Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 24 August 2021
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #DefendCollectiveBargainingNow#UnionizeNow |
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
Tuesday,
24 August 2021
‘Deepen
the Back to Basics Campaign, Consolidate the Struggle
for the NDR and Advance the Struggle for Socialism’
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Contents
o Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- NUM march to Richards Bay Minerals is suspended until further notice
o South Africa
- The austerity centered fiscal framework is the source of our devastating unemployment rate
o International-Workers’ Solidarity!
Ø New ILO-supported health and safety app welcomed by dockers’ unions
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
NUM march to Richards Bay Minerals is suspended until further notice
Khulekani Mkhwanazi, NUM Acting Full-time Shop steward at Richards Bay Minerals, 24 August 2021
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) at Richards Bay Minerals through the branch Committee has decided to suspend the march that was planned to take place today (24th August 2021).
"The march is suspended until further notice following a late response from Umfolozi Municipality Authorities regarding granting NUM a permit to proceed with the march and to allow the company to finalize its negotiations with its stakeholder," said NUM Acting Full-time shop steward at Richards Bay Minerals, Khulekani Mkhwanazi.
"NUM still believes that labour issues between organized labour and the company remain unresolved, particularly issues like loss of income during the Force Majeure period and unclear future of Zulti South investment, just to mention a few," Mkhwanazi added.
However, NUM is adamant that a solution can be found if the company is prepared to engage with the union. The Branch Committee will update its members and workers in general about the developments and further advice about the way forward.
South Africa
The austerity centered fiscal framework is the source of our devastating unemployment rate
Sizwe Pamla, COSATU National Spokesperson, 24 August 2021
The Congress of South African Trade Unions has noted the latest Statistics South Africa Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the second quarter that shows that unemployment has reached a record high of 34,4% .
This is the highest rate on record.
This is very alarming considering that more than 50% of people in the working-age population are officially unemployed. It is also calamitous for the country because it means millions of workers will be dependent on the state for their well-being and that of their families. These unemployment numbers are an outcome of the policy choices by the policymakers, and in this regard the influence of the National Treasury.
These unemployment numbers reflect not just the devastating impact of COVID-19 but also of the government’s misguided austerity strategy that is geared towards containing public-debt and reducing budget deficit, instead of achieving structural economic transformation through diversifying and building the productive capacity of the economy.
It is deeply troubling that in the face of such devastating unemployment statistics, the newly appointed Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana has been quoted as saying that there is no plan to change the country's macroeconomic framework.
These depressing figures provide proof that there is no real commitment to accelerating shared economic growth and in transforming the structures of production and ownership by government.
The over generous and unconditional tax breaks and employment subsidies like Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) and Youth Employment Scheme (YES)Programme handed to the private sector are not working.
The Federation continues to argue that for the country to make a dent in unemployment and close the growing inequality, we need an activist government and a democratic developmental state that can intervene effectively to transform economic relations.
This is impossible in an environment where State Owned Entities and Development Finance Institutions are weak and ineffectual.
In our view, government needs to ensure that the parameters of fiscal policy are consistent with employment creation and retention strategies; and avoid imposing rigid and rapid deficit reduction targets which limit public expenditure and infrastructure development.
The source of the macroeconomic quagmire is stagnation and not debt, therefore, rather than choking the economy with austerity measures, government need to implement policies that support economic growth.
Central to all of this is the need to push for the reorientation of our education system to focus more on improving system outcomes.
For a long time, our focus has been on opening the doors of learning and improving literacy levels.
There is a need to move away from purely academic focus on education, to promote multi pathways, based on individual talents and interests.
Our education system has pockets of excellence, but these need to be expanded and become comprehensive.
We still have many young people, from historically disadvantaged communities falling through the cracks. About 73% of the unemployed young people have no matric certificate and no modern economy can thrive if some of its young people lack literacy and mathematical skills.
The 4th Industrial Revolution is here, and our education system does need to be responsive and equip young people with the necessary skills to be competitive. Without an urgent and targeted action to manage the near-term transition and build a workforce with futureproof skills, we are likely to continue to struggle to cope with ever-growing unemployment and inequality.
But we also need to ensure that technological 'solutions' in and of themselves, are not imposed recklessly with no regard for local economies. Economies are about the people, and it does not make sense for these technological advances to be imposed without accommodating those who are pushed aside by such developments.
The creation of skills alone will not fix unemployment, we need many young people to become job creators and get involved in entrepreneurship. Programmes or interventions to improve labour-force skills can be effective in urban regions or in intermediate regions but have little impact in rural areas where take-up rates are low.
This is where entrepreneurship can come in to fix the unemployment problems. This means that government needs programmes to support individual businesses and cooperatives.
One of the key challenges facing small businesses is the lack of funding. Young people are rarely targeted with subsidised credit, and they are not well served by the formal sector financial institutions.
By becoming so profit seeking, micro lending institutions have also contributed to the marginalisation of young people as they resorted to charging high interest rates and demanding collateral security for informal financing.
Government must fix the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and ensure that its funds go to young people seeking to set up their own businesses. Banks need to be engaged to provide affordable and accessible credit to young people wanting to set up their own businesses.
There is also a need for the development of a state bank and not for profit financial institutions which can reduce lending costs to young people.
Some of the government programmes like the Presidential Employment Programme and internship programmes which have managed to give relief to some unemployed young people needs to be expanded, pay young people a living wage, and be provided across all layers of the state.
It also disappointing that government and the private sector are not doing enough to fulfil some of their commitments made under the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan. The economy needs reliable and affordable energy supply.
It needs functioning State Owned Enterprises.
The fight against corruption and wasteful expenditure must be intensified. Local procurement by consumers, government and business must become a national campaign.
Issued by COSATU
International #Solidarity
New ILO-supported health and safety app welcomed by dockers’ unions
22 Aug 2021
Dockers’ unions are welcoming the launch of a new safety app that helps teach workers how to identify and reduce hazards in ports.
Port workers who download the OSH Ports app and complete the short course can then take an assessment and receive an official completion certificate. The app is supported by the International Labour Organization’s International Training Centre (ILO-ITC), whose experts provided important contributions to its content.
The new occupational safety and health training app is funded by the ITF Seafarers’ Trust and is free to download. OSH Ports is available on the Google Play Store for Android devices from today. The content and curriculum of the app was developed with strong input from dockworkers themselves through ITF-affiliated unions, in addition to those of the ILO-ITC.
“This is an app developed by dockers, for dockers backed up by expert technical advice. Because it’s been driven by workers, everything in there has been built from the ground up with a docker in mind,” said Paddy Crumlin, chair of the ITF Dockers’ Section.
The app takes port workers through occupational health and safety fundamentals specific to the ports sector, covering how and why things go wrong in ports, identifying hazards and risks that may affect workers and their workmates, and best-practice guidance on how they can contribute to accident investigations. The app is available in both English and in Arabic.ITF Dockers' Section Chair and ITF President Paddy Crumlin said dockers, seafarers and fishers across the Middle East and North Africa faced deadly risks daily at work
Crumlin, who is also an ITF Seafarers’ Trust trustee, said the charity was being approached to help reduce the concerning number of preventable accidents and fatalities in ports. He said that the ITF Seafarers’ Trust and unions have been working together to reduce workplace accidents and deaths particularly in the Middle East and north Africa.
“Right now, it makes complete sense to roll out this important tool first to the Arab World. Dockers, seafarers and fishers in the region face deadly risks every day due to a lack of adequate investment in safety, and safety and health education.”
“While it’s up to the port owners, the governments, or the global operators who own the assets, to stump up the cash for safer equipment; what we can do as dockers’ unions is help educate our sisters and brothers to think safer, spot dangers, prevent accidents where they can, and speak up when they see fatal shortcuts being taken,” said Crumlin.
Dockers' unions say they see the app as the first phase of a wider push to reduce accidents and fatalities at ports in accident hotspots such as the Arab World region.
Jessica Isbister, vice chair of the ITF Dockers’ Section Occupational Safety and Health Working Group (DOSH) said the ITF global dockers family was committed to helping port workers protect themselves and each other from harm in ports | (Credit: ILWU)
“Every docker should use this app, complete the course and encourage your workmates to use it too. This is the first stage of our campaign to reduce accidents and fatalities in our industry in the Arab World. The next stage will be to identify leaders to undertake secondary training with industry experts to give them the knowledge and confidence to go back and make significant changes to improve the health and safety of their ports,” said Jessica Isbister from ILWU Canada and vice chair of the ITF Dockers’ Section Occupational Safety and Health Working Group.
Notes:
· The course has been launched through unions across the Middle East and is currently available in Arabic and English, with plans to launch the course in other languages in the future.
· OSH Ports is available on the Google Play Store for Android devices from 23 August 2021.
· Developers led with launching the app for Android devices first as most users in the region use the Android mobile system over iOS. However, iPhone and iPad users can still use the mobile-friendly website to complete the course, and save their progress as they complete modules.
· The course is supported by the International Labour Organization’s International Training Centre (ILO-ITC). Experts from the ILO-ITC contributed to the content of the app.
· See more on this app at oshports.org from the ITF Seafarers’ Trust.
About the ITF: The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is a democratic, affiliate-led federation recognised as the world’s leading transport authority. We fight passionately to improve working lives; connecting trade unions from 147 countries to secure rights, equality and justice for their members. We are the voice for nearly 20 million working women and men in the transport industry across the world.
Media contact: media[at]itf.org.uk +44 20 7940 9282
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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