Taking COSATU Today Forward, 24 May 2022 #CosatuCEC
Norman Mampane
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#2022YearofWorkersParliament #COSATU ordinary CEC in session #GenderEquality#Back2Basics #JoinCOSATUNow #ClassConsciousness |
Taking COSATU Today Forward
‘Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in deed as well as in word is a revolutionary in the full sense’-Maoo
Our side of the story
Tuesday, 24 May 2022
‘Deepen
the Back to Basics Campaign, Consolidate the Struggle for the NDR and Advance the Struggle for Socialism’
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Media Alert: COSATU's ordinary CEC meeting currently underway
- COSATU presents its submission on the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill to Parliament
- YCLSA 100th anniversary cake-cutting ceremony
- South Africa
- SAMWU stands in solidarity with striking workers at Sibanye, UNISA and SARS
- SAMWU troubled by the disappearance of workers during the KZN floods
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Media Alert: COSATU's ordinary CEC meeting currently underway
Sizwe Pamla, Cosatu National Spokesperson, 24 May 2022
The Congress of South African Trade Unions is holding its ordinary three-day Central Executive Committee [CEC] meeting.
On the agenda are political and socio-economic issues affecting workers and the working class in general.
The
meeting will be followed by the usual media briefing to communicate the meeting outcomes:
The details of the media briefing are as follows:
• Date : 26 May 2022
• Time : 11h00
• Venue : COSATU House, 110 Jorissen Street, Braamfontein.
All members of the media are invited to the briefing.
Issued by COSATU
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COSATU presents its submission on the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill to Parliament
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 24 May 2022
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) presented its submission on the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee: Justice and Correctional Services today.
The Federation welcomes this Bill as it shows progress towards the process of decriminalising cannabis for private purposes as required by the Constitutional Court judgment which found the current criminalisation of personal use to be unconstitutional.
The Bill provides a rational legal framework for the use of cannabis for private purposes. This will avoid the obligation to needlessly arrest and imprison persons using cannabis for personal use in the privacy of their homes whilst serious crimes run unabated.
The Bill also provides clear legal provisions for the use of cannabis for medical purposes. This will provide badly needed relief for thousands of persons with serious illnesses.
It further recognises the need to provide legal space for religious institutions, e.g., Rastafarians whose religious practices include the use of cannabis. Although provisions for this are welcomed, the document must be simplified to help these religious groups register and comply with the law.
We urge parliament to make improvements on this Bill as some of its provisions send mixed and contradictory messages on the commercial production, sale and consumption of cannabis.
This needs to be addressed to find the right balance between complying with the Constitutional Court judgement, decriminalising cannabis and regulating the development of the commercial sector.
Cannabis and hemp in particular, have a variety of commercial products that can be used for medicine, clothing, construction, manufacturing and other legitimate commercial uses.
The Bill needs to give expression to this and support government, business and labour’s work to develop a hemp master plan.
This can help remove the industry from the control of criminal syndicates, create badly needed jobs and provide useful goods for the economy.
Issued by COSATU.
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YCLSA 100th anniversary cake-cutting ceremony
24 May 2022
“YCLSA 1922 – 2022: 100 years of pioneering youth struggles for a socialist society”
The Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA) founded in 1922, banned in 1950 and re-established in 2003, will celebrate the centenary from the 25th May 2022 till 25th May 2023. The centenary will be celebrated under the theme ‘100 years of pioneering youth struggles for a socialist society.”
This is fundamentally because there was never a broken service in the course of struggle since there were young communists who participated in the SACP underground activities and operations as well as within the UDF. This was not a voluntary sabbatical leave, however, propelled by the circumstances in the course for the consolidation of the struggle.
The event will receive messages of support from the Progressive Youth Alliance {COSAS, SASCO, COSATU YW, and ANCYL}, further receive an address from the SACP and Centenary message of the 5th Congress National Committee by the National Secretary, Cde Tinyiko Ntini.
Our 100th anniversary cake-cutting ceremony will be convened as follows:
100th Anniversary Cake-cutting Ceremony:
Date: Wednesday, 25 May 2022
Time: 16h30
Venue: Sammy Marks Square Chambers, Tshwane District.
Speakers:
COSAS SG: Cde Tebogo Magafane
SASCO SG: Cde Buthanani Thobela
COSATU YW National Chair: Cde Jamela Mhlarhi
ANCYL National Coordinator : Cde Joy Maimela
SACP 1st DGS: Cde Solly Mapaila
Media is invited to cover the event and report:
Issued by YCLSA Communication and Media Unit.
For enquiries:
Mzwandile Thakhudi – National Spokesperson
Mobile: 079 994 6391.
Dineo Mokoena – Media Liaison
Mobile: 073 969 8532.
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Happy
100 years to our sister organisation, the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC)
"A nation that places high hopes on its youth and maintains its youthful vigour can prosper" - Xi Jinping
South Africa
SAMWU stands in solidarity with striking workers at Sibanye, UNISA and SARS
Dumisane Magagula, SAMWU General Secretary, 24 May 2022
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) stands in solidarity with workers that are on strike at the Sibanye Stillwater, the University of South Africa and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) organised by our sister unions, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU).
Workers at the Sibanye Stillwater mine have been on strike since February 2022 due to the greedy employer refusing to pay a demand of a mere R1000 increase. Of great concern to us is that instead of conceding to the demand by workers, management at the Sibanye Stillwater made the situation worse by paying the CEO, Neal Froneman R300 million.
It is for this reason that we support the call by NUM that Sibanye Stillwater’s mining license be revoked. It cannot be correct that instead of negotiating with workers in good faith, Sibanye Stillwater management takes a decision to retrench workers.
The threats by Sibanye to issue Section 189 notices to mineworkers is nothing but a ploy to discourage workers from demanding decent and living wages in the mining industry.
As SAMWU, we are convinced that the employer is not negotiating in good faith, the fact that during a period wherein the mine is pleading poverty, it was able to pay its CEO a huge remuneration whose sum none of the mineworkers will ever make in their lifetime.
The decision by Sibanye Stillwater to reward the CEO for denying mine workers a salary increase by paying him this ridiculous and exorbitant amount is a direct provocation and a spit in the faces of mineworkers who on a daily basis risk their lives underground to sustain the inflated salaries and lifestyles of the mine’s executive management.
At the University of South Africa (UNISA) management has taken a deliberate decision to terminate the employment contracts of union leaders at the institution. The persecution of these workers is exposing fraud, corruption and maladministration at the institution. For us, this is nothing but an antic by the university management to bash unions. The university management knows very well that the union is workers’ first line of defence and as such, the surgical removal of union leaders would allow them to continue enriching themselves.
We are further of the view that these dismissals are aimed at intimidating, silencing workers and instilling fear among workers.
We have also noted that following a deadlock in the salary and wage negotiations between the revenue collection agency, SARS and NEHAWU, workers resolved to conclude the negotiations on the street.
To make things worse, SARS reneged From implementing the last leg of the agreement signed between them and trade unions.
By unilaterally changing the increase due to workers, SARS has not only pickpocketed workers but has declared war with workers.
The attitude of SARS in this situation is one that can only be characterised by a direct attack on collective bargaining in the country.
We are however not surprised by the decision taken by SARS to deny workers salary increases. This decision is one of the neoliberal policies by the government that are being championed by the National Treasury.
Seemingly the National Treasure and the Minister of Finance have delegated themselves as a super-ministry that can dictate terms of negotiations in bargaining councils for public servants.
It is absolutely ludicrous for National Treasury to always be seen as the chief negotiator in bargaining councils that involve the public sector.
This attitude and posture is one that we as SAMWU experienced during our last salary and wage negotiations for municipal workers wherein the National Treasury encouraged municipalities to budget zero % salary increase, an encouragement that many municipalities have taken, denying municipal workers increases.
We do not need to remind the National Treasury, government and the Minister of Finance that in all bargaining councils, including the SALGBC, there is no party called National Treasury. As such, unions are negotiating with their respective employers and not the National treasury. The super ministry status that the National Treasury has bestowed upon itself has created a trust deficit between workers and the government as an employer.
This all happens at a time when members of Parliament are set to receive salary increases of no less than R35 000 per member while the President of the Republic will be receiving a salary increase of R90 000.
Surely government does have the money required to pay public servants salary increases that would cushion them for the current economic hardships they face, hardships which are not of their own making.
We, therefore, commend workers at SARS for taking the battle to the doors of the employer, seemingly the only language that the employer understands is the withdrawal of labour power by workers. It cannot be correct that public servants are used as sacrificial lambs wherein they are denied salary increases in favour of politicians.
Just last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa shockingly announced that members of Parliament who earn a million Rand are struggling to make ends meet.
What of the workers who are paid peanuts on a monthly basis, workers whose salaries are not subsided by free accommodation and transport by the state as is with the case of members of Parliament.
Based on the slogan “an injury to one is an injury to all” which unites workers and the working class, SAMWU, is in full support of the strike actions at the three institutions. By standing up and fighting back, workers are expressing their dissatisfaction and frustrations which have been exacerbated by the rising cost of living, a cost which workers are unable to catch up with.
Workers in all spheres of government, including those in municipalities should prepare themselves to defend collective bargaining viciously and by all means possible. The National Treasury has shown that they are pushing ahead with their cost-cutting measures which are being implemented at the expense of workers’ livelihoods.
As SAMWU, we encourage our members and municipal workers, in general, to stand up, and show solidarity with workers at Sibanye Stillwater, UNISA and SARS. We further encourage municipal workers to join pickets and demonstrations organised by both NEHAHU and the NUM.
These are times wherein workers should demonstrate their collective unity against the class enemy being capital and the new entrant to this category being the State.
Workers in all sectors and industries should jealously guard and defend collective bargaining which was achieved through the sweat and blood of our forebears. An injury to one is an injury to all.
Issued by SAMWU Secretariat
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SAMWU troubled by the disappearance of workers during the KZN floods
Nokubonga Dinga,, SAMWU KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Secretary, 24 May 2022
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in the KwaZulu Natal province is troubled and worried by the disappearance of two workers in Durban following the heavy rains experienced over the weekend. The two workers who are employees of the City of Ethekwini’s Water and Sanitation Department were last seen responding to a call out in the Verulam area on the afternoon of Saturday 21 May 2022.
Following the failure to locate the two workers, Verulam community members and fellow municipal employees embarked on a search and rescue mission which only recovered the municipal vehicle which the employees were driving in. Three days later, the workers have still not been located, thus leading us to fear the worst. The families of these workers are distraught at the fact that their loved ones have not been seen in three days.
We had hoped that the discovery of the municipal vehicle would provide clues and leads as to where the employees may be. This however has not been the case as the vehicle was recovered in a river in the Velum area without the employees in it.
As SAMWU, we are aggrieved that the City has neglected these employees, the City’s management has vanished into thin air during a time when they should be visible, showing leadership and assisting in locating these employees. The only thing that the City cares about is that their vehicle has been located and recovered. As the municipal vehicle is recovered, the City does not see the need to assist in locating these employees, thus placing the value of a vehicle over that of the lives of their employees.
Workers on their own have taken it upon themselves to locate the employees without the assistance of the City’s search and rescue teams. Despite the dereliction of their duties and obligations towards its employees, we will continue with the search and rescue operation as workers in the City with hopes and prayers that they are found to be safe.
We, therefore, call on workers and community members in the Verulam area to come together and assist in locating these employees and many other residents who have not been located since the devastating floods hit parts of KZN.
Despite the floods being a result of nature, we are of the view that the City should be playing a leading role in this operation. Furthermore, the City has an obligation towards its employees and as such, they should have been at the forefront of this operation, particularly given the fact that this tragedy happened during the cause of the employee executing their duties.
These devastating floods have exposed the unpreparedness and capability of the City to deal with disasters of this magnitude. We are of the view that the City should capacitate its search and rescue units to ensure that these workers and many other victims who remain unaccounted for are located to give closure to the families.
We trust, hope and pray that these employees and many other residents that are yet to be located are found safely.
Issued by SAMWU KZN
International-Solidarity
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WFTU Preparatory Meeting in view of the 110th ILC
24 May 2022
The preparatory meeting of the World Federation of Trade Unions took place virtually today, May 24th, 2022 with the participation of tens of WFTU Presidential Council Members, cadres, and friends.
The WFTU General Secretary, Pambis Kyritsis delivered the introductory speech, analyzing the priorities of the WFTU and its role in the international trade union arena and the international organizations.
All the speakers underlined the necessity of the intensification of the WFTU struggles and its better coordination at all levels, as well as the importance of the implementation of the WFTU 18th Congress decisions.
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Norman Mampane (Shopsteward Editor)
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 Direct line: 010 219-1348