Taking COSATU Today Forward, 21 June 2022 #CosatuGenderConf2022

[Norman Mampane]

 

COSATU TODAY #2022YearofWorkersParliament #COSATU National Gender Inaugural Conference underway at Kievietskroon around Pretoria #GenderStruggle#YouthMonth #InternalDemocracy #WorkerControl  #EndChildLabour #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, 21 June 2022

‘Deepen the Back to Basics Campaign, Consolidate the Struggle for the NDR and Advance the Struggle for Socialism’

All workers urged to take Covid19 vaccine jabs!

Organize at every workplace and demand Personal Protective Equipment Now!

Defend Jobs Now!

Join COSATU NOW!

 

Contents                      

• Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!

• COSATU National Gender Inaugural Conference Program
• POPCRU to picket at the SAPS HQ over trainees’ conditions

• South Africa

• COSATU welcomes World Trade Organisation’s Agreement

• NEHAWU is angered by the delay tactics of SARS in implementing the last leg of a signed wage agreement  COSATU statement on the 3% salary increase for Political Office Bearers and Judges

• International-Workers’ Solidarity!

• UNI joins call for vaccinations for all; suspension of WTO rule restricting COVID treatment access for millions
• Statement on World Day for immigrants and refugees

Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics 

COSATU National Gender Inaugural Conference Program

20-22 June 2022

DAY 1: MONDAY 20 June 2022                                                                       2^nd Deputy President – Louisa Thipe

Time		Item		Responsible Person
08h00 -10h00		Delegates Arrival and Registration		All
10h00 – 10h05		Opening & Welcome		Louisa Thipe COSATU 2nd Deputy President
10h05- 10h10		Singing of Nkosi Sikelel’ Africa		ALL
10h10 – 10h15		Presentation & Adoption of Credentials/Apologies		Deputy General Secretary
10h15– 10h30		Conference Opening Address		Zingiswa Losi COSATU President
10h30 - 10h40		Programme outline and Adoption		Freda Oosthuysen
10h40- 10h45		Introduction and Acknowledgement of Guests and Institutions present		National Gender Coordinator
Messages of support by Alliance Structures
10h45 – 11h00		SACP ANC
11h00-11h30		Outlining of the nominations and elections processes		Bheki Ntshalintshali
11h30-11h50		Women Empowerment, Gender Equality, Gender Based Violence and Femicide as a National Question		Maite Nkoana-Mashabane Women,Youth and Person with Disabilities- Ministry in the Presidency

 

National Gender Inaugural Conference Proposed Program

20-22 June 2022

DAY 1: MONDAY 20 June 2022 - Continues

Time		Item		Responsible Person
11h50-12h10		Employment Equity Commission (EEC) Status of women and transformation in the world of work.		Ms T. Kabinde EEC – Chairperson
12h10-12h30		HEALTH BREAK
12h30-12h45		Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) Reflection on private and public sector: promotion of Gender Equality in the Workplace		Tamara Mathebula CGE Chairperson
12h45-13h30		COSATU Draft Mid Term Vision Framework document Tackle challenges facing workers and the labour movement in a new form including new concepts of “The World of Work		Zola Saphetha COSATU CEC
13h30-14h30		LUNCH
14h30-15h00		Addressing young women’s access to Decent Work, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights The barriers young women face to economic security and leadership		Caroline Ntaopane ActionAids S.A. Chapter
15h00-15h30		Men Care 50/50 Program Attitudes and Behavioural change men participating in Unpaid Care Work		Vusi Cebekhulu Sonke Gender Justice
15h30-16h00		Amended Legislative Framework on GBVF		John Jeffrey Deputy Minister of Justice

 

DAY 1: MONDAY  20 June 2022 - Continues

Time		Item		Responsible Person
16h00-16h15		Health Break
16h15-16h35		Addressing the issues of mainstreaming vulnerable sectors on economic empowerment, affordability, and access to Decent Human Settlement		Ms Mmamoloko Kubayi Minister of Human Settlement
16h35- 17h00		Shifting the Economic Power – Leave No One Behind Strengthen engagement of women in the Economy		Adv. Brenda Madumise Wise4Africa
17h00		Conference Day One Adjourned Delegates depart – DINNER at the HOTELS booked by AFFILIATES

 

Day Two: TUESDAY 21 June 2022                                                                                      President – Zingiswa Losi

Time		Item		Responsible person
09h00-10h00		NGCC Activity Report   Draft COSATU 35-yr Gender Review Draft report Identify areas for development, policy reform and Bargaining Agenda for Gender (BAG)		National gender coordinator   Liesl Orr – NALEDI Research Institute Senior Researcher focusing on Gender and Organisational Renewal
10h00-10h30		Commission for Conciliation,Mediation & Arbitration(CCMA) Current Statistical cases on CCMA and Labour Court on SH, Violence & Harassment and its precedencies		Ms. Boitumelo Makoena Senior Commissioner for Collective Bargaining
10h30-11h00		International Labour Organisation (ILO) Global Experiences on the Implementation of ILO C190/R206 challenges and good practices versus National Legislations		Joni Musabayana ILO DWT-Pretoria Director
11h00-11h30		HEALTH BREAK
11h30-12h00		The Rights to Equality, Inclusivity, Diversity: a fight against Discrimination and Stigma on Vulnerable groups that are proportionately affected by all Forms of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work.		Masingita Masunguta ABOVERNormal   ►Maggie Mmekwa DENOSA Tshwane Gender Regional Secretary ► Mpho Buntse Communication and Project Associate Access Chapter 2 – LGBTIQ+ ►Simphiwe Mabhele ILO HIV and AIDS Technical Specialist
12h00-12h30		Making Decent Work A Reality:  Violence Free Workplaces & World of Work		Mike Shingange – 1st Deputy President   ► Boitumelo Moloi Deputy Minister of Employment & Labour (DEL) ►Dr. Chana Pilane-Majeke Deputy Minister Public Services & Admin. ►Lisa Seftel NEDLAC Executive Director

 

Day Two: TUESDAY 21 June 2022

Time		Item		Responsible person
13h30-13h30		LUNCH
13h30-14h30		Nomination information continues		Election Team
14h30-14h45		Outlining of Commissions		NGCC member
14h45-18h00		Commissions Organisational Developments Mainstreaming Gender Issues through Collective Bargaining, Decent Work for All World of Work Free from Violence and Harassment Gender transformative just transition and Climate Change Building Gender and Working -Class consciousness & Political Development		All participants
18h00		Conference Adjourned

 

Day Three: WEDNESDAY 22 June 2022                                                                              Freda Oosthuizen- Treasurer

Time		Item		Responsible person
09h00- 12h00		Commission Report Backs		Commission Chairs and Scribes
12h00-12h30		Announcements of Elected National GOB’s		Election Team
12h30-13h00		Conference Declaration		National Gender Secretary
13h00-13h15		Closing Remarks		National Gender Chairperson
Conference closes

 

For more information contact:

Gertrude Mtsweni

COSATU National Gender Coordinator

Email: gert...@cosatu.org.za

_________

POPCRU to picket at the SAPS HQ over trainees’ conditions

Richard Mamabolo, POPCRU National Spokesperson, 17 June 2022

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) in Gauteng province will be having a picket at the South African Police Service (SAPS) headquarters in Pretoria, where a memorandum of demands will be handed over to the National Police Commissioner over the inhumane, undue conditions trainees are being subjected to, including demanding answers for the discrepancies which led to over 545 trainees not having received their stipends over the past 2 months.

This picket will be taking place following various other pickets which have recently taken place in the DCS in the Groenpunt and Sasolburg Correctional Centres, wherein the management wants  to impose illegal shift patterns, and another at the Malmesbury Correctional Centre in the Western Cape Province wherein members are dissatisfied over a long list of outstanding matters, including the lack of adequate security at various correctional centres which have seen numerous escapes at the centre, the shortage of personnel, illegal shift patterns, the lack of promotion policy and the discrimination against members’ spouses, wherein the department introduced  a policy instructing members to declare if they are married or are having any affairs with foreign nationals.

These pickets are a clear indication yet of brewing dissatisfaction among members of the criminal justice cluster who have for far too long been subjected to unsavoury working conditions and are increasingly running out of patience.

They are also part of a build-up towards the POPCRU National Day of Action as determined by the recent provincial congresses across the country.

The Gauteng picket will be taking place as follows;

Wednesday, 22 June 2022

SAPS HQ, Pretoria

10am to 2pm

Media houses are hereby invited to cover the handing over of the memorandum of demands.

Issued by POPCRU on 15/06/2022

For more information contact please contact Richard Mamabolo on

South Africa

COSATU welcomes World Trade Organisation’s Agreement

Tony Ehrenreich, COSATU Deputy Parliamentary Coordinator, 20 June 2022  

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and Organised Labour welcomes the Agreement that has emerged at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). 

Significant advances have been made in areas that are crucial for public policy in South Africa, including in the overall architecture of the ETO and its ability to respond to development issues. 

COSATU welcomes the terms of the text and congratulate our government for being part of this historic agreement . We know that many developed countries had not been supportive of the areas of agreement achieved, as this threatens their vested financial interests. But we are pleased that consensus was reached in the end that advances the interest of developing countries, including South Africa.

The discussions on the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement was tough but we are happy that what emerged is a basic to go forward with local production of Covid-19 vaccines in particular.  The most significant part of the Agreement was on the TRIPS waiver for Covid-19 vaccines, which allows Governments to authorise local manufacturers to produce vaccines or their ingredients, substances or elements which are covered by patents, without the permission of the patent holders during the pandemic.

The Agreement on fishing is a welcome development and this will go a long way to defending our fishing stocks which have been under severe pressure for over and illegal fishing by foreign trawlers at the expense of local fishing communities and companies.  

The progress on E-commerce and WTO reforms are welcomed and the final details must now be thrashed out in the WTO, within the timeframes allocated.

Agriculture remains an area that more work needs to be done and we look forward to expanding the space for South African agriculture in the new future.

Whilst not all of our ambitions were achieved in this round of the WTO, we do believe that this agreement goes a long way to restore the credibility of a rules based trading system that must be fair and equitable, whilst advancing a developmental agenda globally. It is encouraging that developing countries could collaborate so effectively and pressure developed countries to advance a fairer approach to economic development in the rules based system . We look forward to this new approach of doing what is morally justifiable and responding to global pandemics with urgency.  We commend Ministers Ebrahim Patel of Trade, Industry and Competition and Thoko Didiza of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and their teams for the solid work done in the WTO.

Issued by COSATU

______________

NEHAWU is angered by the delay tactics of SARS in implementing the last leg of a signed wage agreement  

Lwazi Nkolonzi, NEHAWU National Spokesperson, June 20, 2022

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] is angered by the delay tactics of the South African Revenue Services [SARS] in implementing the final year of a wage agreement signed in 2019.

The national union approached the Pretoria High Court to enforce SARS to implement the signed wage agreement, this is after SARS reneged on the implementation of the last leg of the agreement which refers to year 2021/2022 which was due as of 1 April 2021.

The matter is currently at Pretoria High Court where all papers have been filed inclusive of the heads of argument. The High Court provided the 25th July 2022 as a set down date with our legal team ready for the date.

We are disappointed to realise that SARS’s counsel is unavailable on the said date, it is more saddening to further discover that SARS is confirming that their counsel is unavailable until October 2022.

We deem this to be a travesty of justice, which during this tough economic times workers cannot enforce a wage agreement which the very same employer refuses to implement.

Lastly, as NEHAWU, we call on SARS to stop its delay tactics and implement the outstanding last leg of the signed wage agreement for workers.

 
END

Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat

______________

COSATU Limpopo statement on the racist assault incident in Groblersdal

Gerald Mkhomazi Twala, COSATU Limpopo Provincial Secretary, June 20, 2022

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in Limpopo is flabbergasted and outraged at the racist assault of a young Kopano Makweng by a 50 years old white male in Groblersdal. The incident happened on the 15th June 2022 at the vicinity of Game centre in Groblersdal.

COSATU wishes to thank the African National Congress in the Sekhukhune region and people of Groblersdal for responding promptly in their large numbers to demand “Justice for Kopano Makweng”.

We are making a call to the justice system to be harsh on perpetrators of racism to send out a clear message that our democratic state would not tolerate racial intolerance and hate crime in general.

Concurrently, government should fast track the process of finalizing the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill in to law to provide for the prosecution and sentencing of those who commit such offences.

The Federation is extremely disturbed as this is not the first such racist incidents happening in the areas of Groblersdal.

COSATU in Limpopo will be joining her alliance partners, civil society and ordinary citizens to demand a harsher sentence against the suspect when he appears in court on the 24th June 2022.

However, it is our firm view that beyond this case, COSATU and her alliance partners should embark on a more focused and aggressive campaign against racism in Groblersdal and other areas in the province where such hate crimes are prevalent in communities and workplaces.

The Federation will communicate more details once plans are ready for a Provincial Anti-Racism Day.

Issued by COSATU Limpopo

International-Solidarity 

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UNI joins call for vaccinations for all; suspension of WTO rule restricting COVID treatment access for millions

16.02.21

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The essential right to a safe workplace must include the right to vaccination, regardless of where one lives.

That is why UNI Global Union is joining the call for the temporary suspension of certain treatment-related intellectual property obligations under the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement). A “TRIPS waiver” would allow low-and-medium income countries to expand production and to access therapeutics, vaccines, and other medical products needed during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“Workers—especially essential workers—have been under immense pressure during the pandemic, and whether they are in Ireland or India, they should have the same access to life-saving protections—including vaccines. Unfortunately, access has not been equal, leaving millions unprotected and all of us exposed,” says Christy Hoffman, UNI General Secretary.

She continued, “Shamefully, some producers are seeking to profit from these inequalities. UNI Global Union is calling on leaders of high-income countries to value lives over intellectual property agree to a temporary TRIPS waiver.”

UNI Global Union demands that:

·        All countries have equal access to the COVID-19 vaccine;

·        The WTO wave the TRIPS Agreement on vaccines and other COVID therapeutics, so that vaccination and treatment are affordable and free from patent costs which can block production in the Global South;

·        No person, company, or government should profit from the procurement and distribution of the vaccine;

·        Health and social care workers, along with other essential workers, should have priority access to the vaccine worldwide.

Education and access to scientific information are key elements to a successful global vaccination program. UNI supports all ethical means to achieve high vaccination rates through the dissemination of accurate, scientifically based information.  

For more information, visit the People’s Vaccine. 

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Statement on World Day for immigrants and refugees

19 Jun 2022

On this June 20, 2022, commemorative day of the International Day for Immigrants and Refugees, the World Federation of Trade Unions, present in 130 countries of the world with 105,000,000 members, calls, in accordance with the Rome Declaration on the basis of its Theses and Priorities, as decided during its 18th Congress held in Rome, Italy from May 06 to 08, 2022, for the need for peace, the banishment of the exploitation of man by man as well as the just wealth redistribution.

The WFTU reminds that imperialist military conflicts generate migration and refugee crisis. There are also the antagonisms between powerful States, which seek to control the natural resources of the people for the profits of the multinationals; it is none other than the exploitation itself which divides societies between the rich and the poor.

The exploitation and looting of the wealth of underdeveloped countries is the driving force behind poverty and migration.

The alleviation of the external debt of the so-called poor countries is one of the major and diachronic priorities of the militant international trade union movement.

At the same time, we defend the lives and rights of migrants and refugees.

We oppose neo-Nazism.

As class-oriented international trade union movement, we will continue and strengthen our struggle for the protection and rights of migrant and refugee workers. At the same time, with the COVID-19 pandemic, all States must take all necessary measures for the unconditional vaccination of all migrant workers, refugees, and for their access to public health care. Immigrants and refugees have the right to protection from the COVID 19 pandemic.

We will continue to denounce racism and discrimination against migrant workers and to promote the united struggles of local and migrant workers, regardless of their race, origin, language, religion, etc. to meet their contemporary needs.

We demand Public Services for migrants and refugees with all the necessary and permanent staff, without the involvement of NGOs.

We say no to wars provoked by the imperialists and their lackeys.

No to anti-immigrant laws.

No to slavery and the exploitation of man by man.

Yes to equal social and labor rights for all workers in the world wherever they are.

Nobody is alone in the class struggles!

For the WFTU, the working class is one and indivisible!

_________________________________________________

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

 

 

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