COSATU Today, 10 February 2012
Patrick Craven
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Our side of the story
Friday 10 February 2012
Contents
Ø COSATU responds to State of the Nation Address
Ø FAWU Welcomes inspiring State of the Nation Address
Ø SADTU welcomes President Zuma’s State of the Nation speech
Ø DENOSA on State of the Nation Address
Ø DA’s comment on the SON contradictory
Ø Civil Society Action ahead of India-EU Summit on FTA
Ø Speeches to 6th Presidential Council of World Federation of Trade Unions
Ø The fight against the Secrecy Bill is not over!
South Africa
COSATU responds to State of the Nation Address
Patrick Craven, COSATU National Spokesperson, 10 February 2012
We particularly welcome the ambitious plans for infrastructure development of roads, rail, ports and water, and the beneficiation strategy, which seeks to provide opportunities in the downstream part of the minerals sector.
If all these plans are fully implemented, they will play a major part in both creating jobs directly and laying the foundations for a modern, manufacturing-based economy, in line with the New Growth Path and Industrial Policy Actions Plans, which could create long-term, sustainable employment and make a big difference in achieving the target of five million jobs by 2020.
We would however caution against the emphasis on creating conditions to make it easier and cheaper for business to export minerals, which could conflict with the priority to promote industrialisation and beneficiation. A danger of this approach is that it will start a new mass movement by the rural poor to the new sites of development which will not be able to absorb the millions who are condemned to poverty in the rural areas.
The fall in the official rate of joblessness from 25% to 23.9% and by the expanded definition, which includes discouraged work-seekers from 36% to 35.4%, is welcome, but we agree with the President that “we are not out of the woods yet, given the global economic situation”. These levels are still completely unacceptable and it represents a catastrophe. We should not normalise a completely abnormal situation.
Whilst it is welcome news that there were more than 2500 applications to the Jobs Fund, with projects worth R8.4 billion approved, and R1.5 billion already approved to support firms, the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality persist.
We also welcome that, as in 2011, there was no reference to a youth wage subsidy, which the ANC NGC so decisively rejected in 2005.
We applaud the call for a presidential summit on infrastructure, and for a pact between all South Africans – including business, labour, municipalities, communities and all customers and suppliers – to ensure that Eskom and the electricity supply industry remain financially viable and sustainable and affordable, especially for the poor.
These proposals are in line with the thinking behind the accords which have already been signed on other crucial areas of the economy – basic education, green economy, skills development and local procurement, which are an excellent way of making policy-formulation and implementation a collective effort involving all South Africans.
The news that we have installed more than 220 000 solar geysers nationwide and have a target of one million solar geysers by 2014-2015 is very encouraging.
While rightly congratulating the country on the improved matric results and the doubling of Grade R enrolment, from 300 000 in 2003 to 705 000 in 2011, and acknowledging the unacceptable rate of drop out between grade 11 and grade 12, he did not go far enough in addressing the structural crisis in our public education service which led, for example, to the government’s Section 100 1 (b) intervention in the Eastern Cape.
We also cannot ignore the fact that of the 923 463 children began Grade 1 in 2000, only 496 090 wrote matric in 2011. Nearly half dropped out of school along the way.
On land reform, the President admitted that we have only distributed 8% of the 30% target of land redistribution for 2014 and conceded that “the willing buyer- willing seller option has not been the best way to address this question”. He did not however speak about the need to ensure that the land is utilised effectively so that we end the situation where 72% of the redistributed land is not utilised.
We note with interest that although the President conceded that abusive practices are ‘inherent’ in labour broking, he refused to announce that it is to be banned, as COSATU is demanding; he only addressed the problem of how to stop such ‘inherent’ abuses through regulation. COSATU insist that there can be no decent work under labour brokers.
COSATU applauds the 5% decline in crime, but on corruption, while appreciating the compliment to COSATU for establishing Corruption Watch, we were disappointed that the President failed to appreciate the depth and extent of this crisis.
If corruption is not rooted out it could jeopardise all the ambitions programme to develop our infrastructure, as corrupt tenderpreneurs move in to exploit new opportunities to get rich. The over-reliance on tenders and private investment, with no steps announced to build the dysfunctional state apparatus, could lead to the benefits once again only reaching an already wealthy minority.
We welcome the government programme on HIV and AIDS but would have liked the President to grab the opportunity with both hands to talk about ‘ABC’ - abstain, be faithful and condomise - as the cornerstones of government’s prevention programme.
We are also very pleased that government has finally addressed the problem of the category of workers who earn too much to receive government grants for RDP houses and too little to get bonds from the banks. Yesterday’s announcement for a new subsidy and loan system directly addresses the core of COSATU members earning over R3500 but less than R7000 a month.
FAWU Welcomes inspiring State of the Nation Address
Katishi Masemola, FAWU General Secretary, 9 February 2012
FAWU has welcomed the inspiring State of the Nation (SotN) Address delivered by the State President JG Zuma as frank about current challenges, especially triple challenge of unemployment, poverty and inequalities, and as optimistic about the commitment and plans to deal with this as well as the tackling of the cancer of corruption, the poor service delivery, the slow pace of land reform, and the decaying or deficit infrastructure.
We particularly welcome the job creation being the focus of the massive infrastructure roll-out on both the social infrastructure and economic infrastructure to lay the basis for sustained economic growth alongside commitment to improved and expanded education and skills development.
We however, call on the central government to step up and expedite the formation of national procurement agency and to mount increased investigation of alleged corruption in various local municipalities, provincial administration and national departments before it is too late to arrest and reverse corruption and to address capacity-building for increased and improved service delivery to the poor communities.
As FAWU, we will cooperate with government and organized agriculture, as part of Green Paper engagement, in the finding of acceptable mechanism for a speedy land reform delivery and the transformation of ownership patterns in agriculture, with focus on the empowerment of the poor, farm dwellers and small-scale farmers.
We still wish to see much more focused and deeper plans on the creation of Green Jobs and agro-processing sector becoming one of the job drivers. We still hope that this will find expression from the budget speech by the Minister of Economic Development later in the year.
SADTU welcomes President Zuma’s State of the Nation speech
Nomusa Cembi, SADTU Media Officer, 10 February 2012
SADTU has welcomed the state of the nation address by President Jacob Zuma inviting the nation to join government in a massive infrastructure development drive.
We are pleased the government has increased allocation for infrastructure development which will benefit the country by improving infrastructure, creating employment and boosting the economy. Job creation is crucial.
However, we are concerned that education - one of five government priorities - did not receive as much mention as in previous years. Announcements on education were also thin on detail.
We commend the President for congratulating the teachers, parents and learners for the improved matric results; and the teacher unions for supporting the Quality Teaching and Learning Campaign.
We are disappointed at the President’s silence on the opening of Teacher Training Colleges. The country is experiencing a shortage of teachers and we believe the current training at Universities is not sufficient to close the gap. The opening of Teacher Training Colleges would also assist in skilling and developing practicing teachers who urgently need constant upgrading in the face of the changing curriculum.
We are pleased with the doubling of Grade R learner enrollment, the number of learners attending no-fee schools and the millions who benefit from school feeding schemes. We would have liked to hear the President pronouncing on the improvement of conditions of service of Foundation phase teachers in particular and other teachers in general.
On the no-fee schools and the school feeding schemes, many schools do not receive their financial allocations on time due to red tape and corruption. If these evils are not tackled, the gains may be reversed.
The announcement of a housing subsidy fund for those who don’t qualify for RDP houses and yet earn too little to access mortgage bonds is music to the ears of teachers as many fall within this category.
We also welcome the Government’s intervention in the Eastern Cape by instituting Section 100(1). We hope this intervention will improve the delivery of education in the province
The announcement of a R30 million allocation for preparatory work towards building new universities in the North West and Mpumalanga and Northern Cape is more than welcome.
The stampede at UJ which cost the life of a mother accompanying her son to apply for a place in the institution showed the hunger for education in our youth.
Government should create more avenues for tertiary education. Never again should we be subjected to such painful experiences in the quest for tertiary education.
We echo the President’s call to encourage learners to go to FET colleges and not to think that universities are the only institutions that offer skills and training.
DENOSA on State of the Nation Address
Asanda Fongqo, DENOSA Communications Manager, 10 February 2012
The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa notes the State Of The Nation Address delivered by President Jacob Zuma on the ANC centenary year last night. DENOSA welcomes the strong emphasis on infrastructural development as we believe that this will stimulate economic growth in the country.
“The focus on improving the state of provinces and rural development is heartening as in itself will create job opportunities for our people”, says DENOSA President Dorothy Matebeni. We are encouraged that despite steady progress since 2009, President Zuma has acknowledged that there is still a serious challenge with regards to dealing with inequality, unemployment and poverty.
The pronouncement on the R1 billion fund that will commence in April to assist those people who do not qualify for both RDP houses and bonds is revolutionary as Nurses in particular fall into this category. We hope that this progressive decision will be implemented to the latter.
DENOSA welcomes the proposed housing subsidy of up to R83 000 which will be received by workers who earn between R3 000 and R15 000. President Zuma’s pronouncements on health are also encouraging. “The refurbishment of hospitals and nurses homes is indeed in line with our call to fix our health facilities in preparation to the successful roll out of the all-important National Health Insurance”, says Matebeni.
We note with appreciation the success of the HIV and AIDS programme which is led by Deputy President Kgalema Montlanthe and Health Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi. The increased efforts in preventing mother to child transmission are fundamental.
President Zuma has encouraged all people in South Africa to live a healthy lifestyle. As DENOSA we are currently embarking on a Non-Communicable Disease project in the North West province to assist the fight against diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases etc.
We are however concerned that the President was not specific on some fundamental issues confronting our health system. “We would have liked to hear the President addressing the chronic issue of filling vacant posts in health and its support stuff”, says Matebeni. In the final analysis, DENOSA reiterates its commitment to work together with all stakeholders not only in health but in other sectors, to take our country forward.
DA’s comment on the SON contradictory
Tony Ehrenreich, COSATU W Cape Provincial Secretary, 10 February 2012
The Premier and leader of the DA spoke to the SON address and said the State has an important role to play in development, and she appears to have been persuaded by the discussions at the Cabinet Bosberaad. She has I would venture seen the foolishness of her position and given up the free marker for everything mantra. Her leader in the Parliament however is still giving the Party dogma and repeating the market at all cost slogans, as articulated by Mazibuko, in her comments on the state of the Nation
This once again shows the lack of coherent plans for Governing of the DA, they should stick to their role of criticizing everything, and it’s clearly what they are capable of.
International
Civil Society Action ahead of India-EU Summit on FTA
Mark Heywood, SECTION 27, 9 February 2012
Between 45 and 50 activists from the east of Johannesburg in South Africa including members from Health Education-Training and Information Centre (HE-TIC), Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), Section 27 and Médecins Sans Frontierès (MSF) joined in the picket outside the Indian consulate in Parktown yesterday.
Oliver Moldenhauer, MSF’s Advocacy Coordinator in Swaziland gave the opening address, sharing with the gathered activists the purpose of the picket. Moldenhauer gave background to why India has been called the ‘pharmacy of the developing world’; which he said is credited to its production of a large number of high-quality, affordable generic medicines.
“Thanks in large part to competition stemming from Indian generics, the price of first-line ARVs dropped from nearly R5,000 a month in the 1990s to less than R100 a month today” said Moldenhauer.
Section 27 Executive Director, Mark Heywood further encouraged the activists to put a close eye on the negotiations because the outcomes of this summit promise to have tremendous impact on millions of lives across developing countries, and on the history of the HIV struggle for access to quality and affordable drugs.
Through song and engagement with speakers, the activists expressed the need to continue beyond the day’s demonstration; and raised hope by remembering other milestones reached to date such as the 2001 court case won to licence generic drugs in South Africa, which paved the way for affordable access to ARVs.
A memorandum was signed and handed over to Consul Nandan Singh Bhairosa, although it was not in his capacity to sign; he showed solidarity was welcomed and interest for future engagements.
The key message shared by demonstrators was for the Indian government to stand strong and firm and not succumb to pressure to accept European Union’s conditions on the FTA that may potentially reverse the fight for quality and affordable drugs. With a unified voice and noted in the memorandum, activists said ‘our lives are not for sale-our lives are not to be traded off!’
Speeches to 6th Presidential Council of World Federation of Trade Unions
Sidumo Dlamini, COSATU President, 9 February 2012
COSATU is pleased to have been invited to give a welcoming address to this important meeting. We would like to thank and congratulate NEHAWU, NUMSA, CEPPWAWU and POPCRU for successfully taking up the responsibility of hosting this important meeting on South African soil.
COSATU comes to this meeting not just as an invited guest but as one of your own.
It is a known fact that we share similar ideological perspectives on what should be the solution to almost all the political and economic challenges confronting the world today.
If we were to be asked as to what is the most sustainable solution to the challenges confronting the world today we all can answer without any ambiguity that Socialism is the answer!
It is for this reason that we will be entering into a discussion about the type of a relationship we must have with the WFTU and how such a relationship can take forward our commitment to achieve unity between the WFTU and the ITUC. In the meantime we are clear that we must cooperate on the basis of our common agenda to achieve socialism.
The current challenges confronting the world today, which are manifested as poverty, unemployment and inequality, attest to the fact that capitalism is a big scam and the world in looking for a way out!
The question is whether we have made people to see Socialism as a way out or we think it is common sense that Socialism is the answer!
I must say that it is unfortunate that when this inhumane system has been exposed at all levels of society the left forces in the world do not speak with one voice and present their own alternatives.
People in North Africa, in the Arabian Peninsula, in Europe and in USA are crying out loud for leadership and my observation is that we have behaved as if someone else must provide leadership.
The fact of the matter is that no one will ever stand up and fight on our behalf , even if they try they will be doing so on their own behalf and the outcome will never be on our favour.
The Communist Manifesto explains this well when it says that “of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie..., the proletariat alone is a really revolutionary class. The other classes decay and finally disappear in the face of modern industry; the proletariat is its special and essential product. The lower middle class , the small manufacturer, the shopkeeper, the artisan, the peasant, all these fight against the bourgeoisie to save from extinction their existence as fractions of the middle class. They are therefore not revolutionary, but conservative. If by any chance they are revolutionary , they are so only in view of their impending transfer into the proletariat , they thus defend not their present , but their future interests; they desert their own standpoint to place themselves at that of the proletariat”.
We are certain that your discussions in this meeting will be about the alternatives that the left forces must present to society given the glaring failures of capitalism.
We are certain that this meeting will be preoccupied with discussions on how to present practical and workable alternative solutions to address the growing levels of poverty, unemployment and inequality facing the world.
It is unacceptable that out of the 7 billion human beings that occupy this planet more than 925 million of them remains hungry without hope for any improvement given the deepening economic crisis.
In 2008 when the economic crisis erupted it was reported that during that very same period food price increased and the spike pushed around 100 million extra people into poverty, and as I speak more than 44 million more people have been pushed into poverty. How can this happen and the world keeps quiet and not openly point out that Capitalism has failed humanity.
As this meeting sit, we must know that according to a recent report by the ILO, about 1.1 billion people in the world are either unemployed or living in poverty.
We must know that we carry a heavy burden to provide answers to desperate people who wake up every day hoping to find a job.
It is us, the left axis in the world, who must provide an answer on how build the 600 million jobs needed to sustain economic growth and maintain social stability.
It is us who must table a solution before society on how to address unemployment by the more than 74.8 million youths who are part of the 3.3 billion global labour force.
It is us who must stand up and put a stop to the fact that these high levels of global poverty and unemployment coexist with high levels of accumulation which continues to happen at the expense of the working class and despite the fact that there was a global economic crisis.
The “World Wealth Report”, revealed that the assets of the wealthy in 2010 rose by almost 1% to a record high of US$42.7 trillion. Their wealth has even exceeded the peak of US$40.7 trillion reached in 2007 before the financial crisis. In Germany there are 924,000 millionaires, according to the study—an increase of 7.2%. Among the super-rich in Germany there are 839 households with wealth exceeding US$100 million.
I am worried that even in China there are similar trends. The number of dollar billionaires in the China has reached at least 271, up from 189 last year.
The average wealth of the 1,000 richest individuals — 5.9 billion Yuan (equivalent to US%923 million) — represented a 20% increase from 2010, while the hurdle for entry into the rich 1,000 list is now US$310 million, up from last year’s US%220 million.
We are worried that instead of being ashamed and humiliated, advocates of this inhuman system have been given more political space to manoeuvre and to continue with the big scam that capitalism is. When is this going to end comrades?
The fact of the matter is that what we see happening in Europe, Tunisia, Egypt and the USA is a sign that the people are taking the initiative. The question is whether the socialist forces are there to illuminate the course and guide these struggles.
This gathering must provide answers to this important question of leadership.
George Mavrikos, WFTU General Secretary, 9 February 2012
We are meeting ten months after the historic congress of our organisation which strengthened the WFTU. Ten months after the 16th World Trade Union Congress where the WFTU showed that it’s alive and strong, that it represents the international class-oriented trade union movement and it is able to organize open and democratic congresses. Ten months after that, the decisions that we took - ‘The Athens Pact’ is not only a question of present interest but also proves the right analyses that we made for today’s politico-economic situation and that we are ready to organize the struggle in a better way.
We meet in South Africa, in the country with a rich history of struggles and we express our respect and our appreciation to this country and its people. We express our thanks to the leaderships of NUMSA, NEHAWU, CEPPWAWU and POPCRU for their hospitality, their reception and the cover of such Meeting with the participation of high level trade unionist leaders from 28 countries of the five continents. We thank all those who have helped us to be here today.
Today, there are three basic facts in workers’ reality and life.
First of all - a deepening capitalist crisis together with an effort of the bourgeoisie to lose the minimum possible in the crisis by transferring a big burden to the working class and the popular layers.
The crisis started in the USA, embraced all Europe and it is expanding throughout the World. The crisis sharpened the inter-capitalist rivalries between the Euro and the Dollar, between Germany and France and among their allies. The crisis is used and salaries, pensions and social rights are cut while privatizations are generalized. The situation is also difficult in most African countries for ordinary people. Colonialism ended but capitalism continues. Colonialists left and come right back through transnational corporations, cartels, monopoles, through neoconservatives and social democrat governments. Africa is very rich in resources but it has very poor workers. This is confirmed by the UN data published in December 2010 on average life expectancy:
- Angola 47 years old
- Chad 49 years old
- Lesotho 47 years old
- Mozambique 49 years old
- Rwanda 49 years old
- Nigeria 49 years old
In total 16 African countries have average life expectancy under 50.
Throughout the world the great problem for the working class, for youth and working women is unemployment. The capitalists, under conditions of deep economic crisis, are trying to divide a job among 2-3 part-time employees.
Unemployment, however, cannot be faced with such anti-labor policies. It will grow continuously.
On the basis of the recent data published by the ILO, there are already one billion unemployed poor workers in the World.
- 900 million workers live with “income” lower that 2 Euros per day.
- In Spain there are 5.3 million unemployed workers, 3 million in France, one million in Greece. The total real number of unemployed workers in the European Union exceeds 24 million; the majority of them women and young workers.
So the immediate task for the unions is to support unemployed workers to survive, to make sure that they have food, electricity, medicines, clean water; that they have economic and social support from the government and public institutions.
At the same time we need to uncover the causes of unemployment. To make the working class understand that a final solution within capitalism cannot be given. To understand that the struggle against unemployment is a main basic front for the WFTU.
Second, a main characteristic of this period is the tension of intra-imperialist rivalries and their expression through the tough aggressiveness of NATO, the EU and their allies.
In the last period there is a strong imperialist aggression especially against those peoples who are resisting the plans of the USA, NATO and their allies.
In Syria the foreign imperialist aggression continues. Arab countries that have kings and reactionary regimes are used to promote the plans of the imperialists. In Libya the conflicts continue. While in the Persian Gulf the imperialists, the European Union have imposed an embargo on Iran with the excuse of its nuclear program. The USA and the European Union slander socialist Cuba with the pretext of the death of a criminal in prison; Israel continues its attacks on the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian People. The Government of Turkey threatens Cyprus and it uses the "Muslim brothers". In fact, Turkish governments are the most firm allies of the USA and Israel in the region.
The position of the WFTU is firm. The people are the only responsible to decide freely and democratically for the present and future. The WFTU is against the plans of imperialists and against imperialist wars and it organizes campaigns for internationalism and solidarity with those people suffering from the imperialists.
The WFTU affiliates and friends in Nigeria and in Africa need to be in struggling readiness because the USA, the transnational corporations and the international capital have plans for the division of the wealthy Nigeria in two or more States.
The third characteristic, we have the struggle of the working class and the popular layers that gets more intense and gives more hope and perspective to the peoples and the workers. The latter fight back and their struggle intensify every day. The example of the great strike in Nigeria with many deaths, the many months of struggle of SME in Mexico, the strike of many days of the heroic steel workers in Greece, the strike of workers in Kazakhstan, the workers in the banana plantations in Panama, the struggle of workers in the Panama Canal, in Portugal, in India, in Thailand, in Italy, in Poland, in Bulgaria, in Belgium, in the metal sector and transnational corporations in South Africa, in the food sector in Colombia, in the mining sector in Peru, in the public sector in England, the youth in Chile, the protest in Wall Street… all these examples prove that big sections of workers in all continents resist the anti-labour policies applied by both neoliberal and social democrat governments. Today, under conditions of deep capitalist crisis, under conditions of decay of the capitalist system, the struggles of workers, of poor peasants, of the youth are the optimistic hope and the only way to generalize the counterattack of workers against the system of capitalist exploitation.
Nowadays, under such conditions, the expression of internationalist solidarity is more than necessary. On one hand, the struggle of each trade union organization in its country being class-oriented, confronting the employers with acute forms of struggle and keeping pace with other popular layers are a great contribution to the internationalist duty. On the other hand, the expression of solidarity with the struggle of our comrades in other countries should get stronger. This solidarity should be a subject discussed at factories, at workplaces where workers will be informed, encouraged and will understand that they are not alone in the struggle, that working class unity at international level can bring positive results. Inside transnational corporations and strategic branches. Everywhere.
Our efforts should be at such a scale that the various arguments used by governments and the mass media to slander the working class struggles cannot be applied.
Another essential aspect of internationalism and workers solidarity is the sharing of experience, the use and transmission of this experience for struggles to become more active, to be better organized and to get better results for the working class.
We all have the duty to continuously reinforce the internationalist character of the WFTU.
What kind of trade unions we want
We as the leadership of today’s FSM claim that, under the conditions we live in, the international working class and the people need an international trade union organization which will basically have the following main characteristics and those are the characteristics that we would like and we try to have the WFTU:
1. Class orientation and revolutionary thinking, which will emphasize that we’re talking about an organization of workers that firmly fights against capital and against imperialism. Trade unions that are independent from governments and capitalists.
2. Democratic and open dealings with simple people; reforms at all levels, supporting leaders who will come from the basis of society, who will be honest, will respect criticism and self-criticism, and also discipline, leaders who will fight bureaucracy and corruption.
3. The kind of unity that will unite all workers, irrespective of sex, color or religion; it will unite workers, poor farmers and the youth in order to include them all in the fight against capital and the monopolist companies; it will unite them in the struggle and teach them not to step back or give up.
4. Its international character, workers’ solidarity, cooperation and support (both ethical and economic) for each country’s working class, for each branch that fights for its freedom, for its trade union and democratic rights, for its life and rights.
5. The use of all kinds of class struggle, from the simplest to the most complex; launching ideas and goals that will demand satisfaction of the present-day needs of all workers, and will at the same time lead to a class struggle to end the exploitation of man by man.
6. The use of international organizations to implement the ideas of the workers; coordinating the actions of different movements that are fighting for the same goals.
7. Education for the working class, especially so that the workers will love the history of their nation, the traditions, the culture and the history of the international working class movement; providing an education to make the workers cleverer as a class, to believe in the values of the class struggle, and to know the class struggle.
The WFTU has made many positive steps, but the sector with most difficulties is finances. The basic economic support that the WFTU receives comes only from seven WFTU affiliates and friends. Without the assistance of our friends the situation would be worse.
We want to highlight and to thank also the organizations that every year send us their small but constant contribution. Our organizations from El Salvador, from Colombia, Guyana, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh send small amounts of 300 or 500 Euros showing that they support our joint efforts. They send letters saying that we stand together in our struggle. These are small amounts with a very big symbolism! The problem though still remains and it is a big problem. The needs are also big.
We underline the fact that the WFTU does not receive any money from governments nor from employers.
Dear comrades,
For the year 2012, the International Action Day the WFTU we suggest to be Wednesday October 3, 2012. The success of the previous initiatives and the conditions that we live in put us in front of an additional duty for the success of the day - the organization of initiatives by all our members and friends in their countries in the framework of the Action Day.
We recommend the International Day of Action to promote the needs and the demands of workers for everyone to have food, housing, clean water, free and public health care system and education system, free medicines. We should reveal by data the millions of children dying from hunger and thirst, the millions of people who are starving, who have no medicines while their countries are rich and their natural resources have been plundered by multinationals and monopoles. An international effort should be made to reveal and condemn the reasons for this social phenomenon. The trade unions that are members of the WFTU as well as its friends should lead these actions at every workplace, in all sectors, in all countries, in order that specific initiatives to take place. Information should be gathered, protests to be organized, events to be held as ‘courts’ at the expense of multinational companies speculating on water, medicines, food, books and others. We should demand solutions to be given with no delay. The material gathered after the initiative and the actions to be deposited to the UN, ILO, FAO, and UNESCO by big delegations of our affiliates and friends.
About the prices in foodstuff, about the cartel in supply and distribution of food and seeds: to attempt in coordination with colleagues from Italy and Europe to organize a dynamic protest in the offices of FAO in Rome Italy.
The 2012 Action Plan that all of you received is very rich in activities and they are all important, all necessary. The objective of the activities is to strengthen through the trade union movement:
- The participation of young workers and women in trade unions. For this reason we will organize the meetings of working women as well as the second International Conference of Working Youth on 29-30 April 2012.
- We want to strengthen the capability for collective bargaining and trade union freedoms and we will organize two central seminars in each continent.
- We will organize four International Trade Union Congresses in the branches of Energy, Transport, Pensioners and Education.
- We will organize in Ramallah, Palestine, a big Internationalist Conference on March 22nd and another one in Brussels on the developments in the Arab World.
- In 2012 we will continue our presence and action inside the international organizations such as the UN, ILO, FAO, UNESCO and we will bring there the voice of workers.
- In Africa we will continue to pay even more attention with two central objectives: the cancelation of the debt and water, food, medicines and electricity for all.
We will organize three main seminars
Two regional conferences
Trade union education at the Central Offices
IT seminars
Initiative on AIDS-HIV
Dear comrades,
In the documents you have received there is a monthly detailed action plan for this year. Here we will discuss free and democratically for two days and we are convinced that the final action plan that will become after your proposals, observations and criticisms will be even richer, more current.
Comrades, after the 16th World Trade Union Congress we are more optimistic. We all got optimism, encouragement and strength. The new Presidential Council and the new Secretariat, together with the leaderships of the TUIs and the Regional Offices, have the capability and the strength to respond to our new and difficult but necessary duties. Thank you.
Mohammed Iqnaibi, WFTU Representative, General Union of Palestinian Workers
On behalf of our People, on behalf of the Palestinian people I want to convey an enormous comradely “thank you” for your solidarity and support that you have given us and still continue to give in our struggle. We thank you from our heart.
We thank COSATU, we thank all the federations and we thank the whole working class in South Africa. Your solidarity gives us strength and courage to continue our struggle against Israel, against the imperialists, for a free and independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital city.
In this heroic struggle our People had the moral and material support of the WFTU from 1945 since today. The WFTU was always on our side. Always with action and not with words. It would be enough just to remind that the delegation of WFTU headed by the current General Secretary comrade George Mavrikos, who was then Vice-President of WFTU, managed in September 2003 to pass through the besieged headquarters of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) to meet with the blockaded there, leader of our People, Yasser Arafat.
We want to warmly thank all the members and friends of the WFTU for this long consistent internationalist solidarity. Our People is aware of who are his friends and who are his enemies.
We most certainly are aware of the role of the ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation), which since 1949 up to now has always been on the side of Israel and an ally of the murderers of our People.
The ITUC today has a leadership, in which the Chairman of Histadrut Mr. Ofer Eini holds the position of the First Vice-President of ITUC. Mr. Ofer Eini was the one who returned to Israel after the ITUC Congress in Vancouver in June 2010 and prided himself that the Congress denounced the paper of COSATU on the Palestinian Issue.
The ITUC during the massacre of Israel from the 27th of December 2008 to the 18thJanuary of 2009 against the Gaza Strip openly supported the murderers of our People and just appeal on Israel to not be “extremely violent”.
The ITUC was the one which has in its Executive Committee Amir Peretz who was Chairman of Histadrut before he become in 2006 Defense Minister of Israel to murder and bombard the militants of our People.
The selection of Amir Peretz from Chairman of Histadrut to the position of the Defense Minister of Israel shows exactly which is the role and the character of this organization which holds the steering wheel of the ITUC.
The ITUC, which used to call itself ICFTU in the past, though its announcements and official statements made it clear that it was in favor of the imperialists in Iraq, in Afganistan, in Lebanon, in Yugoslavia.
Its position proves that it is not a trade union organization but a mechanism of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USA, the Britain and the capitalist countries of the European Union.
And, above all, that it tries with money and corruption to hold close to it a small group of Palestinian trade unionists who are in the line of “collaboration and reconciliation with Israel”.
Dear comrades of COSATU,
Allow me to address an honest, comradely appeal to you and let me say the following:Brothers and Sisters of South Africa we need you in the WFTU. Join your true family, join you class brothers and sisters the Palestinians, the Cubans, the Vietnamese, the Greeks, the Brazilians, the Indians. Join your comrades all over the world.
We can, all together, stop the imperialists, end the barbaric capitalism. Our trade union organization, the General Union of Palestinian Workers which is the representative of the PLO and is a founding member of the WFTU in its first Congress in 1945 embraces you one more and asks you to become protagonists in the WFTU. One such positive development will provide new dynamics for the COSATU, will add to its prestige in international level since WFTU has today 82 million members in more than 120 countries of the five continents.
Thank you.
Cuba: “Year 54 of the Revolution”
Raymundo Navarro Fernandez, Member of National Secretariat for International Relations, Workers Central Union of Cuba, 9 February 2012
Brothers and Sisters, Comrades,
The Cuban Workers Trade Union Central inspired in its spirit of solidarity with the just cause waged by the workers from different latitudes against the systematic crisis which affects us all, enjoys the honor of officially inviting you, along with a delegation from your organization to share with the Cuban workers, men and women, during the activities programmed for the celebration of May Day 2012 in our country.
The activities will be held in the year commemorating the 75TH Anniversary of the creation of our organization and the 54th Anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution.
For further details related to logistic assurance, please communicate via e-mail with: 1m...@ctc.cu Hoping to count on your valuable presence. With fraternal greetings,
Announcements
The fight against the Secrecy Bill is not over!
Jayshree Pather, Right 2 Know, 9 February 2012
The National Council of Provinces has scheduled public hearings for the discussion of the Secrecy Bill. This is an opportunity to put pressure on this important house of parliament to reject the Bill in its current form. In Gauteng, the NCOP Hearings will take place on 14 February 2012 at the following venues:
• Mamelodi: Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
Venue: Vista College Mamelodi (9am-4pm)
• Sharpeville: Sedibeng District Municipality
Venue: Sharpeville Community Hall corner Seeiso and Zwane Street (9am-4pm)
This is your opportunity to make your voice heard about the Bill. Attend the hearings to demand:
• A public interest defence clause that will protect community
activists and whistleblowers
• A clause defending the Promotion of Access to Information Bill and
community rights to access to information held by the state
• A commitment to a culture of transparency, social justice and
community development
For more information, or to get involved, contact the Right 2 Know Gauteng Working Group Organiser, Bongani Xezwi on 071 043 2221.
We have the right to know! Let the truth be told!
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
