Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 22 Jan 2015
Norman Mampane
Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin
‘Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in deed as well as in word is a revolutionary in the full sense’-Mao
Our side of the story
Thursday 22 Jan 2015
‘Strengthen COSATU for total emancipation.....The Struggle continues’
Contents
Workers Parliament
Ø Why no mention of workers at Davos?
South Africa
Ø “Ongoing strike at Malamulele, is concerning”-SACP Limpopo and COSATU Limpopo Bilateral meeting
Ø SASCO Statement on Palestinian Icon Leila Khaled’s visit to SA
International
Ø Children suffering ‘dire consequences’ of conflict in northern Nigeria – UN agency
Workers’ Parliament! #MinimumWages
Why no mention of workers at Davos?
Industrial, 20 Jan 2015
As leaders from government and business prepare to descend on Davos for the World Economic Forum, working people are ignored in this year’s theme on the ‘new global context’.
“Global prosperity depends on workers and yet they feel powerless,” says Jyrki Raina, general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, who will be participating at Forum meetings in Davos.
In the new global context, working people are increasingly alienated from structures and corporations. Wages drop while corporate profits and CEO salaries go through the roof, fuelling the lack of trust in multinational companies and in governments’ power to control them.
“Hundreds of millions of people are toiling on poverty wages, leading to suffering and unrest, which is bad for business,” adds Raina.
IndustriALL, representing 50 million workers worldwide, is fighting for living wages for all workers to reduce income inequality, increase economic growth and create new jobs.
A handful of multinational corporations recognize that wage levels in many developing countries are unsustainable. That’s why IndustriALL is working with global fashion brands such as H&M and Inditex to pay living wages to garment workers in their supply chains.
Throughout the world, stable employment is being replaced by temporary jobs with low pay and no career prospects, job security or social benefits. Young people, in particular, are finding it harder than ever to find a decent and secure job.
“You can’t build an economy on poverty wages and insecure jobs,” says Raina. “Inclusive and sustainable global development depends on a constructive relationship between business and workers. Unions are essential to ensuring a fair distribution of the fruits of industry and must be regarded as partners to business, not rivals.”
IndustriALL works with multinational companies to achieve this balance. We have global framework agreements with 43 multinational companies including World Economic Forum industry partners GDF Suez, Siemens, Volkswagen and Statoil, to protect the interests of workers throughout the operations and supply chains of multinational companies.
“In a world challenged by climate change, workers and the poorest in society are the most vulnerable,” says Raina. “IndustriALL Global Union calls on state and business leaders in Davos to wake up and take action to stop global warming before we face a catastrophic grab for resources in a world of diminishing means.”
Ends
For information, contact:Contact: Leonie Guguen, communications and media officer, IndustriALL Global Union. Tel: 
+41 (0)22 308 50 24 Mobile: +41 (0) 79 137 54 36. Email: lgu...@industriall-union.org
South Africa #BackToSchool
“Ongoing strike at Malamulele, is concerning”-SACP Limpopo and COSATU Limpopo Bilateral meeting
Gerald Mkhomazi Twala, COSATU Provincial Secretary and Gilbert Kganyago, SACP Provincial Secretary, 22 January 2014
The SACP and COSATU Provincial Office Bearers in Limpopo held a bilateral meeting on the 20th January 2015 at the NUM Provincial Office.
The meeting was held to take stock of the progress made in the implementation of the resolutions that were taken in our last meeting.
The meeting further reflected on the state of the alliance in the province with a view of improving g and strengthening it in preparation for battles ahead.
Both the Party and COSATU re-affirmed their close working relationship and committed themselves to urgently convene joint political workshops in order to strengthen the relations and the alliance in general in the province.
Accordingly, the Provincial Office Bearers congratulated the leader of the alliance, the ANC, for having held a very successful 103rd anniversary rally in the Western Cape which is viewed as the home of the DA.
The Party and COSATU in the province committed to mobilize their members and supporters to go out in their numbers and support the provincial rally that will be held on the 24th of January at Lulekani Stadium.
The meeting noted with concern the threat by the EFF to disrupt the State of the Nation Address on the 12th of February as a publicity stunt aimed at scoring cheap political points.
As the forces of the left in this province we commend the National Speaker of Parliament for having refused to be bullied by these populist demagogues in calling for a special sitting of Parliament and referred their questions to the normal programme of Parliament.
We draw comfort from the fact that the section 100(1) (b) has been lifted and the administrators are on the wayout in order to give Premier Mathabatha an opportunity to run the affairs of the province without any interference.
We believe that this will go a long way in ensuring that the ANC-led government is able to implement its election manifesto thereby improving service delivery to our people.
The POBs noted with concern the ongoing strike at Malamulele for a stand-alone municipality which has entered its second week.
The meeting called for the speedy resolution of this impasse by relevant stakeholders in particular COGTA and the Municipal Demarcation Board so that the situation could be brought back to normal.
The meeting concluded by making a strong call to the ANC leadership in the province, to urgently convene an alliance summit that will deal with many outstanding challenges that are facing the movement in the province.
Issued by COSATU and SACP in Limpopo
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SASCO Statement on Palestinian Icon Leila Khaled’s visit to SA
Luzuko Buku, SASCO Secretary General, 21 January 2015
The South African Students Congress (SASCO) welcomes the visit of Palestinian freedom fighter and international icon Comrade Leila Khaled. Leila Khaled will be in South Africa on a fundraising speaking tour on behalf of BDS South Africa in February. SASCO has consistently pledged solidarity with the people of Palestine and will continue to do so without reservation until we see a free Palestine. SASCO endorses the non-violent campaign of boycotts, divestments and imposing sanctions (BDS) against the apartheid state of Israel.
The visit by Comrade Leila Khaled provides the South African people an opportunity to hear the stories of the viciousness of the Israeli regime. We hope her interactions with the people of South Africa will also give us a chance to reflect on our history and the price at which freedom came in this country.
SASCO is perturbed by the Israel supporters who want to try and discredit the role that Comrade Khaled has played and continues to play in the struggle to see a free Palestine and liberate her people by calling her a terrorist. The Israeli supporters in this country and the world who today support and applaud the systematic killing of innocent Palestinians and act in utter impunity.
We need to engage in a discourse on what is terrorism, who gets to define terrorism especially in the South African context and how this shapes the foreign policy position of a particular country. Today many are able to celebrate a free and democratic South Africa and enjoy busking in the legacy of Nelson Mandela who was up until 2008 on the US terrorism watch list including the ANC. This piece of history is conveniently forgotten. The Israeli supporters in this country cannot possibly define to us what terrorism is when they have declared themselves the first line of defence in South Africa in protecting Israel, a state that has total disregard for human rights and human life, a regime that continues to terrorise an innocent Palestinian civilian population.
Palestinians have a right to resist the occupation by all means available to them, a right afforded to them by international law.
We hope to have an interaction with the heroic freedom fighter upon her arrival in South Africa and wish her and BDS South Africa success in their tour.
Issued by the National Executive Committee of SASCO
International
Framework agreements signed by Polish miners and government
IndustriALL, 21 Jan 2015
January has seen 2,000 miners in Poland protesting against government plans to close a number of mines in the country. On 17 January, a framework agreement was reached between the trade unions and the government, putting an end to the protests.
After 11 days of protests, Poland’s Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz and representatives from all trade unions in the mining sector signed the framework agreement. It guarantees the involvement of the energy sector in restructuring the mining sector, the transfer of four mines to a mine restructuring company, as well as the possibility of selling the mines to investors.
The agreement also opens for talks on a new collective bargaining agreement for the mining sector, state aid for energy-intensive industries and the reindustrialization program for the Silesia and Malopolska Region. There will also be negotiations on the future of Polish industry and jobs.
Social dialogue between the government and the trade unions will continue.
Dariusz Trzcionka, President of IndustriALL affiliate KADRA said:
“The success of the negotiations would not have been possible without the support and solidarity of workers, residents, local governments, European and international trade unions, IndustriALL and the Polish trade unions. We thank you for supporting the miners in these difficult times!"
Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said on the agreement:
“I wanted to thank you for a good, healthy compromise. Good is not for us, but for the future of Polish mining.”
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Children suffering ‘dire consequences’ of conflict in northern Nigeria – UN agency
United Nations, 21 January 2015
Geneva, 20 January 2015 – Women and children make up the vast majority of the latest wave of refugees fleeing violence in northern Nigeria, the United Nations Children’s Fund warned today, spotlighting its ongoing efforts to provide basic assistance, including safe water, nutrition, health, education and protection services to affected children in the region.
“Children are suffering the dire consequences of the conflict in Nigeria, losing their homes, missing out on education and risking their lives,” UNICEF’s Christophe Boulierac told reporters in Geneva.
Boko Haram’s recent attacks on Baga drove a fresh wave of refugees into neighbouring countries, worsening a humanitarian crisis in the region that has already seen 1 million people displaced from their homes and more than 135,000 seeking refuge in Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
About 9,000 people crossed into Chad this month, a mixture of Nigerian refugees and Chadian returnees, bringing the total number of Nigerian refugees there to over 10,000. More than 100 children arrived without a parent or a caretaker, and Mr. Boulierac said UNICEF would scale-up its presence around Lake Chad, using its office in Mao to distribute lifesaving supplies, like hygiene kits and therapeutic food as well as blankets, clothing, tents and water supply.
In Cameroon, children represent 60 per cent of the 25,000 Nigerian refugees living in Minawao camp, and in Niger, women and children make up 70 per cent of the 100,000 Nigerian refugees and returnees.
Mr. Boulierac said a recent assessment of children in the Minawao camp revealed an alarming rate of malnutrition, noting that the UNICEF is working with the Red Cross to provide nutritional screening and treatment and to create child-friendly spaces where children could receive psycho-social support. In addition, the agency built 10 clean water facilities and 160 latrines, and distributed 1,300 hygiene kits.
Vaccination efforts in Niger saw over 96,000 children protected against measles between 28 December and 3 January, while school capacities are being reinforced so refugee children could study alongside locals.
UNICEF is working also with displaced children in Nigeria, where more than 65,000 children were being treated for severe acute malnutrition. Trained community volunteers have reached over 13,000 children with psychosocial support, and more than three million children have received vitamin A supplements.
Mr. Boulierac’s briefing comes the day after Security Council Members condemned in the ‘strongest terms’ the recent escalation in attacks conducted by Boko Haram, and expressed deep concern that the activities of the Islamist extremist group, including a spate of shocking suicide bombings across northern Nigeria, are undermining peace and stability in the West and Central African region and some ‘may amount to crimes against humanity.’
Overall, Boko Haram violence in Nigeria may have forced at least one million people to flee their homes, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said today, citing a combination of IOM and Nigerian government data on people displaced from 10 states including Borno, the heart of Boko Haram activity.
Announcements
Enabling COSATU Members to Tweet Effectively
NB: @cosatu2015 has been revamped and now it’s @COSATU2015_
Introduction to COSATU Official Twitter Accounts
Ø @COSATU2015_
Official tweets on current affairs, ideological disposition and for a Question & Answer platform
Ø @COSATU TODAY @_cosatu
Seconds- COSATU roving official tweets on events, quotable sound-bites on speeches/interviews, newsflash etc.
How to Register a COSATU Member Twitter Account
Ø Go Google and type twitter/sign up
Ø Versions of name/surname must be completed
Ø Choose a username/password and don’t forget them
Ø Update your profile; picture, bio
o Picture size should be 700k
o Bio-short narrative who you are
Ø Examples of Bio; Africa's largest Federation Official tweets, the home of the toiling classes across the world, with more than 2million membership...Amandla! Johannesburg, South Africa · http://www.cosatu.org.za
Ø Choose who to follow and type @COSATU2015_ and @COSATU TODAY @_cosatu
Ø And you’re skinning in the game through COSATU tweets
Communicating messages that matter is like artwork
Social Media generation is here and is unavoidable
‘Let’s skin in the game of COSATU Tweets’
___________
Ntai Norman Mampane (Communications Officer)
Congress of South African Trade Unions
110 Jorissen Cnr Simmonds Street
Braamfontein
2017
P.O.Box 1019
Johannesburg
2000
South Africa
Tel: +27 11 339-4911 or Direct: +27 10 219-1342
Mobile: +27 72 416 3790
Twitter: @_cosatu / @COSATU2015_
Web: www.cosatu.org.za
‘The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles’-The Communist Manifesto
