Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 10 May 2024
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY Today, it’s #CosatuRedFridays #Back2Basics #ElijahBarayiBrigades #VoteANC #ClassStruggle “Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism” #Back2Basics #JoinCOSATUNow #ClassConsciousness |
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
10 May 2024
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Misrepresentation on employment equity is a criminal act – warns Department’s Statutory Services
- Minister Thulas Nxesi briefs media on George building collapse
- 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
- South Africa
- ICN's 2024 International Nurses Day Report reveals significant role nurses play in economic prosperity for all.
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- WFTU Program of Activities in the 112th ILC, Geneva 3-14 June 2024
- WFTU statement on May 9 – Long live Peoples’ anti-fascist Victory!
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Misrepresentation on employment equity is a criminal act – warns Department’s Statutory Services
10 May 2024
Dozens of employers risk being taken to courts over misrepresentation on their employment equity (EE) status. This was the warning by Fikiswa Bede, Department of Employmet and Labour Chief Director: Statutory & Advocacy Services from the Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) branch.
“We will be taking a lot of employers to courts to charge them criminally, this is in addition to imposing fines. The Employment Equity Act allows us to go to court. I hope no one wants to have a criminal record. We are now seriously looking at pursuing the criminal route,” Bede said.
She said chief executives of companies are the ones who sign-off the EE plans. Bede said the Department has been doing its monitoring and would no longer accept EE reports as gospel truth. She said just like the chief executives - EE managers and EE Forum members have a duty to ensure compliance and as such would also need to be held accountable.
Bede was speaking last night (Thursday) during the Department’s IES branch EE Dinner and Awards ceremony designed to promote compliance with EE legislation. The awards ceremony was held at Anew Hotel Parktonian in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.
She said the employers bestowed with recognition last night were selected from a sample of 91 employers from various sectors and their number was reduced to nine. She said the employers were judged against their own approved EE plans.
“We are not interested in getting money from employers. The bottom line is that we are interested in ensuring compliance,” Bede said, in the main EE compliance appears to have been a paper exercise.
She said the inspectorate would be invoking Section 61.
Some of the elements of Section 61 says: no person may – obstruct or attempt to improperly influence any person who is exercising power or performing a function in terms of this Act; or knowingly give false information in any document or information porovided to the Director-General or a labour inspector in terms of this Act.
Department of Employment and Labour Inspector General Aggy Moiloa told guests that there was value in compliance. Moiloa said judging by the annual reports of the Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) the work of the inspectorate was cut out.
“We have some mileage to cover”, she appealed to employers to comply and not allow themselves to be pushed or force be exerted on them to comply.
She had words of praise for award recipients saying, “these are ground breakers, trend setters who give us hope that there are institutions that are willing to comply”. Moiloa said workplaces should be centres to harvest talent.
Awards categories and beneficiaries presented included:
Ministerial award (performing inspectors): Albert Mobokela; Lesego Maema; Edward Manana
Ministerial Award Gold: Clientele Legal; Sherwood Spar; Shoprite Cherkers Pty Ltd
Ministerial Award Silver: Le Roux; Medicus Shoes; Pine Lake Marina Pty Ltd
Ministerial Award Bronze: Braitex Tensilon Pty Ltd; Toscana Herbs and Fresh Produce Pty Ltd
The category on affirmed employers (those that showed progress) was awarded to: Footgear (Pty) Ltd; Ackermans A Division of Pepkor Trading (Pty) Ltd; Sasol Limited; Samsung Electronics South Africa Production (Pty) Ltd; Nampak Products Limited; Cape Fringe Manufacturers (Pty) Ltd; Ntinga OR Tambo Dev Agency - (EC); East of Eden Trading (Pty) Ltd; Gautrain Management Agency; Mediclinic South Africa; Blunden Coach Tours; Rockwell Automation; Machinery Plant Hire cc; Sishen Iron Ore Company (Pty) Ltd; Senet (Pty) Ltd; IB Mcintyre; Iwayini Company (Pty) Ltd t/a Villiers Wines; Draslovka Services RSA (Pty) Ltd; Buffelsdrift Game Lodge; Aegis Outsourcing S.A.
For more information, kindly contact:
Teboho Thejane
Departmental Spokesperson
082 697 0694/ Teboho....@labour.gov.za
-ENDS-
Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour
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Minister Thulas Nxesi briefs media on George building collapse
09 May 2024
Politics and differences should be put aside in the investigation into the building collapse in George
All government departments and the various spheres of government have decided to be non-political and also not compete in the investigation into the collapse of the multi-storey building under construction in Victoria Street in George on Monday afternoon.
This is what Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said during a media briefing session today in George.
The minister addressed the media following a meeting with Western Cape MEC for Local Government Anton Bredell, other government departments and relevant stakeholders.
"All government departments and the different spheres of government will be allowed to do their own investigations, but we are going to do so cooperatively. We have to support each other. It is not a competition and we cannot play politics with the lives of the workers”
Minister Nxesi called on all parties involved to put their differences aside and just work together.
"We know it's election time and that's why we tend to say anything, but now it's about a disaster that affects our workers in particular".
The Minister said the South African Police Service is currently in control of the site where the incident took place.
"They will do their own work unhindered. Once they are done with their work they will then hand over the site to the Department of Employment and Labour to investigate".
According
to Minister Nxesi, the department's investigation will be conducted according to the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS), in particular section 31 and 32.
For more information, contact:
Teboho
Thejane Departmental Spokesperson
Cell:
082 697 0694
E-mail: Teboho....@labour.gov.za
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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
ICN's 2024 International Nurses Day Report reveals significant role nurses play in economic prosperity for all.
Sibongiseni Delihlazo, DENOSA Communication Manager, 10 May 2024.
PRETORIA - As the world observes the period 6 and 12 May as International Nurses Week, with 12 May being the commemoration of International Nurses Day (IND), the International Council of Nurses' (ICN) 2024 Report for IND reveals how investing in nursing by countries could save at least 60 million lives each year while also adding 3.7 years to average life expectancy.
The report also shows how poor health costs the global economy about 15% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), further drawing a link between poor health and inadequate healthcare, and economic prosperity.
As a National Nursing Association in South Africa, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) is in full agreement with this report as it states a strong case for investing in nursing which, in turn, will not only save the healthcare costs but could further boost global GDP by USD 12 trillion or 8%.
"But the report states that this can only be achieved if governments recognised that such investments in nursing is not a cost," says DENOSA President, Simon Hlungwani.
"The report is showing that investing in healthcare saves money and expands economies because people will not spend longer times, if at all, in healthcare facilities. They will be out there in the world of work, being productive and providing for their families while contributing to the economic growth of their countries."
Nurses are the drivers of Primary Health Care (PHC) which has been recognised by the United Nations as the catalyst for reaching the UHC2030 goals. The report reveals that if countries are to achieve the higher 80 indicator out of 100 thresholds of UHC, they will have to increase the size of their nursing workforces so that they have 70 nurses for every 10,000 of their population.
DENOSA will be using this ICN report to state the case for investing in nursing in South Africa during the International Nurses Day national celebration, which will be held on Friday, 10 May 2024, at the Hope for Africa Christian Church in Siyabuswa, in the JS Moroka sub-district in Mpumalanga.
This national event, where 1,500 nurses will attend, will be addressed by Ministry of Health; DENOSA President, Simon Hlungwani; Premier of Mpumalanga, Refilwe Mtsweni-Matsipane; MEC of Health, Sasekani Manzini; and Executive Mayor of JS Moroka Local Municipality, Councillor Nomsa Mtsweni, among others.
"For South Africa to stand a good chance to reach the UHC2030 goals, it means we must start working towards increasing our nurse-to-population ratio, which currently stands at one nurse for every 220 people if you base it solely on the latest Census Report, which excludes millions of nationals from other countries who are permanently residing in South Africa, whether legally or illegally, as they all depend on the country's healthcare system," explains Hlungwani.
The South Africa's current standing in relation to achieving the UHC2030 target is that we have 45 nurses for every 10,000 population, and we need to be at 70 nurses for every 10,000 of the population.
DENOSA believes a phased gradual annual increases in the number of intakes of nursing students at the country's universities and colleges will be one way of dealing with the increasing shortage of nurses. The previous advice from the World's State of Nursing Report for 2020 suggested an annual increase of 8% of student nurses between then and 2030 for countries as a strategy to avert catastrophic levels of shortage of nurses by 2030.
Furthermore, the expansion of the pool where people study nursing, either at under-graduate or Post-Graduate levels, needs to be a special project as the country experiences an increasing shortage of both general and specialist nurses.
Resolving these will lead towards the realisation of the economic power of care, as citizens will be healthy, more active and productive in the economy.
This year's International Nurses Day is held under the theme: "OUR NURSES. OUR FUTURE. The economic power of care."
While the national celebratory event will be held in Siyabuswa, there are also scheduled provincial celebrations which will be carried out during the Nurses Month (May) in collaboration with the government, and these include:
- Northern Cape on Friday, 10 May 2024 at the HorseShoe Motel in Kimberley between 09h00 and 14h00. The event will also award the province's most caring nurse with the Marilyn Lahana Caring Award.
- Limpopo on 12 May 2024 at the Bolivia Lodge in Polokwane, which will be preceded between 10 and 11 May by the first Annual Nursing Conference at Bolivia Lodge.
- KwaZulu-Natal on 17 May 2024 at the Ladysmith Civic Hall in Ladysmith.
- Western Cape on 17 May 2024 in La Pineta in Stellenbosch.
- Free State on 17 May 2024 in Bloemfontein (Venue TBC).
- North West on 23 May 2024, at Sun City.
- Gauteng on 23 May 2024 at the Tambo Memorial Hospital in Boksburg.
- Eastern Cape in Peddie, venue and date to be confirmed.
End.
Issued by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA).
International-Solidarity
WFTU Program of Activities in the 112th ILC, Geneva 3-14 June 2024
10 May 2024
Sunday, June 2, 2024 – Room ILO A – R1 (at the ILO building), Time: 11:00 – 13:30 (CET)
Preparatory meeting of WFTU affiliates in Geneva to exchange views, plan and coordinate the presence of WFTU in the Conference. Interpretation in English, Spanish, French and Arabic will be provided
Monday, June 11, 2024
International Conference on the democratic rights and trade union freedoms of workers in the framework of ILC
11 of June in the afternoon (confirmation pending) – ILC Plenary
Speech of the WFTU General Secretary at the ILC Plenary.
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WFTU statement on May 9 – Long live Peoples’ anti-fascist Victory!
09 May 2024
Long Live May 9th! Long live Peoples’ anti-fascist Victory!
The WFTU salutes and honors the anniversary of the great anti-fascist victory of the peoples, with the capitulation of Nazi Germany on May 9, 1945, and pays tribute to the millions of victims of Nazi and fascist atrocities.
79 years ago, the day that marked the end of the fascist axis, the fascist machine that butchered the peoples has been officially defeated. The red flag with the hammer and sickle had been raised in the German Reichstag already since April 1945.
On this day, we honor the memory of the fighters everywhere who gave their lives on the battlefields, in the concentration camps, and in every form of anti-fascist action.
The victory of the people over fascism, with the Soviet Army in its vanguard, was accompanied by a new air of hope and optimism for a better world, without wars and disasters, without racial or other discrimination, free of exploitation and social injustice, and without colonialism and national oppression.
It changed the global correlation of forces in favor of workers and peoples and has boosted national liberation movements and decolonization and the struggle against colonialism. But first of all, it proved that only the organized struggle of the people can really put an end to fascism and the system that gives birth to it. Peoples united can achieve victories that seem impossible.
The foundation of the World Federation of Trade Unions, had also been a child of the great antifascist victory of the peoples.
However, 79 years after that great victory, US imperialism and its NATO allies are promoting conflicts that seriously threaten world peace and promote fascism. The caravans of innocent refugees, the situation in Ukraine, the ongoing genocide in Palestine, only bring negative developments for the peoples.
Today, the importance of this Victory is more topical than ever. In a period when the capitalists and their governments, the USA and the EU are trying to falsify history and erase the colossal contribution of the peoples, of the Soviet Union, of the partisan movements in the victory over fascism, our task is even more urgent. Peoples’ enemies did not even hesitate to characterize May 9 as the “Europe Day”, in order to change the true content of this date. In this methodical effort to overwrite the history, the international class-oriented trade union movement does not remain silent. We continue struggling against fascism and the system that generates it. At the same time, we don’t let memory to be erased and the historical truth to be forgotten. We continue spreading the truth to the new generations of trade unionist, honoring the memory and the struggle of the real liberators of the people and the world.
The WFTU salutes the 9th of May, by reaffirming its commitment to the defense of world peace, the rights of peoples, especially the working class, to the socialist perspective.
Long live May 9, 1945, the day of the victory of the peoples against Nazism and fascism!
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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