefore leaving room for the private sector to poach these highly skilled workers.
The department of health need to also investigate allegations by some provinces that the NHLS is far from being cost effective as was initially intended when it was formed. If this is found to be true, corrective measures should be immediately taken to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, this is all happening after the NHLS was established as a single public entity governed by a Board, which is practically the same as outsourcing from the public sector.
The National Health Laboratory Service Act states that the objective of the NHLS is to provide “cost-effective and efficient health laboratory services to all public sector health-care providers and to any other government institution inside and outside of the Republic that may require such services”.
Over 70% of people in South Africa rely on services provided by the NHLS and the current situation will prove disastrous if not resolved immediately. The immediate priority for now is to prevent the laboratory closures, but ultimately there is an urgent need to explore the revision of the fee structure to avoid this situation from happening again.
ANC NEC Meeting
Gwede Mantashe, ANC Secretary General, 6 February 2012
The ANC National Executive Committee held its first NEC meeting this year over four days from the 2nd – 5th February 2012 at the Saint George Hotel in Tshwane. Given the fact that this was our first meeting and the fact that this will be the busiest year in the political calendar of the ANC, we addressed a number of crucial issues.
These ranged from the political overview of the President, assessment of the centenary celebrations, progress report on the past July Lekgotla, preparations for the national policy conference as well as the national elective conference. The meeting also considered discussion documents for the policy conference and also discussed the building of a capable state and building a vibrant ANC.
Arising out of the President’s overview the NEC agreed that the renewal of the ANC was an urgent task and that political education must be stepped up. The meeting agreed that the ANC led government must redouble its effort to create jobs and reduce poverty. It was also agreed that there is a need to put emphasis in the implementation of our policies.
The President in his overview thanked the leaders and members of the ANC for having ensured that as we celebrate the hundred years we do so having achieved the 1 million membership target.
Comrade Nkosazana Zuma-Dlamini was congratulated by the NEC for a formidable showing in contesting the position of the Chairpersonship of the AU Commission, during the African Union Summit in Adis-Ababa. The NEC is of the view that South Africa should strive to impact positively on the politics of the continent and the AU. A coherent plan will be developed on the approach to the July AU Summit.
The meeting also congratulated the National Chairperson of the ANC Comrade Baleka Mbete for her unanimous appointment by the AU into the panel of the eminent persons tasked with the African Peer Review Mechanism.
Centenary celebration
The meeting acknowledged that Mangaung centenary celebrations, was a resounding success. The meeting acknowledged the positive response with which the people of South Africa responded to our centenary celebrations. The meeting also acknowledged and appreciated the presence and messages received from visiting Heads of State, the former anti-apartheid movements, former liberation movements and other categories of visiting dignitaries. The positive response by South African opposition parties was equally acknowledged.
The meeting used the opportunity to thank all categories of participants in the January events including the artists, volunteers, faith based organisations, traditional healers and traditional leaders. Sponsors of celebration events were acknowledged and thanked.
The ANC after discussing the challenges that arose in the logistics section has decided to build and strengthen its marshals structures, its protocol structures as well as its accreditation and registration mechanisms.
The meeting also considered progress made with regards to the ANC Heritage Institute, a legacy project of our 100 years of existence. The NEC endorsed the Project Management Team of the ANC Heritage Institute. Comrade Naledi Pandor was appointed by the NEC as the Political Head of the Heritage Institute and Comrade Pallo Jordan as her Deputy.
The NEC meeting received a presentation on the National Develop Plan. This was discussed and approved as a necessary guide to ensure that the country has a clear plan and vision that will address the social and economic challenges facing our country. The National Development Plan was adopted as a framework for national planning. The infrastructure draft plan was tabled and debated.
Reports on the past July lekgotla were presented and considered by the meeting. It was agreed that sufficient progress has been made in almost all the areas that were identified as key to job creation, economic development and poverty eradication. The NEC agreed that none-the-less there is still a lot that needs to be done.
With regards to the National Policy Conference, the meeting agreed that the policy conference will take place on 26th-29th June 2012 at Gallagher Estate. The meeting agreed that the policy conference is part of the preparations for the 53rd National Conference which will take place on 16th-20th December 2012 in Mangaung.
The National Coordinating Committee under the Chairpersonship of the Secretary General, Comrade Gwede Mantashe was also approved by the NEC. The NCC will be responsible for the preparations of both the policy conference and the elective conference. The Convenors of the various functional areas of the NCC are:
- Deputy Secretary General, Thandi Modise
- Treasurer General, Matthew Phosa
- National Spokesperson, Jackson Mthembu
- National Head of Policy, Jeff Radebe
- NEC Member, Sphiwe Nyanda
- NEC Member, Lindiwe Zulu
The NEC has agreed to convene a special NEC meeting urgently to finalise the discussion documents for the policy conference in June, including our strategic outlook into the next century.
The meeting agreed that the planned Socialist International Conference requires more planning and the date for its holding will be confirmed in the next meeting of the NEC.
On the issue of the political school of the ANC, the NEC meeting agreed that with the farm having been bought, the process of building the school must resume in a phased approach. NEC agreed that members of the ANC and supporters will be asked to contribute towards the building of the school.
Details of the bank account will be circulated to all structures of the ANC. The NEC also agreed that the programme of political education should be started immediately and not await the construction of the physical school.
The Limpopo Provincial Conference was endorsed by the ANC and it was agreed that disputes received from branches of the ANC will be investigated and a report tabled once the investigation is completed.
The NEC received a number of presentations of draft policy documents that will be circulated to ANC branches for discussions in preparation for the national policy conference. The following NEC Sub-committees presented:
· Legislation and Governance,
· Political Education,
· Social Transformation,
· Economic Transformation,
· SOEs and DFIs,
· Education and Health,
· Infrastructure Development,
· Media and Communication
· International Relations and
· Commission on Religious and Traditional Affairs.
The NEC has taken a firm decision to improve and strengthen our communication capacity and ability at all levels of government so as to put us in good stead to communicate our achievements.
The NEC has ushered in a discussion on the building of a vibrant ANC with effective structures and improving the capacity of the State.
International
Johannesburg action against India-EU FTA
Kate Ribet, MSF SA Communications Officer, 7 February 2012
Members of MSF-SA, TAC, Section 27 and He-Tic will picket at the Consulate General of India this Wednesday, 8th February to voice their concerns about the anti-public health policies being pushed on India by the European Union as part of a free trade agreement being discussed at the upcoming EU-India Summit in New Delhi on 10th February
WHERE: Outside the Consulate General of India, No.1, Eton Road (Corner Jan Smuts Avenue & Eton Road), Parktown, Johannesburg
WHEN: 12h00 on Wednesday 8th February
WHY: India and the European Union are currently negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) which includes provisions that could threaten production in India of affordable, high-quality generic medicines for HIV, cancer, mental illness, heart disease, and others.
Because of its strong generic pharmaceutical industry, India has long been considered "the pharmacy of the developing world”:
- Indian generics helped to bring down the price of anti-retrovirals (ARVs) from R5,000 in the 1990s to less than R100 a month today.
- 80% of people living with HIV and receiving treatment in developing countries use Indian generic ARVs.
- Over 90% of pediatric AIDS medicines are supplied by Indian generics.
Currently, the EU is pushing for India to adopt measures which could choke generic production in the country, potentially threatening access to medicines for millions of people worldwide.
Negotiations on the proposed India-EU FTA will culminate at the EU-India Summit, taking place in New Delhi on 10th February. At the Summit, the EU and India will finalise a political framework for the FTA, and both sides will announce their “trade-offs”. India must not give into pressure from EU to accept provisions that will restrict generic production and harm public health.
Feb 3-10 marks a GLOBAL week of action against the anti-public health proposals in the India-EU FTA. By picketing at the Indian embassy on Wed 8th Feb, TAC, MSF, Section27 and He-Tic will add their voices to those around the world who are sending a message to India and the EU that their lives are not for sale and cannot be traded away.
Patrick Craven (National Spokesperson)
Congress of South African Trade Unions
1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets
Braamfontein
2017
P.O.Box 1019
Johannesburg
South Africa
Tel: +27 11 339-4911/24
Fax: +27 11 339-5080 / 6940
Mobile: +27 82 821 7456
E-Mail: pat...@cosatu.org.za
