Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 9 May 2024
Norman Mampane
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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’-Maoo
Our side of the story
9 May 2024
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- COSATU supports the SAMWU strike at the Rustenburg Local Municipality
- NUM plan for the mother of all protest march against Sibanye-Stillwater’ decision to retrench more than 4 000 workers
- South Africa
- Media Alert: COSATU’s President Zingiswa Losi and General Secretary Solly Phetoe to join the NUM march against imminent retrenchments at Sibanye Stillwater on Saturday 11 May 2024
- Minister Thulas Nxesi on building collapse in George
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Liberian union signs collective agreement
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
COSATU supports the SAMWU strike at the Rustenburg Local Municipality
Kopano Konopi, COSATU North West Provincial Secretary, 09 May 2024
The Congress of South African Trade Union (COSATU) in the North West Province supports its affiliate, the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) which has embarked on a protected strike at the Rustenburg local Municipality.
The strike is a result of the failure of the municipality to upgrade the conditions of employment of the workers in line with the municipal grading.
COSATU understands that the municipality has been upgraded to grade 7 category B since 2010 but workers remain at grade 5 while councillors are at grade 6. The Municipal Manager and the directors are at grade 7.
It is disappointing that the Council does not see anything wrong with this discrepancy and they continue to refuse to upgrade the workers inline with the status of the municipality.
COSATU calls on the council to immediately implement the grading system as declared in 2010 and thereafter start the negotiations on how they will pay back the outstanding money from 2010.
The Federation does not support the idea of adopting the budget and the structure before correcting the grading as this will mean that the budget adopted will be that of grade 5 municipality and not a grade 7 municipality.
We call on the Mayor and the council to adhere to the demands of the workers with immediate effect.
Issued by COSATU North West
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NUM plan for the mother of all protest march against Sibanye-Stillwater’ decision to retrench more than 4 000 workers
Livhuwani Mammburu, NUM National Spokesperson, 08 May 2024
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is to embark on a mother of all protest march directed at gold and platinum producer Sibanye-Stillwater.
Recently, Sibanye-Stillwater issued a Section 189 retrenchment notice, notifying about its plans to retrench about 4 000 mineworkers. This is capitalist barbarism at its best.
Sibanye-Stillwater has been retrenching workers every year with the intention of cutting costs and making huge profits at the expense of mineworkers.
This is despite the fact that the gold price is doing very well and the company’s decision also come-out as we are about to enter into wage negotiations with the company.
The retrenchment of 3 107 mineworkers and about 915 contractors is a huge number. This is brutality at its best.
This evil and heartless decision will bring a bleak, dark and difficult future for our members and their dependents.
This company has been retrenching thousands of mine workers each year since it was founded way back in 2013. The only year that it did not retrench was the year 2021.
Sibanye-Stillwater has successfully destroyed such livelihoods under the watchful eyes of both the departments of Mineral Resources and energy and Employment and Labour as primary custodians of mining operations, and workers respectively.
It is recorded that for the past years Sibanye-Stillwater destroyed permanent jobs of many workers and destabilised livelihoods of many families. One mineworker is able to support more than 10 family members.
The NUM has noted with disgust the recent announcement by the company that there will be R140 million salary cut for its CEO. There are some of the tactics employed by the company to further confuse and fool workers. As the NUM, we are not buying into that.
The NUM will not allow Sibanye-Stillwater and its CEO Froneman to run away with murder and continue to exploit workers by using the minerals that directly belong to the people of South Africa.
We are therefore extending our invitation to everyone - workers irrespective of union or political affiliation, small businesses, all progressive stakeholders such as members of various communities, churches nongovernmental organisations to come in numbers to participate in the protest march.
The protest march is planned to take place as followed:
Date: 11 May 2024
Protest Assembly point: T-Cross N12 freeway, R58 offramp to Carletonville
Protest Destination point: Libanon Business Park in Westonaria
Time: 9 am
All members of the media are invited to cover and report about this mother of all protest march.
For more detailed information, please contact:
Livhuwani Mammburu, NUM National Spokesperson, 083 809 3257
Luphert Chilwane, NUM Media Officer, 083 809 3255/ 073 354 6569
The National Union of Mineworkers
7 Rissik Street.
Cnr Frederick
Johannesburg
Tel: 011 377 2111
Cell: 083 809 3257
Media Alert: COSATU’s President Zingiswa Losi and General Secretary Solly Phetoe to join the NUM march against imminent retrenchments at Sibanye Stillwater on Saturday 11 May 2024
Matthew Parks, COSATU Acting National Spokesperson & Parliamentary Coordinator, 09 May 2024
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)’s President Zingiswa Losi and General Secretary Solly Phetoe will join the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)’s protest march tonglomerate Sibanye Stillwater at Kloof Mine in Caltonville, Gauteng on Saturday 11 May.
Sibanye Stillwater has issued Section 189 retrenchments notices threatening the jobs of 3 107 mineworkers and 915 contractors. This will be a devastating blow to those workers, their families and communities that we cannot accept.
The march to Kloof Mine will deliver a memorandum of demands expressing workers’ deep anger and rejection of the proposed retrenchments and other proposals that seek to undermine and make the conditions of employment unbearable for employees.
COSATU stands in solidarity with the members of the National Union of Mineworkers, who have been experiencing retrenchments every year at the hands of inhumane employers who look for any excuse to retrench workers and refuse to engage on meaningful alternatives.
The management of Sibanye Stillwater and its CEO Neal Froneman are clearly incapable of running and stabilizing the mining company. The blood, sweat and tears of miners are made a mockery of whilst the very same management are content to pay themselves exorbitant packages worth hundreds of millions whilst mine workers struggle to survive on their meagre wages.
Issued by COSATU
International-Solidarity
Liberian union signs collective agreement
8 May, 2024
IndustriALL affiliated union, United Workers Union of Liberia (UWUL) signed a three-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with public utility Liberia Electricity Corporation on 2 May, after months of negotiations.
The CBA will benefit about 700 workers out of a workforce of over 1200. According to UWUL some of the gains from the collective bargaining agreement, which will cover the period from January 2024 to December 2026, include a 10 per cent increase that will be paid to the lowest paid workers whose average wages are US$250 per month. There will also be a US$50 payment for all workers in the second and third shifts, educational assistance for three dependants of US$110, standby allowances, relocation allowances, and electricity benefits.
The CBA also awards Independence Day bonuses which are paid on 26 July, when the West African country attained independence from the United States of America in 1847, and annual bonuses. For the first time, the union also negotiated for a five-day paid paternity leave.
An article in the CBA also includes provisions on workplace policies that are derived from International Labour Organization Convention 190 on ending gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work. This is the fifth CBA to be signed by UWUL with the Liberia Electricity Corporation. About 33 per cent of the workforce is made up of women.
Vacus Wilmont Kun, director of education and training said:
“The workers are pleased with the outcome of the negotiations especially the increase in benefits because these have monetary values. For example, the electricity benefits will give workers electricity coupons for six months during the rainy season and this contributes significantly to living wages.”
He further explained that the CBAs have made incremental gains over the years, and this has improved workers livelihoods and that during the rainy season the country’s hydroelectric power generating capacity was at the peak and workers would benefit from this energy generation.
“With the increasing cost of living, we always celebrate when unions negotiate wage deals that are above inflation and increase benefits as this eases the financial pressure on workers and their families. IndustriALL applauds UWUL for continuing the campaign for living wages in the energy sector in Liberia,”
said Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary.
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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