Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 28 July 2022
Norman Mampane
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#2022YearofWorkersParliament #COSATU wishes the ANC a successful and productive National Policy Conference #PoliticalStruggle #ClassStruggle #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
Thursday, 28 July 2022
‘Deepen
the Back to Basics Campaign, Consolidate the Struggle for the NDR and Advance the Struggle for Socialism’
All workers urged to take Covid19 vaccine jabs!
Organize at every workplace and demand Personal Protective Equipment Now!
Defend Jobs Now!
Join COSATU NOW!
Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- NEHAWU will protest at the ANC National Policy Conference for the ANC to pay our members and staff their salaries
- COSATU North West to conclude Mandela Month activities tomorrow
- South Africa
- NEHAWU condemns the reckless comments by ANC National Spokesperson on the payments of staff salaries
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
Ø Update on Ukraine
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
NEHAWU will protest at the ANC National Policy Conference for the ANC to pay our members and staff their salaries
Zola Saphetha, NEHAWU General Secretary, July 28, 2022
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] is organising a protest to demonstrate at the African National Congress [ANC] National Policy Conference on Friday 29th July 2022 at Nasrec Expo Centre Gate 5 and 6 at 08am.
The demonstration comes against the background of a continuous failure by the ANC to pay our members and workers their salaries and provident fund in order to improve their conditions of service. The ANC has once again failed to honour and fulfil its contractual obligations by paying workers their salaries and contributing to their medical aid and provident fund. The ANC has previously made commitments that this late payment of salaries saga would not occur again, however the contrary has happened.
The national union even went as far as taking the ANC to Labour Court, where we filled papers on behalf of our members and staff of the ANC demanding that they be remunerated immediately. Our action of approaching the court forced the ANC to pay workers and we thought that this matter was settled once and for all that the ANC would strictly adhere to its obligation of paying workers their salaries.
The late payment of salaries can never be justified bearing in mind the economic hardships faced by workers and society in general. The ANC however demonstrate that it does not care about the plight of these workers amidst the rising costs of living – food prices have gone up, petrol prices have drastically increased as well as electricity, interest rates and other basic necessities.
The ANC should be ashamed of what it has done to these workers by not paying them salaries, contributing to the medical aid and provident fund for the last two months. The importance of a salary, medical aid and provident fund can never at any given moment be understated in creating social security for workers and families to these workers.
As NEHAWU, we have taken this unprecedented step to protest at the Policy Conference to send a clear message to the ANC that it must treat our members and workers with dignity and humility.
The national union will also use the demonstration at the Policy Conference to call on the leadership of the ANC through the President and Minister of Finance to speedily intervene in the South African Revenue Services [SARS] Strike in order to find a lasting solution to the impasse underway at SARS. This is informed by the fact that the ANC is the governing party and ought to provide a strategic direction in an institution like SARS as informed by the developmental agenda of the country and the role that SARS plays in that agenda including in the economy that is declining.
As NEHAWU, we have been involved in a protracted strike at SARS as a result of a deadlock in wage negotiations with the employer unwavering that it does not have money despite the tremendous and sterling work done by our members which enabled SARS to make a record tax revenue collection of R1.5 trillion rands in the last financial year.
Our members have placed the following demands before SARS:
• Salaries be adjusted using October 2021 CPI of 5% + 7%, across the board for employees within the Bargaining Unit.
• A Single Term agreement and implementation date of 1st April 2022
• On Medical Aid and Housing Allowance, full and equal medical aid and housing allowance for all employees.
• An introduction of Pandemic leave of 10 working days per annum.
• A R2000 gift (token of appreciation) to all employees
• Pay Progression - An annual adjustment upwards on the applicable pay band of 1.5% where the employee has met the required performance standard.
Equally, we will use the protest to register the plight of our members at the University of South Africa [UNISA] following the decision of the Vice-Chancellor and Management to terminate unlawfully their employment contracts demonstrating a total disregard to the rights of workers and labour laws.
The University has been besieged by myriad of issues, which amongst others entail mismanagement, collapse of governance, maladministration, undermining collective bargaining and rights of workers.
UNISA as the largest open distance learning institution in the Continent is critical in providing access to our people towards quality education. It is upon these basis that we call on the leadership of ANC to intervene through its deployee in government, the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Science and Technology for solution and action in the impasse at UNISA.
Details of the Protest Demonstration:
Date – Friday, 29 July 2022
Time – 08H00
Venue – Nasrec Expo Centre Gate 5 & 6
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the Protest Demonstration at the ANC National Policy Conference.
END
Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat
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COSATU North West to conclude Mandela Month activities tomorrow
Kopano Konopi, COSATU North West Provincial Secretary, 28 July 2022
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the North West province will end the Federation’s Mandela month programme by visiting the North West School of the Deaf in Leeudoringstad on Friday, 29 July 2022.
Led by COSATU’s provincial gender structurer, Provincial Office Bearers, sub-structures and officials will play their part by cleaning the premises, distributing school shoes and interacting with learners by participating in various activities.
Deaf learners and the deaf community at large are among millions of South Africans who, on a daily basis, are still denied access to basic services and whose living conditions are not fit for any human being. It is of this reason that government departments as well as law enforcement agencies such as the police have been included in this event. The purpose of inviting these officials is to bring the plight of these learners to the attention of the relevant government departments and authorities.
It is our conviction that Madiba cared about his people, even more about the wellbeing of all children. Commemorating Mandela Month in this manner serves as our contribution in honour of his memory.
We are a Federation that understands the link between workplace struggles and community struggles. Our children are largely affected by what workers endure both at places of work and at home. It is therefore paramount that the struggle continues for their provision of a better life and wellbeing.
Issued by COSATU North West
South Africa
NEHAWU condemns the reckless comments by ANC National Spokesperson on the payments of staff salaries
Lwazi Nkolonzi, NEHAWU National Spokesperson, July 28, 2022
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] condemns in strongest possible terms the reckless and insensitive comments made by the ANC National Spokesperson, Pule Mabe in relation to non-salary payments of ANC staff who happen to be members of the union.
These comments were made on the sidelines of the ANC Presidential Gala Dinner held last night when he was interviewed by SABC Journalist Mzwandile Mbeje on the issue of late payment of salaries. Mabe asserted that the ANC is not a bank robber nor running a cash-in-transit but relies on donations to run the organisation. In the process, he dismally failed to give an assurance on the salary payment to workers.
As NEHAWU, we are angered by the fact that the National Spokesperson does not value the plight of our members and workers of the ANC when those keeping the organisation afloat are not paid and are mis-treated by the organisation. If Mabe was conscious of the plight of our members and workers of the ANC, he would not be dining and intoxicating himself at the Presidential Gala Dinner whilst workers are not paid.
Mabe as a National Executive Committee [NEC] member and staff of the ANC should be ashamed in the manner the organisation has trampled on the rights of our workers. The ANC has indeed violated the basic conditions of the employment by not remunerating workers, contributing to the medical aid and fully paying provident fund. He should hang his head in shame for uttering reckless and insensitive comments whilst workers are struggling to survive as a result of the treatment by the ANC.
END
Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat
International-Solidarity
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Update on Ukraine
28 July, 2022
Nearly five months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the situation continues to deteriorate. Leaders of IndustriALL affiliates talk about a shrinking space to operate in, as members are losing their jobs.
Many of the country’s mines are found in the Donbass and Luhansk areas. Donbass and Luhansk are now occupied by Russia, in this region some of the mines run by state companies Lysychanskvugillya and Pervomaiskvugillia were forced to close due to flooding. Unions reported that miners had to run from the war and the mineshafts flooded due to the absence of workers to pump the ground waters.
The Chornobyl nuclear power plant is now liberated after having been occupied for two months, but there have been dire consequences, and there are still concerns about another attack from Belarussian territory.
The situation at the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya is worsening by the day. According to IndustriALL affiliate Atomprofspilka, Russia wants to incorporate the plant into the Russian nuclear company Rosatom from 1 September. The aim is to replace part of the Ukrainian staff with Russian workers.
IndustriALL and affiliates continue to stand by the unions in Ukraine. Solidarity support is needed more than ever: Ukraine
So far, funds raised through IndustriALL has been used for financial support and for accommodation and shelter for internally displaced members.
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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