COSATU Today, 15 March 2010

The CWU has noted with serious concern that parliament’s portfolio committee on Labour chaired by Lumka Yengeni intends to make cosmetic proposals for the amendment of certain labour laws to regulate labour brokers, as opposed to out-rightly banning labour brokers.

If these intentions by the portfolio committee are legitimate, they raise serious suspicions that the committee members are cowardly undermining the Freedom Charter and the electoral commitment of the ANC of creating decent work. It is our contention as CWU that decent work cannot co-exist with labour brokers. To us labour brokers represent the worse form of human slavery in this modern day and age.

The ANC has a revolutionary responsibility and duty to ban labour brokers given its parliamentary majority and informed by its political programme as encapsulated in the Freedom Charter which called for “Child labour, compound labour, the tot system and contract labour shall be abolished”. This clause should be guiding the ANC to protect our workers and the poor from slavery and exploitation from vultures masquerading as labour brokers. The regulation of labour brokers will be a total betrayal and liquidation of the Freedom Charter by the ANC government. Labour brokers must be banned in the interest of our workers and the poor.

The CWU demands that the portfolio committee declares publicly the outcome of the public hearings. The failure by the committee to adhere to this demand it will reinforce our long-held views that some sections in the ANC high echelons or tenderpreneurs are using democratic parliamentary processes to silence or undermine popular desires and aspirations as it relates to labour brokers. We are not bling to the fact that some of our leaders are entrenched in business and labour brokering and banning labour brokers is not within their selfish and accumulation interests.

No amount of bullying, insults, labelling, name calling or being compared to the opposition will deter Cosatu affiliated unions to go to the streets in demand of labour brokers to be banned. This government under Zuma ascended to power through the sweat and hard efforts of workers and therefore workers’ interests and demands must form the core of the government’s programme and agenda.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised!

1.2 Labour Portfolio Committee agrees to prohibit exploitation of workers

Modise Kabeli, Parliamentary Communication Services, 12 March 2010

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Labour is likely to adopt a report that could pave the way for the introduction of legislation that prohibits the exploitative and abusive practices against workers on 23 March 2010.

This follows a Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 09, which deliberated on a draft committee report on public hearings on labour brokering.

Committee chairperson Lumka Yengeni said the Committee unanimously agreed that exploitation against workers by labour brokers should be prohibited. To this regard, a 4- member multi-party task team has been established to extract from the report such practices.

The task team’s report will be used as a framework for discussions during the March 23 meeting, said Yengeni adding that the adoption of the report may result in the amendment or repeal of Section 198 of the Labour Relations Act and other related Acts. This would include a clear definition of an employer and the workplace.

Yengeni has expressed her satisfaction with the deliberations and progress made by the Committee towards addressing the problem of labour brokering in the country. She has, however, voiced her shock at media reports that the Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana attended the meeting when in fact he did not.

1.3 SADTU Mpumalanga demands reinstatement of 60 workers

Walter Hlaise, SADTU Provincial Secretary, 15 March 2010

SADTU in Mpumalanga is calling for the reinstatement of 60 employees of the provincial examination directorate pending a formal enquiry into the leaking of matric exam papers.

SADTU in Mpumalanga has expressed its dismay and dissatisfaction at the disbandment of the Examination Directorate of the Province. The nature of the National Department’s intervention leaves a lot to be desired. A proper enquiry into the nature and source of the problems was never conducted but National nevertheless decided that a takeover was the best course of action.

This arbitrary decision was arrived at without due consideration of the legal framework that was supposed to guide the processes. The Mpumalanga Department of Education, through the Head of Department, conceded that the move by National was illegal. There are now worrying developments. The national team that is currently in the provincial office is running examinations including the supplementary examinations from boots of their vehicles and hotel rooms at a cost to an already financially burdened Department.

All responsibilities have now been outsourced to the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) again at a cost to the Mpumalanga Education Department while the more than 60 employees of the department employed to run examination are sitting idly with nothing to do. Since the arrival of the national team, the 60 employees are paid to do nothing. These 60 employees have gained skills and experience while working in examinations. These skills and experience will now go to waste.

The manner in which the supplementary examinations were run was a disgrace, for example learners wrote a Geography paper without maps. It is a clear indication that the demobilisation of the employees in examinations was a mistake.

The national team has made plans to employ 60 new people who must first be trained instead of building on acquired skills and experience. Again, the implication is that the department must absorb extra 60 people on an already strained budget.

More worrying is the fact that the national team has in it, people who had located upward career mobility in the Province but failed to make the grade and are now determined to seek retribution.

SADTU believes that the role of national intervention should be developmental, strengthen areas of weakness and fortify the handling of question papers.

We are calling upon the Minister to halt the activities of the national team and recall Mrs Sishi and his team pending a formal inquiry and that all provincial employees remain in their posts. All those identified by the formal probe as responsible for the leakages dealt with through due process.

1.4 COSATU condemns attack on paramedics

Dumisani Dakile, Cosatu Gauteng Provincial Secretary

COSATU has learnt with shock and dismay the barbaric acts that have been directed to public sector workers. The rape of two paramedics by criminals in the Durban Deep is a set back to our poor communities who are looking for such services. We further note that such had occurred on the day women were celebrating International Women’s Day.

COSATU condemns such barbaric act by the criminals who had raped these workers. The union federation believes that communities should respect the role that is played by such workers as they are providing a critical service to the same communities.

It is on this basis that we call our community to assist in whatever way possible to ensure that these criminals are apprehended by the Police and they are locked for the rest of their lives. We also call upon our police service to also establish a task team that will ensure that the investigation on this matter is priorities as a matter of urgency.

2. South Africa

2.1 COSATU responds to ANC NEC statement

Patrick Craven, COSATU’s National Spokesperson, 15 March 2010

COSATU has warmly welcomed the strong condemnation by the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress of “the new culture of public spats, trading of insults and personalised attacks amongst its leaders”.

The statement echoes the words of the COSATU Central Executive Committee which condemned those who are “trying hard to take us back to the politics of labelling, name calling, back-stabbing, rumour and scandal mongering, marginalisation and closure of space for free and democratic debates”.

COSATU has always rejected this style of politics and has never allowed its political disagreements to slide into personal insults and questioning of people’s bona fides. As the NEC says, this “detracts from the historic mission of the ANC, its discipline, traditions and protocols”.

The federation also fully backs the NEC’s defence of Pravin Gordhan. While we have some disagreements with the Finance Minister over monetary policy and wage subsidies, on which we shall continue to engage, we have expressed agreement with many other sections of his budget speech, and we deplore the personalised attacks which have been made on him by the ANC Youth League.

COSATU further welcomes NEC’s directive to its officials “to institute disciplinary measures against any leaders of the ANC at any level after this NEC who continue to engage in these activities which are alien to our movement”. This is the second time such a pledge has been made, but last time no action was taken against those who defied it, for example the President of the ANC Youth League. We hope that the NEC will this time take action to implement this decision.

The federation also shares the NEC’s “astonishment” at “the disrespect shown by some leaders and structures of our movement, particularly relating to the succession debate to our 2012 National Conference”. COSATU agrees with the NEC that ANC structures must pronounce on the matter of succession only at an appropriate time and that until that time it should not be publicly discussed.

COSATU welcomes the announcement that the NEC has committed itself to intensify its engagements with communities protesting about service, local development issues, and accountability of elected representatives or lack thereof. COSATU will back the NEC’s work with our communities to find lasting solutions to the challenges they face.

The federation also welcomes the focus of the NEC meeting on strengthening the organisation, both in the party structures and in government, and pledges our full support for that campaign.

COSATU however expresses regret that the NEC rejected its call for lifestyle audits of public representatives. The federation will continue to campaign for a much tougher fight against the cancer of corruption and in particular the abuse of public office for private enrichment. As the NEC says, “society must play its role in fighting any devious means of accessing business opportunities” and lifestyle audits can be a powerful weapon in that fight.

The federation has never, as alleged, called for using lifestyle audits “selectively” which, as the NEC says, “can degenerate into using state organs for factional interests”, which is why COSATU has always argued that it must be implemented across the board in order to tackle all such abuse.

The federation agrees with the NEC’s recommitment to Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment and Employment Equity in the workplace, which have “built and continue to grow the black middle class, as an important stratum in society”.

COSATU is however concerned at the NEC’s half-hearted and vague commitment to be “decisive in acting against using the tender system to give business to individuals in ways that create the perception that there is favouritism or corruption in the process”.

There is no firm commitment to investigate the many specific allegations in the media, such as Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane’s decision to award of a R30 million tender to "beautify" the highway leading to OR Tambo Airport without going through a proper tender process. For the public to gain confidence in the tender processes, and to remove the “perception that there is favouritism or corruption”, the NEC should fully investigate this, and many other such allegations in the media.

COSATU welcomes the proposed bilateral meeting with the ANC, and will take the opportunity to raise issues of common concern, such as the Eskom tariff increases and the ANC’s involvement with Hitachi South Africa, a company which is building power stations for Eskom.

2.2 COSATU North West supports community protests

Solly Phetoe, COSATU North West Provincial Secretary, 12 March 2010

COSATU and its affiliates has supported all communities who are protesting for better service delivery and for a better life for all our members, in particular SAMWU members who are affected by the attitude of councillors who are elected by communities.

COSATU in the North West province is very disturbed by the attitude and arrogance and non-intervention by the ANC Provncial Task Team, which was given a mandate by the NEC to deal with both the political and governmental challenges facing the poor working class and the rest of communities in rural and farm areas.

COSATU is on record that no one will give permission to lead a protest action or campaign for service delivery for a better life for all. We do not need permission from the PTT or RTT. We are leading the workers, not PTT or RTT which have their own political agenda of business or capitalist opportunism.

We know some of those who are on the payroll of some of the municipalities as political advisors to the mayors and they have never been at work since there were appointed but continue to receive monthly salaries between R40 000 and R60 000.

Some of them have business opportunities in other municipalities, which is why the report from the Minister is not implemented in other municipalities and implemented selectively for their own political agendas.

COSATU North West condemns violent protests in all marches. As COSATU we led over 10 000 people which includes the workers in Madibeng on 9 March 2010 with no violence. Therefore we call all our structures to be at forefront of supporting the communities’ actions for service delivery. The action must be peaceful and grievances must be heard by government and they must respond positively, not with the arrogant response of the PTT or RTT.

If the ANC PTT and RTT decide to undermine the credibility of the masses in defence of the few corrupt councillors, sorry but they will not do it with COSATU. We are going to fight corruption and crime.

Nepotism and exploitation of our members at the municipalities is led by some ANC councillors and we know it is led by the PTT and RTT.

We call on our members to respect all COSATU decisions, respect the ANC NEC, respect the communities in all areas where they stay and fight against crime and corruption.

2.3 ANC and SACP joint statement

African National Congress, South African Communist Party, 11 March 2010

The senior leadership of the ANC and the SACP met last week to discuss issues of mutual concern and common programme.

The President of the ANC in summarising indicated that mistakes have been made on both sides. The SACP, in the context of the discussions, re-affirmed its regret at the booing that occurred at the Special National Congress in December 2009. Both parties agreed that there would be no further personalised public attacks on each other.

We commit to frequent discussions at a bilateral level to discuss how to give effect to our key priorities, namely health, education, rural development, creation of decent jobs and the fight against crime and corruption.

2.4 ANC YL disappointed with City Press

Floyd Shivambu, ANC Youth League Spokesperson, 14 March 2010

The ANC Youth League is totally disappointed by the Editor and management of City Press Newspaper, who instead of clarify the veracity of the information we sent them, they continue with their mischievous slander.

The City Press claims on page 2 of its 14th of March edition that they have written to ANCYL Spokesperson requesting that we stop distributing a document that puts money laundering and tax-fraud allegations of City Press Investigations Editor, Dumisani Lubisi. For the record, the City Press has not communicated anything with the ANC YL, and we will never be told by the City Press what to communicate and what not to communicate.

Background Information

On the Thursday, the 11th of March 2010, concerned citizens brought to the attention of the ANC Youth League a document which links Dumisani Lubisi to tax fraud, money laundering and tendering with the Gauteng Shared Services Centre (GSSC). At various intervals, Dumisani Lubisi has been receiving payments on his company and personal accounts and none of these payments are accounted for in terms of tax payments. The document indicates how Dumisani Lubisi paid for two houses (costing above a R1.5 million) and four cars in a period of one year on a monthly salary of R19 000 from the City Press. The 19 000 per month salary is the only income recorded for tax and the rest of the monies are not accounted for. This justifies our observation that Journalists take bribes and additional money that they cannot explain so that they write bad stories about certain individuals.

Being the carrying and law abiding citizens that we are, we brought the information to the attention of Ferial Hafajjee, the Editor of City Press and made Dumisani Lubisi aware that we are in possession of such information. Instead of clarifying the veracity of such information, the City Press rushes into what is a weak defence of Dumisani Lubisi who is allegedly in conflict with the law. The ANC Youth League believes that the tax evasion information we have about Dumisani Lubisi is true and will expose the people behind the payments.

As promised in our 22nd of February statement, our approach to uprooting corruption and fraud does not happen in Newsrooms, we approach the police whenever we are convinced that there is wrongdoing. We will on Tuesday, the 16th of March 2010 approach a police station to report Dumisani Lubisi for money laundering and tax-fraud, because we are convinced that the information at our disposal is true. Our approach to corruption is courageous and not aimed at bullying anyone. Dumisani Lubisi and the City Press are at liberty to approach South Africa’s legal institutions if they believe that there is any wrongdoing on the part of the ANC Youth League.

People who are in conflict with the law should be ready to be accountable and institutions that protect such individuals should be exposed. The ANC Youth League is consistent with its promise, taking the anti-corruption struggles to another level and will report all corrupt individuals to the police. The City Press and all other Newspapers are called upon to take the fight against corruption seriously and stop using corruption claims as means to sell more copies of Newspapers.

2.5 ANC YL disgusted by Sunday Times report on Malema

Floyd Shivambu, ANC Youth League Spokesperson, 14 March 2010

The ANC YL has expressed disgust by the reports of two sick and mentally disturbed Journalists, Buddy Naidu and Simpiwe Piliso in the Sunday Times front page story of 14th of March 2010.

These sick journalists refuse to listen and understand anything that is against their narrow convictions and in the process mislead Sunday Times readers. These Journalists write a story that implicates ANC Youth League President in some Mining deals, and completely ignore the written response the ANC Youth League sent to them officially clarifying the allegations that Youth League President is involved in lobbying for the State to dispose of its stake in Mining in Limpopo.

In the response we sent to the Sunday Times, we categorically stated that “The President of the ANC Youth League is not involved in any Mining deal and is on record saying that the State should never dispose of its interests and stakes in mining”. This remains the position of the ANC YL and its entire leadership that government should not dispose any of its stakes and interests in Mines because the National General Council of the ANC in September 2010 and National Conference in December 2012 will resolve on the nationalisation of Mines. But because the Sunday Times as a Newspaper has chosen to oppose nationalisation of Mines, they chose to publish the story so that they cast aspersions in the ANC Youth League’s call for nationalisation of Mines.

The ANC Youth League’s official response to the Sunday Times further said that a supposition that we are calling for nationalisation of Mines because of certain failed deals is “an incorrect and actually ludicrous supposition. The call for nationalisation of Mines is inspired by the Freedom Charter and a direct result of the ANC Youth league’s 23rd National Congress resolutions. Those who peddle such are intellectually lazy and believe the only way to disagree with the ANC Youth League’s resolution is to cast aspersions on the intensified campaign for nationalisation of Mines”. The Sunday Times chose to ignore these responses so that they can give weight to their otherwise weak, poorly researched and mischievous story. The ANC YL will take the necessary legal steps to ensure that the Newspaper and the two sick Journalists are brought to book.

For the record, the ANC Youth League’s call for nationalisation of Mines will never be diverted by any sort of rumour mongering and mischievous slander spread by Newspapers. The ANC YL will contrary to what the Sunday Times suggest be lobbying government not to sell any of its stakes in Mining because these will form a very firm foundation for the State Owned Mining Company, which we propose should be established. We have already engaged the national Department of Mineral Resources on this perspective and convinced that there will soon be agreement.

2.6 Address to the Public Sector Summit by COSATU’ 1^st Deputy President TyoTyo James

COSATU is pleased to have been invited to this important gathering, whose primary task is to discuss what we consider to be the heartbeat of our country democracy.

The Reconstruction and Development Programme document said “The apartheid regime has been unrepresentative, undemocratic and highly oppressive.... The legal and institutional framework we are inheriting is fragmented and inappropriate for reconstruction and development. It lacks capacity to deliver services, it is inefficient and out of touch with the needs of ordinary people. It lacks coordination and clear planning”

For us as COSATU at the centre of this Public Service Summit is the question of the Transformation of the state.

The RDP, in setting out a vision for the transformation of the state argues that “democratisation requires modernising the structures and functioning of government in pursuit of the objectives of efficient, effective, responsive, transparent and accountable government. We must develop the capacity of government for strategic intervention in social and economic development. We must increase the capacity of the public sector to deliver improved and extended public services to all the people of South Africa”

Perhaps before we proceed with the input it will be important to do a brief reflection on the background regarding the transformation of the state.

The reality is that when the call for the transformation of the state was made, that took place in an environment where the tide had turned against state intervention in the economy. Market fundamentalist had gained confidence bolstered by the collapse of the Soviet bloc, pressure to roll back the welfare state and the crisis confronting many developing nation state.

The result was the notion of a mean and lean state or a slim state, which basically meant that the state’s role in the economy had to be rolled back. In order to trim down the state, a set of policy measures were prescribed including privatisation, shrinking the size of the public service and so on.

This meant that the debate about the transformation of the state in South Africa was polarised into two camps.

On one side were those who favoured a lean and mean state suggesting that the South African State should play a minimalist, purely enabling role, and that the size of the state must shrink.

The notion of a minimalist state was supported and promoted by the powerful alliance of transnational capital and international finance institutions such as World Bank and IMF. Their shared outlook was that the free market knows best and the private sector does best, that the state’s main task in economic and social development is to minimise impediments and maximise inducements to private capital accumulation.

Privatisation, commercialisation and deregulation became the watchwords of those who were promoting this vision of the public sector reform in South Africa.

On the other side , was an a second approach which favoured a more nuanced strategy, focused on addressing the inefficiencies of the apartheid state and building the state’s capacity to implement a programme of social transformation.

The implication of this approach was that the size of the state cannot be predetermined, but should be informed by the magnitude of the programme that the state has to implement. The RDP strategy, far from promoting a minimalist state, envisaged a developmental state which plays a significant role in the economy and society in general.

The RDP said that “public sector must play a major enabling role, since it cannot be expected that the market will make such structural transformation on its own.

The RDP’s approach rests on the philosophy that advances a complementary role for an active state and a regulated market. This is in sharp contrast to the view that these are mutually exclusive spheres, as argued by those who favour a limited state role. Often this view is couched in terms that equate efficiency with the market and inefficiency with the state. This regression to the 19^th century views on the role of the state tended to be one marked by hostility to the state in so far as it goes beyond certain minimal functions. According to this outdated view the state should be just large enough to maintain public order, protect property rights and enforce contracts.

In our view as COSATU, the state should play a dynamic developmental role as a key economic agent. It is the biggest employer, consumer and investor. Through its fiscal and monetary policies, and the composition of its budget, it exerts a tremendous economic influence. Its parastatals such as ESKOM, Transnet, TELKOM and the Post Office are massive engines in the economy. Through its education, trade and industrial policies it shapes the country’s industrial development. We hope that State owned enterprises have been invited to this Summit!

An active, interventionist state is necessary if we want to achieve our goal of economic development. In other words we need to overcome poverty and redistributive power, wealth, income and economic opportunity from a small minority to the majority of citizens. A developmental state will marshal resources towards the building of an efficient, dynamic economy.

Experience elsewhere demonstrates the economic value of particular types of state intervention. Japan, Korea and Taiwan intervened strongly and systematically in markets with industrial, trade and financial sector policies to advance economic expansion, productivity and growth and exports performance. Even Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand and China today use active industrial policy measures by the state to influence the pattern and rate of economic activities. The reconstruction of post war Europe would not have been successful without an active state.

Markets have been inadequate in responding to the social needs of human beings- in setting decent wages and fair standards, in protecting the poor and the marginalised, in correcting imbalances of wealth and inequality. Unfettered free markets have led to the development of major inequalities and poverty in society and defeated the purpose of economic policy.

The world is still trying to recover from the damage of economic crisis and all the leading market countries have been calling for state intervention. Leave markets on their own and see the havoc in the world. Today the world is confronted with the crisis of global warming and at the centre of the causes of the problem is the logic of the market which is based on over accumulation and profit maximisation regardless of the consequences.

So as we meet here today the conditions are totally different in that those who were advocating for an overreliance on the market have a task to first explain to us what caused the economic crisis that made the USA and Europe to call for the state intervention to bail out capital. They must explain to us why is the USA today advocating for National Health Insurance?

As COSATU we therefore would like to speak from a high moral pedestal and say in this meeting we will argue for a developmental state and we will stand up and say that the delivery of basic services to citizens remains the responsibility of the state. This implies that service delivery institutions should be owned and operated by the state. Here we would oppose the use of outsourcing, the use of PPPs and the establishment of government agencies as providers and operators of service delivery.

We will argue here that public service as a workplace, should ensure that there are sufficient state employees which are providers of service and refrain from using labour brokers as the providers of casualised labour. Instead of using Labour Brokers they should unashamedly stop using them and join our call to have these human traffickers banned!

We want to say upfront that we are concerned about the use of PPPs as service delivery vehicles.

In the PPP quarterly (Feb 2009) it was stated that 18 PPPs have been legislated, and 55 are still being negotiated. Of the 18 legislated 7 are located in the health sector. In the Budget speech it was mentioned that Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Gauteng is a flagship PPP. Internationally, it has been recognised that the establishment of PPs, does not improve service delivery and/or access to services, but the profit motive leads to increased costs, reduction of employment and the increased casualisation of labour, which impacts negatively on service delivery capacity and undermines universal access to basic services.

The Alliance Summit held May 2008, called for a “moratorium on privatization and outsourcing and the review of current outsourced public sector utilities”. As COSATU, we therefore call on this Public Service Summit to declare a moratorium on establishing new PPs and for the reversal of the already processed PPPs.

We hold the same views against Government Agencies. Our argument is that while these are not private companies but they are institutions set up as autonomous structures to provide services on behalf of the government.

There is no current legislation which enables any executive authority to create agencies, nor to declare a public service department into an agency. Therefore, the current establishment of agencies is unlawful. Despite this, many government agencies have been established and there are attempts to establish more agencies. An example is the Gauteng Shared Services Agency (GSSA), which has been put on hold due to our interventions. Others include the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) and the Public Railway Agency of SA (PRASA).

If these are allowed Service delivery will continue to be undermined because these agencies “take on a life of their own”. They are accountability to no one and as a result co-ordination in government is undermined.

Secondly, the employment contracts are transferred from the public service to the individual agencies, in similar ways in which outsourcing and PPPs do.

For this reason as COSATU, we call for the moratorium on the establishment of new agencies and that employment contracts which have been transferred from the public service to these individual institutions, should be referred back to the public service.

We welcome the opportunity to participate in this important Summit and we would also like to state upfront that in our deliberations in this Summit we will present an argument to persuade the Summit on the following 12 areas of focus:

1. Move away from regulatory state towards more state intervention in the economy and ensure public service provision and access.

2. Implementing a moratorium on the establishment government agencies and the review of existing agencies which are providing public services.

3. Implementing a moratorium on the usage of labour brokers by the public service and the future process of banning labour brokers and to ensure that the inspectorate of Dept. of Labour is effective in monitoring the usage of labour brokers.

4. Fill existing vacancies, review existing list and develop a new developmental state perspective on employment to address access to quality public services.

5. Reverse processes of transferring employment contracts out of public service to FET colleges, agencies, outsourced entities.

6. Ensure that the agreed comprehensive review of all conditions of employment including the remuneration policy is implemented.

7. Introduce new measures to deal with corruption and fraud in the public service.

8. Implementing a moratorium on outsourcing, PPPs and the review of existing outsourced projects and PPs, in line with the Polokwane Resolution and as part of the priorities of government in the manifesto.

9. Ensure the implementation of the 10-Point Plans for education and health and the NHI.

10. Address specific public service difficulties – education, health, criminal justice – looking at resources, infrastructure, employment

11. Need to establish a partnership with public service unions to continue discussions and monitoring of implementation of agreements

12. Need to look at convening a public Sector Summit, which would include other segments like SOEs, local government, etc.

We wish the Summit will not be one of those who ended up being talk shops!

May all the objectives of this Summit be realised!

3. International

3.1 RadioLabour now has two weekly audio programmes

Marc Bélanger, Global LabourNews, 12 March 2010

The Solidarity Report which is a half-hour of news and feature stories about unions and the activities of working people around the world is available every Sunday morning.

In the past few weeks, the programme has reported on the general strikes in Europe, the plight of migrant workers in Africa, the siege of Mexican mine workers at Cananea, strikes in Burma, child labour in Latin America and more. These are stories presented from a labour perspective that you'll never see on CNN.

The second programme - the Global LabourNews Update - is being introduced this week. The Update is five minutes of headline news featuring the major labour events of the week.

In both our programmes we focus especially on activities in the developing world. North-South cooperation in the labour movement cannot be built unless we know each others stories and struggles.

The five minute Update is designed to help busy activists keep in touch with what's happening in the global labour movement. The Solidarity Report is focused on providing a wider range of news and more in-depth analysis of the issues facing working people. Anybody can supply stories to be audiocasted on the Report. Instructions for how to do so are on our website.

The five minute Update is presented every Friday morning. The Solidarity Report is available every Sunday morning.

Both programmes are posted on the RadioLabour website, Facebook and iTunes. You can also follow us on Twitter. We will soon be available on mobile phones.

Our goal is to support the global labour movement by creating a world-class radio station where the voices of labour around the world can be heard. Please help us by listening to our programmes, suggesting story ideas and, if you can, supplying audio-reports.

And: please sign our "We want a Global Labour Radio Station"

petition. To create a world-class radio station for the movement we will need funding. You can help us find that funding by showing your support when you sign the petition. It will take 30 seconds of your time.

You will find the petition, the news programmes, and other information on our website at:

www.radiolabour.net <http://www.radiolabour.net/>

The bosses have their global media. It's time workers had theirs.

Help build RadioLabour.

4. Announcement

4.1 Book discussion “Hani: A Life Too Short”

	THE CENTRE FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION Cape Town, South Africa, invites you and members of your organisation to the seminar discussion of the book
	“Hani: A Life Too Short" by Janet Smith and Beauregard Tromp
CHAIR:	Ms Maureen Isaacson Assistant Editor/Books Editor, Sunday Independent Johannesburg
DISCUSSANT:	Professor Martin Legassick Emeritus Professor, University of the Western Cape Cape Town
SPEAKERS:	Ms Janet Smith Executive Editor, The Star Johannesburg Mr Beauregard Tromp Senior Reporter, The Star Johannesburg
DATE:	Tuesday, 16 March 2010
TIME:	17h30 to 19h00
VENUE:	Centre for the Book, 62 Queen Victoria Street, Gardens, Cape Town
RSVP:	Lavenia Benjamin
TEL:	(021) 689 1005
E-MAIL:	lav...@ccr.uct.ac.za
WEBSITE:	www.ccr.org.za

All are welcome and entry is free.

The book Hani: A Life Too Short will be on sale at the event.

Kindly RSVP for seating purposes.

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