Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 7 September
Norman Mampane
|
COSATU TODAY All Workers to the Front on October 7 #NoToCorruption |
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
Monday, 7 September 2020
‘Deepen
the Back to Basics Campaign, Consolidate the Struggle
for the NDR and Advance the Struggle for Socialism’
Join COSATU Now
Fight against intransigence of employers who do not register workers with UIF at all workplaces!
Mobilize against #COVID19 infections Now!
We shall overcome!
Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
Ø North West Health advertises Nursing bursary and warns against scams
- South Africa
- COSATU statement on the Click stores racism and the burning down of stores
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
Ø Amazon's Unrestrained Power Is a Threat to the European Social Model
Ø Mexico: SNTE welcomes government efforts to boost democracy and quality education
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
North West Health advertises Nursing bursary and warns against scams
7 Sep 2020
Nursing bursary advertised, applicants warned of scams
The North West Department of Health through its North West Nursing College has advertised the bursary for a 3yr Diploma in Nursing. Aspirant and qualifying matriculates with a calling for the profession of nursing can apply.
The department wish to at the same time warn communities to avert scamming and fraudulent activities. Previously, a lot of people have been scammed by fraudsters posing as recruiters of the Department. Sadly many aspirant learners have lost money as a result. It is therefore important that the community should not accept any information regarding intake of students that requires any payment to be done before the person is considered.
The applicants are advised to personally submit the forms to the college and are to not allow anybody to collect forms on their behalf using the name of the college. It is equally important for applicants to check the advertisement of the bursary which is placed on the newspapers and call the contact numbers appearing on the advert if they have questions.
The training is a bursary and private students are also not to pay any person any amount of money as this is not required until the person is admitted to training. The Department does not sell application forms nor does the Department expect learners to pay for the bursary or placement at the college.
Enquiries:
Tebogo Lekgethwane
Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 082 929 9958
Issued by: North West Health
South Africa
COSATU statement on the Click stores racism and the burning down of stores
Sizwe Pamla, Cosatu National Spokesperson, 07 September 2020
The Congress of South African Trade Unions has noted the nationwide campaign by the Economic Freedom Fighters to shutdown Click stores following their racist adverts denigrating black people’s hair and perpetuating white supremacy. We join other organisations who have denounced this naked racism of Click stores and feel that their apology was half-hearted and inadequate.
Racism cannot be tolerated in this country where many martyrs have paid the ultimate price to fight and dismantle the racist apartheid regime. All businesses and institutions should understand that there is a price they will pay if they continue to promote white supremacy and perpetuate racism. The Federation supports all the efforts to purge the South African society of racism and white arrogance.
While we support the campaign to discipline white capital and eradicate systemic racism that continues to treat black people as second-class citizens in their own country, we condemn the violence and thuggery that has seen some stores firebombed.
Burning down stores is pure criminality that will punish people who have no dog in this hunt, workers. Injustice and racism have to be fought forcefully without fail but anarchy and violence undermine and delegitimises the valid struggle against racism and takes the focus away from racists.
No one should imagine that any of this is helping the black community. It is mostly lowly paid black workers who will have nowhere to go to work if shops, where they work, are burned down. Most of this is political theatre, not even a distinguished theatre, unfortunately
Despite our strong opposition to racism and our commitment to its eradication, COSATU will never support anarchy and lawlessness. This reckless criminal behaviour can only serve to propagate social ferment and further economic dislocation
It is galling also to see EFF leaders who are elected legislators competing to prove how contemptuous they are of the rule of law. Workers must refuse to be manipulated by opportunists, who only offer them rhetoric and symbolism and then ditch them afterward and move on to another headline-grabbing stunt.
The struggle against racism should also be fought ideologically; it cannot only be fought or corrected by means of mere disobedience, vandalism, and futile martyrdom.
We need to deal with the source of white economic power that feeds this arrogance. While many of those who are frustrated by high unemployment may take a certain satisfaction at an even illogical retribution, and some comfort in slogans about euthanising the wealthy class, these alone will not eradicate racism.
We need to also focus our anger at the free-market acolytes and true believers at the National Treasury whose current policies perpetuate racism because they subjugate the previously oppressed black majority, while protecting the inherited privileges of the white minority.
Issued by COSATU
International-Solidarity
Amazon's Unrestrained Power Is a Threat to the European Social Model
7 September 2020
Using Amazon as an example of how dominant online platforms use their vast market power to avoid taxes, squeeze small and medium-sized businesses, engage in price dumping and drag down labour conditions, UNI Global Union and UNI Europa submitted a sweeping set of recommendations to the European Commission to ensure that the Digital Services Act (DSA) protects workers’ rights and upholds the European social model. To do so, the labour federations believe the DSA should curtail the dominant position of multinational digital conglomerates.
The policy paper, submitted as one of UNI Europa’s three contributions to the European Commission’s consultation, describes how Amazon’s anticompetitive practices and lower labour standards pose a threat to the market in which the tech giant operates and erodes the European social economic model that the European institutions are mandated to uphold. Amazon’s explosive growth has also exposed the company’s notorious anti-union stance globally. After years of under-enforcement or inefficient application of existing competition laws, the combined and massively exploited market power of a small number of overly dominant gatekeepers has resulted in a global awakening in favor of regulating these powerful conglomerates to correct market disfunctions and benefit sellers, consumers and workers alike.
“Amazon is exhibit A of why we need strong regulation to counterbalance the rising market power of the ‘Big Tech’ players, in particular the “GAFA” group (Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple). We are asking the Commission to step up so that future generations benefit from free and competitive online markets, but also that workers’ conditions are not degraded by a handful of mammoth companies that can brush aside Europe’s social partnership model,” said Oliver Roethig of UNI Europa Regional Secretary.
“There are numerous, serious competition and social concerns that can only be addressed effectively through targeted regulation. It is critical for the European Commission to enact rules that further the goals of a social market economy. This includes the direct or indirect strengthening of workers’ rights,” Roethig continued.
The EU’s Digital Services Act is the EU’s attempt to regulate the online ecosystem, updating the 2000 eCommerce directive. The full coverage of the package is currently being negotiated but it will cover content and user moderation as well as new competition rules for so-called gatekeeper platforms. The European Commission is due to present its plans in December 2020. Public consultations on the plans are ongoing until 8 September.
“With a Digital Services Act that puts people—not multinational tech companies—first, the European Union will deepen its leadership in the urgent global push to put in check the growth and monopolistic power of Amazon and other giant digital platforms. In Europe and across the world, these corporation are squeezing hardworking people and hoarding our data while benefiting just the few,” said Christy Hoffman UNI Global Union General Secretary. “The time to give the DSA the teeth it needs to police the ‘digital Wild West’ and create a level playing field is now."
Representing more than 20 million workers in 150 countries—including the 7 million workers of UNI Europa, the European services workers union —UNI Global Union is driven by the responsibility to ensure skills and servce jobs are decent jobs and that workers’ rights are protected, including the right of union representation and collective bargaining.
____________
Mexico: SNTE welcomes government efforts to boost democracy and quality education
Education International , 7 September 2020
In Mexico, the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (SNTE) has welcomed steps taken by the federal government that guarantee certainty in employment, wages, and benefits for education workers.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its repercussions on health, life, work, and the economy in Mexico, the country is moving forward. “There is social peace, life in democracy and expectations of economic recovery,” said Alfonso Cepeda Salas, SNTE President and member of Education International’s Executive Board.
Acknowledging the progress on democracy, he added: “In these two years of government, a profound national transformation has been undertaken that the SNTE will continue to support as a social, educational, and union actor.”
Unwavering dedication of teachers
Education has not ceased in Mexico, Cepeda Salas said, stressing “the unwavering vocation and professionalism of teachers”. The profession had shown their commitment to people’s education, the strengthening of the public-school system, and the defence of the rights of education workers.
The SNTE will promote the “Stay home. Stay in class” campaign so that no one drops out of school or is excluded from the education system.
Support government
The union will continue to support the government “to achieve the objectives of justice, development, and wellbeing” of its programme.
Cepeda Salas said he was confident that, with the cooperation between the government and the SNTE, between society and the teaching profession, there will be an opportunity to strengthen Mexican public schools.
__________________________
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