COSATU Today, 18 December 2012
Norman Mampane
COSATU Today
Our side of the story
Tuesday 18 December 2012
‘Strengthen COSATU for total emancipation’
Contents
Workers’ Parliament
Ø IndustriALL extends full solidarity to NUM
Ø Enabling COSATU Members to Tweet Effectively
South Africa
Ø The Provincial Secretary of COSATU North West, has today, 18 December 2012, written NW Premier about expensive Swartruggens tollgate
Ø COSATU NW sends a message of condolence to the Chika Family
Ø Update on textbook delivery for 2013
International
Ø Secretary-General’s statement on violence in Syria
Ø US education community shares Newtown’s grief and loss
Ø Asia Pacific: Governments to invest in ECE
Ø Death threat against COSATU General Secretary must be fully investigated-ITUC
Ø Nepali Trade Union leaders visit the WFTU Central Offices
Ø In the spirit of Bram Fischer, Antjie Krog & Joe Slovo (M&G Newspaper, 14 Dec)
Ø European Parliament votes overwhelmingly in favour of Financial Transaction Tax
Ø Michigan’s new anti-worker legislation condemned
Ø Ukrainian steelworkers fight back against dismissals
Ø A message to PSI Affiliates from Rosa Pavanelli, PSI General Secretary
Ø 18 December International Migrants Day-“Workers solidarity is needed in times of crisis
Ø Tunisian government backs down over strike
Comment
Ø Recognition of Prior Learning Submissions from Labour
Announcements
Ø African National Congress National Conference coming on the 16th-20th December 2012 at Mangaung, Free State
Ø Joe Slovo Memorial Lecture coming in 2013
Ø South African Labour Bulletin coming Edition
Ø Unite to end violence against women-UN Secretary-General’s Campaign
Ø Public Services International calling for Jobs and Solidarity in Europe
Workers’ Parliament!
IndustriALL extends full solidarity to NUM
Anita Gardner, IndustriALL Global Union Director of Communications , 18 December 2012
Following a report to its Executive Committee meeting on a high level mission of IndustriALL affiliates to South Africa, IndustriALL reiterated its unequivocal support for the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).
After the tragic events at the Lonmin Marikana Platinum mine on 16 August 2012, in which 34 mineworkers died in a violent clash with police forces, an IndustriALL Global Union solidarity delegation was received by NUM on 6 and 7 December 2012.
Andrew Vickers, of CFMEU, and leader of the IndustriALL mission to South Africa, reported on the appalling working and living conditions found in the mines in South Africa by the delegation.
Living in cramped, inadequate hostels and shanty towns with no facilities that are constructed on company land, the unrest of the workers is not surprising, said Vickers.
A significant portion of the responsibility for the unrest must lie with the mining houses, which continued to make considerable profit while workers live in temporary and appalling conditions,
he added.
And it is clear to us that if you destroy NUM then you destroy the broader trade union movement in South Africa,
said Vickers.
Commenting on the current situation and the challenges faced by NUM, COSATU and the union movement in South Africa, Frans Belani, NUM General Secretary reiterated the three factors of South African society that needed to be addressed - high unemployment, poverty and inequality.
South Africa had not escaped the effects of the global financial crisis with people at the lower end of the economy, including miners, are feeling the effects,
he explained.
Frans reported that the Platinum producers have now agreed to form a Bargaining Council and next year will negotiate as an industry rather than as individual companies, and that NUM is seeking to establish Bargaining Sectors across all industries.
The government and the Chamber of Mines have agreed on a second Commission of Inquiry to look into the working and social conditions of mineworkers. A lot of faith is being put into the success of the planned second Commission of Inquiry.
The mission on 6 and 7 December took place to enable IndustriALL and key mining affiliates the opportunity to extend solidarity support to the workers and members of NUM and the national centre, COSATU, following the crisis that began in the platinum mining sector.
The mission also gave IndustriALL and affiliates an opportunity to understand first hand the events and challenges that exist, enabling an informed discussion on the issues at the Executive Committee of IndustriALL on 12 December 2012.
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Enabling COSATU Members to Tweet Effectively
Introduction to COSATU Official Twitter Accounts
Ø @COSATU2015
Official tweets on current affairs, ideological disposition and for a Question & Answer platform
Ø @COSATU TODAY _cosatu
Seconds- COSATU roving official tweets on events, quotable sound-bites on speeches/interviews, newsflash etc.
How to Register a COSATU Member Twitter Account
Ø Go Google and type twitter/sign up
Ø Versions of name/surname must be completed
Ø Choose a username/password and don’t forget them
Ø Update your profile; picture, bio
o Picture size should be 700k
o Bio-short narrative who you are
Ø Examples of Bio; Africa's largest Federation Official tweets, the home of the toiling classes across the world, with more than 2million membership...Amandla! Johannesburg, South Africa · http://www.cosatu.org.za
Ø Choose who to follow and type @cosatu2015 and @COSATU TODAY _cosatu
Ø And you’re skinning in the game through COSATU tweets
Communicating messages that matter is like artwork
Social Media generation is here and is unavoidable
‘Let’s skin in the game of COSATU Tweets’
South Africa
The Provincial Secretary of COSATU North West, has today, 18 December 2012, written NW Premier about expensive Swartruggens tollgate
Solly Phetoe, COSATU North West Provincial Secretary, 18 December 2012
Date : 18 December 2012
To : Office of the Premier , Mmabatho
ATT: Premier, Honourable Thandi Modise
From: COSATU Provincial Secretary
Re: COSATU provincial protest action at the Swartruggens toll gate
The above mentioned federation would like to inform your office about the planned protest action that has been ongoing at the Swartruggens toll gate.
Several times we have requested your department to come and give feed back to our members and the motorists who are affected by the toll gate, but no one has ever come to do so.
The workers including the motorists are requesting the suspension or the reducing of the payments until the task team conclude its work as per the terms of reference.
In this regard we write this letter to formally request your office to come and give feedback to our constituency and the motorists and to inform you of the action which will take place as follows:
Date: 31 December 2012
Time: 13H30 to 06H00 on 1 January 2013
Venue: Swartruggens toll plaza
Your presence at this gathering will be highly appreciated.
Your urgent positive response will be highly appreciated in order for us to do the necessary logistics.
Yours truly,
Solly Phetoe
Provincial Secretary
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COSATU NW sends a message of condolence to the Chika Family
Solly Phetoe, COSATU North West Provincial Secretary, 18 December 2012
The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the North West would like to take this opportunity to send a message of condolence to the family of David Mosiane Chika, commonly known as Aubuti Chika, during this trying time of the loss of their family member in a very tragic way.
As COSATU we believe that no one deserves to be killed, despite any political disagreement or conflict.
COSATU believes that the continued assassination of the leaders of our movement will degenerate the country into a slaughter house where there is no political tolerance and acceptance of different views in the movement and the country.
COSATU condemns the Killing of comrade Chika with the contempt it deserves and calls on the police to work tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to book, failing which COSATU will stand up and march, as it did in the case of Moss Phakoe.
COSATU still believes that these killings will only stop if the motive for the killing is investigated and not only the murder itself.
COSATU once again sends a message of condolence to the ANC, the alliance and all the MDM structures in the province. Your loss is our loss and it is also a loss to the whole nation to lose a leader of the calibre of comrade Chika.
COSATU wishes that his soul may rest in peace and his blood will continue to nourish the tree of the struggle for the total liberation of the working class and the poor.
We call on our members to attend the memorial service which is planned to take place on 20th December 2012 at Matlosana municipality and urges our members to refrain from making statements that may make the police not to do their work.
But we are warning the police that if they fail to arrest the killers we will be on the streets demanding their arrest, as we did we those who killed the late Moss.
Let the soul of the late Chika rest in peace.
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Update on textbook delivery for 2013
Mark Heywood , SECTION27, 14 December 2012
15 December 2012 marks the deadline for the delivery of textbooks to Limpopo schools for Grades 4, 5, 6 and 11 for 2013. This court-imposed deadline follows a failure by the Department of Basic Education and the Limpopo Department of Education to deliver textbooks to Limpopo schools for most of the 2012 academic year. Grades 4, 5, 6 and 11 will be starting the CAPS syllabus next year.
In terms of the court order SECTION27 is due to receive a report on delivery tomorrow, 15 December 2012 which must indicate whether all textbooks have been delivered and, to the extent that delivery is not complete, what steps will be taken to ensure complete delivery by the start of the school year. A copy of the DBE’s affidavit in this regard is attached.
SECTION27 has been in touch with 14 schools across the Vhembe and Mopani Districts in Limpopo. While many schools have reported that they have received their full complement of textbooks for 2013 for Grades 4, 5, 6 and 11, some schools continue to report outstanding textbooks. Nonetheless we commend the Department of Basic Education for its efforts to comply with the Court order and to ensure that this year’s textbooks crisis is not repeated in 2013.
However, we are concerned at reports that while books for Grades 4,5,6 and 11 have been delivered to many schools, most schools are still awaiting textbooks for the remaining Grades. While these Grades were not part of the court deadline, their books must still be delivered before the first day of school next year to ensure that there are no interruptions in learners’ education.
We remain hopeful that the outstanding textbooks for 2013 will be delivered before 7 January 2013.
Together with the Legal Resources Centre, the Centre for Child Law, the Centre for Applied Legal Studies and Equal Education Law Centre, SECTION27 has placed advertisements advising schools to report book shortages (http://section27.org.za.dedi47.cpt1.host-h.net/2012/12/14/have-you-received-your-textbooks-and-workbooks-for-2013/) and we will be monitoring the state of delivery of all learner teacher support materials (LTSM) in all provinces for 2013. School governing bodies, parents, teachers, learners and community members are encouraged to inform us of any shortages in LTSM, as well as notifying the Department of Basic Education and the relevant provincial departments of education of these shortages.
ENDS#
For more information contact Mark Heywood on 083 634 8806 or Nikki Stein on 082 528 7232.
International
Secretary-General’s statement on violence in Syria
United Nations18 December 2012
New York – The Secretary-General is alarmed by the continued dramatic escalation of violence in Syria over the past several days, and the grave danger facing civilians in areas under fire. There have been extremely worrisome reports earlier this week of a mass killing of civilians in the village of Aqrab near Hama, as well as alleged firing of long-range missiles in some areas of the country. Continued bombing raids by fixed-wing military aircrafts and attack helicopters on populated areas have been amply documented. Today’s reports of aerial bombing amid intense violence resulting in many casualties among the Palestinian refugee population in the Yarmouk camp in Damascus are a matter of grave concern.
The Secretary-General firmly condemns this escalation of armed violence, in particular the shelling of population centers and attacks against civilians. He calls on all sides to cease all forms of violence. The Secretary-General reminds all parties in Syria that they must abide by
heir obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians. Targeting civilians or carrying out military operations in populated areas, in an indiscriminate or disproportionate fashion that harms civilians is a war crime.
The Secretary-General is grateful to neighbouring countries for their generous hosting of refugees, calls again for significant support and humanitarian assistance to those concerned and stresses the importance of keeping the borders open to all who are fleeing the violence in Syria.
The Secretary-General reiterates his call on the international community to make every effort to stop the tragic spiral of violence in Syria and urgently to promote an inclusive political process leading to a peaceful political transition.
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US education community shares Newtown’s grief and loss
Education International, 17 December 2012
EI affiliates in the US, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA), have expressed their deep condolences to families, educators and the whole community of Newtown, Connecticut, after a shooting rampage at a school left 26 people dead, including 20 students, on Friday.
The shooting appears to be the nation’s second-deadliest school shooting; the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech University resulted in the deaths of 32 people.
AFT: Heroic teachers
“We are deeply saddened by the horrific events that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School,” stated AFT President Randi Weingarten. “We thank the teachers, school staff, first responders and healthcare workers who heroically prevented more lives from being lost; and our hearts go out to the children and the entire community of Newtown.”
NEA: Deep concern
The NEA also extended its whole support to the members of the AFT in Connecticut (AFTCT). “We are deeply concerned for everyone in the Newtown community and will work with the AFTCT and the Connecticut Education Association in the hours and days ahead to help them in any way we can to cope with this tragedy,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.
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Asia Pacific: Governments to invest in ECE
Education International, 17 December 2012
A new task force spearheading the development of early childhood education (ECE) in the EI Asia Pacific region has called on national governments to invest in ECE. The task force, which met in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 15-16 December, stressed the need for governments to invest in ECE teachers and other early childhood professionals’ training and professional development.
Members of this task force include representatives of EI member organisations in Australia (AEU), India (AIPTF), South Korea (KTU), Malaysia (NUTP), and the Philippines (ACT). Members of the EI global task force on ECE from the region (Nepal and New Zealand) were also invited to the meeting. The union representatives deliberated on issues affecting ECE in the region, including: access, quality and equity, including gender equality; teacher training, continuing professional development and conditions of service; privatisation; and membership recruitment and organising.
Quality ECE teachers for quality ECE
One of the task force’s recommendations was that ECE be prioritised by unions and governments in the region. Members acknowledged that raising awareness was important to achieve that goal. They called on public authorities to invest in teacher training and improve the quality of teacher-training institutes. They also urged governments to ensure that ECE is an integral part of each country’s basic education and is coordinated by the Ministry of Education.
In addition, the task force stressed the importance of research to build a strong evidence base for union advocacy and the value of information sharing. More importantly, the task force recommended that unions recruit and organise ECE teachers and other early childhood professionals.
ECE, a crucial Education for All goal
Speaking at the meeting, EI Senior Coordinator Dennis Sinyolo urged members to guide implementation of the ECE Strategy Paper in the region and to remind their governments that ECE was the first Education for All goal.
“National governments committed themselves to achieving Education for All by 2015, and that commitment includes ensuring that all young children, particularly the most vulnerable, have access to early childhood education,” Sinyolo said.
Agenda for post-2015 development and education
He also briefed the task force about ongoing consultations to define the post-2015 development and education agenda and urged members and their unions to participate.
EI Chief Regional Coordinator Aloysius Mathews also called on task force members and their unions to take the lead in advocating for universal access to ECE and in organising early childhood teachers.
EI Strategy Paper on ECE
The regional task force was formed following the adoption of the EI Strategy Paper on ECE by the World Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2011. The Strategy Paper has clear priorities for implementation by EI and its member organisations at global, regional and national levels.
To read the EI Strategy Paper on ECE, please click here
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Death Threat against COSATU General Secretary must be fully investigated
Brussels, 17 December 2012 (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC is calling upon the South African government to fully investigate the death threat made against COSATU General Secretary Zweli Vavi, and to ensure that he and his family are protected.
Vavi was informed by acting crime intelligence chief Major-General Chris Ngcobo on 28 September that Iranian intelligence officials had bribed one of his bodyguards to disclose his travel arrangements and that a member of an NGO that worked closely with COSATU would use this information to find an opportunity to poison him and thus sow chaos ahead of the ANC’s Mangaung Conference.
COSATU has received no further information on the alleged plot since the initial briefing, and has said in a statement that “Their silence means that we still do not know whether the threat was ever real or whether the warning was a politically motivated attempt by elements within the state apparatus to intimidate Comrade Vavi.”
Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said that “The alleged plot to kill Zweli Vavi is of the utmost seriousness and the authorities must protect him. Unless the investigation is completed and the results made public, it will never be known whether the plot was real, or an attempt to intimidate him for standing up for working people and fighting against corruption in South Africa.”
The ITUC represents 175 million workers in 153 countries and territories and has 308 national affiliates.
Follow us on the web: http://www.ituc-csi.org and http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI
For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 02 04 or +32 476 621 018.
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Nepali Trade Union leaders visit the WFTU Central Offices
World Trade Union Federation, 17 December 2012
A high-level delegation of trade union leaders from CONEP and NTUF Nepal are conducting a visit to the Central Offices of the World Federation of Trade Unions in Athens Greece since the December 13th, 2012.
The delegation is consisted by comrades Premal Kumar Khanal, Member of the WFTU Presidential Council and Vice-President of CONEP, Biswa Nath Pyakurel, President of CONEP, Hira Prasad Nepal, Vice-President of CONEP, Shiva Kumar Adhikari, General Secretary of CONEP and Rohit Kumar Bhatarrai, Vice-President of NTUF.
During their visit the Nepali leaders had the opportunity to have numerous meetings with the General Secretary of the WFTU in fraternal and comradely spirit. In these meetings important decisions were taken in order to intensify the common struggles of the WFTU and its affiliates in Nepal to deepen the coordination in the struggle for the rights of the Nepali workers, the workers of the Asia-Pacific Region and the workers of the world.
Furthermore, the trade union leaders met with the leadership of the Greek class-oriented trade union movement, PAME which is organizing the struggle of the Greek workers against the anti-labour policy implemented in the framework of the international capitalist crisis by the Greek tripartite government in cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank.
The Nepali trade union leaders visited the Central Offices of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and had a multilateral discussion with the leadership of the Party.
During their visit in Greece, the trade unionists were also invited to attend and address a solidarity activity with the working class of Bangladesh in the occasion of the tragic employer’s crime that resulted to the death of 124 workers in the textile factory in Bangladesh.
The event was organized by WFTU, PAME and the Federation of Textile in Athens, Greece on Sunday 16 December and was attended by numerous immigrant workers from Bangladesh who are organized in the trade unions of PAME.
The Nepali leaders in their greeting speeches acknowledged that the strengthening for the rights of the migrant workers is a high priority of WFTU and appreciated the special attention given by PAME to organize immigrant workers from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Somalia and other countries who live in Greece and the efforts that it does to coordinate common struggles for equal rights for native and immigrant worker, to end racism and xenophobia and to combat the policy of the governments and employers against the migrant workers.
Continuing their mission in Greece, the Nepali leaders will have the opportunity to meet on Monday 16th December with the leadership of the Greek Federation of workers in Pharmaceuticals.
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In the spirit of Braam Fischer, Antjie Krog & Joe Slovo (M&G Newspaper, 14 Dec)
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions in South Africa (BDS South Africa), 17 December 2012
Dear Friends,
In the spirit of those brave white apartheid dissidents such as Braam Fischer, Antjie Krog, Joe Slovo, Beyers Naude, Ruth First and others that spoke out from within their oppressive communities, a group of Jewish South Africans have issued an important and powerful statement. The statement was published in this week's Mail&Guardian Newspaper (below and attached):
AS JEWS, WITH OUR OWN PAINFUL HISTORY OF OPPRESSION...
“The temptation is to speak in muffled tones about an issue such as the right of the people of Palestine … yet we would be less than human if we did so.”
- NELSON R. MANDELA
As Jews, with our own painful history of oppression, we are compelled to speak out against human rights violations being committed by the State of Israel – in our name – against the Palestinian people.
We note that the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) together with the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF), recently met with the South African Presidency and other politicians. We also note, with great concern, the SAJBD and SAZF’s assertion that they represent and speak on behalf of all Jewish South Africans, particularly when it comes to Palestine-Israel.
Let us be clear, the SAJBD and SAZF’s position of supporting Israel at all costs does not represent us. We also appeal to the SAJBD and SAZF to respect one of the hallmarks of Judaism: respectful debate amongst those who hold divergent viewpoints. The SAJBD and SAZF’s position on Israel, and attempts to stifle opposing voices that speak out against Israel, is morally untenable.
The Jewish community is neither homogeneous nor monolithic. There is a growing number of Jews, in South Africa and around the world, who are organising to form alternative spaces and who unconditionally oppose Israeli policies and practices that shamefully privilege Jews over the indigenous Palestinian people. In this vein, we support the non-violent campaign of applying Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it abides by international law and respects basic human rights [see www.bdsmovement.net].
We are encouraged that our South African government is joining those countries that are taking a clear stance against Israel’s violations of international law and its acts of violence against the Palestinian people [ see this City Press newspaper article: http://tinyurl.com/buyflps]. We also welcome and support our Department of Trade and Industry's initiative to prevent the false labelling of Israeli settlement products [see this Israeli mainstream Ha'aretz newspaper article: http://tinyurl.com/8ujzk42].
We hope that the ANC and the SA Government goes further and completely bans Israeli settlement products. Israeli settlements are in clear violation of international law and seriously undermine any chance of negotiations and a just peace.
Such positions as those recently taken by our government against Israeli violence and violations of international law, in fact, serve to affirm a proud Jewish tradition of respect for justice and human rights; regardless of race, religion or creed. Such positions connect us to our fellow humanity.
We humbly - and sadly - acknowledge that our voices may not be the dominant ones in our community, but neither were Dietrich Bonnhoefer’s in Nazi Germany nor Beyers Naude’s, Antjie Krog’s, Braam Fischer’s and Joe Slovo’s in Apartheid South Africa.
Our individual consciences, our Jewish tradition and our painful history compel us to declare to the SAJBD, SAZF and to the Israeli government that we will continue to speak out and take a stand for justice and human rights.
Taking such a stand is in the very interests of being Jewish. For when we proclaim “Never Again”, we should mean “Never Again”, unconditionally, and to any human being - including the Palestinians.
Issued by StopTheJNF, a campaign initiated by a group of Jewish South Africans committed to justice and rights for the Palestinian people and Jewish Israelis. Find the original statement and more information here: www.stopthejnfsa.org
Mentioned in the above statement is Joe Slovo: the Rivonia Trialist, founding member of the Congress of Democrats, former SACP General-Secretary, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Chief of Staff and leading member of the African National Congress. Slovo was an outspoken critic of Apartheid South Africa as well as a consistent critic of the Israeli regime - which he also considered an Apartheid state.
In fact, Slovo publicly exposed and highlighted the shameful military collaborations during the 1980s between Israel and apartheid-era South Africa (see this UK Guardian newspaper article:
http://tinyurl.com/27et2hy). In an unfinished autobiography, Joe Slovo wrote: "Ironically enough, the horrors of the Holocaust became the rationalization [by Israeli supporters] for ... acts of genocide against the indigenous people of Palestine. Those of us who, in the years that were to follow, raised our voices publicly against the violent apartheid of the Israeli state were vilified...".
BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT AND SANCTIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA (BDS SOUTH AFRICA)
Office 915 | 9th Floor | Khotso House | 62 Marshall Street | Johannesburg
PO Box 2318 | Houghton | 2041 | Johannesburg
T: +27 (0) 11 492 2414 | F: +27 (0) 86 650 4836
W: www.bdssouthafrica.com | E: admini...@bdssouthafrica.com
www.facebook.com/bdssouthafrica | www.twitter.com/bdssouthafrica
BDS South Africa is a registered Non-Profit Organization. NPO NUMBER: 084 306 NPO
BDS South Africa is a registered Public Benefit Organisation with Section 18A status. PBO NUMBER: 930 037 446
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European Parliament votes overwhelmingly in favour of Financial Transaction Tax
Anita Gardner, IndustriALL Global Union Director of Communications,14 December 2012
Eleven EU countries have been given the green light by the European Parliament to introduce a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT).
Austria, Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain have all announced their intention to introduce the tax which aims at making the financial sector take more responsibility for the crisis it caused and discouraging the types of risk-taking which precipitated the crisis.
The eleven countries together account for about 90 per cent of Eurozone GDP and include 4 of the EU’s 5 biggest economies, with the notable exception of the UK.
It is estimated that the tax will generate at least €37 billion which can be used not only to offset the costs incurred by governments in bailing out the banks, but for socially-useful purposes such as funding development and policies to combat climate change. An FTT in Germany alone will raise approximately €10bn per year.
Now that the Parliament has given its approval, a majority vote is needed in the European Council to give the European Commission the go ahead to turn the FTT plans into reality.
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Michigan’s new anti-worker legislation condemned
Anita Gardner, IndustriALL Global Union Director of Communications,13 December 2012
IndustriALL’s affiliates in the US are condemning the Midwestern state of Michigan’s new “right-to-work” legislation, which despite its name serves to reduce workers’ rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions.
The two bills were pushed, by an alliance of the Republican Party and big business, through the lame-duck legislative session in the state and went to Governor Rick Synder for signature into law. The state legislature has been newly elected and will be reconvened early 2013 with more Democrats who would have rejected the proposals.
Notable in supporting the effort were Americans for Prosperity, the group funded by notorious Koch brothers.
The Snyder signature finalized the process yesterday, 12 December, as 17,000 protestors were mobilized at short notice outside the Lansing State Capitol building, rejecting the changes. Four giant inflatable rats in the crowd were named for prominent Republican politicians and their richest backer. Seemingly nobody in Michigan was pushing for the law, other than powerful right-wing business leaders.
USW President Leo Gerard had pressured Gov. Snyder not to sign the regressive bill, in an “appeal to common sense economics over politics”… “We ask the Governor to use his veto power to stop this unnecessary and divisive right-to-work bill”. A delay in signing by Gov. Snyder would have at least brought the bill to a public debate and vote.
During the deliberations the Republican House Speaker ordered the doors of the capitol building to be locked, while protestors outside were maced by police.
Right-to-Work in other US states has led to numerous kinds of attacks on unions including on workers comp, public sector wages, and the abolition or weakening of pensions and collective bargaining in the public sector.
It has also led to weaken by removing mandatory topics or placing limits on arbitration awards, banning collection and spending of union dues on "political action", banning union "lobbying" activities, and banning on-site union offices. Studies have shown that workers in so-called “right to work” states earn an average of $1,500 less annually.
“If you’re not outraged by what’s happening in Michigan, you’re not paying enough attention,” said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger, also an IndustriALL Vice-President. “The way this legislation was passed amounts to a sneak attack on democracy itself and proves beyond a doubt the means the Koch brothers and their allies will go to impose their extremist agenda.”
IndustriALL-affiliated UE condemned the “corporate blitzkrieg” that “left working people with little time to respond”. See the UE background piece “Exposing the Right-to-Work Fraud”.
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Ukrainian steelworkers fight back against dismissals
Anita Gardner, IndustriALL Global Union Director of Communications,13. December 2012
ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih steel plant in Ukraine announced a new wave of dismissals. 446 workers will be cut, which amounts to 1 per cent of the total workforce.
Metallurgical and Mining Industry Workers’ Union of Ukraine (MMIWU), an IndustriALL affiliate, held a protest rally in Kryvyi Rih and a press conference in Kiev, Ukraine.
The administration of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih steel plant in Eastern Ukraine announced a new wave of cuts, citing financial obligations towards thousands of other workers at the plant. 446 workers will be dismissed out of 38,267 workers employed at the plant.
The union local affiliated to the Metallurgical and Mining Industry Workers’ Union of Ukraine (MMIWU) led a campaign of resistance.
On 4 December metalworkers held a rally in Kryvyi Rih. They protested against the dismissals, lack of investment in the plant, broken promises of the global company, and intensifying workload. Up to 3,000 workers took part in the action.
At the press conference on 12 December MMIWU claimed that since the plant was privatized and sold to ArcelorMittal in 2005, the workforce went down from 56,000 to the present number.
Members of the union also said that according to the administration the average wage at the plant is 650 USD, however, in reality workers earn a maximum of 500 USD, while some of them are paid just 200-220 USD.
Other issues at the plant include constant overtime, 90 per cent wearing of equipment, and lack of investment.
MMIWU president Vladimir Kazachenko says the union will enter a collective dispute with the company if its positon doesn’t change, and ArcelorMittal workers will go on strike if necessary.
Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union sent a letter of solidarity to both to the union local in Kryvyi Rih and MMIWU headquarters in Dnepropetrovsk.
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A message to PSI Affiliates from Rosa Pavanelli, PSI General Secretary
Rosa Pavanelli, PSI General Secretary, 14 December 2012
Dear Colleagues,
It is with great humility, a lot of hope and some apprehension that I write my first letter to all affiliated unions as General Secretary of Public Services International.
We have big challenges ahead, and it is up to all of us, together, to create solutions. PSI affiliates at Congress in Durban, South Africa, delivered a strong mandate for the next five years. We have a lot of goodwill from around the world. Now, we need action.
Congress mandated PSI to do many things, too many things. We will have to make some choices. Our resources are not unlimited and our staff complement is not huge. In order for us to fulfil the Durban mandate, we must prioritise better, be more flexible and more focused, and combine our capabilities more closely with your strengths and your priorities. I am convinced that PSI will rise to the challenges when we can better integrate and include our unions in all that we do.
Although our staff have worked many months without rest to prepare Congress, I have asked them to continue their level of effort in order to support the immediate decision-making processes in our regions and at our global executive. We are preparing a discussion document to be used at the upcoming sub-regional advisory committees, the regional executive committees and the global Executive Board in May. This document will focus on the choices about priorities and dedicating staff time and resources to the most important actions. The outcomes from this process will have implications for the things we do, the way we work and how we resource our activities.
For the moment, I wish to draw your attention to a couple of extremely urgent issues:
From 5 to 20 June, the ILO will convene its annual conference, the ILC. One of the key issues of the conference is a report on Convention 151 (Convention concerning Protection of the Right to Organise and Procedures for Determining Conditions of Employment in the Public Service). We think that it is important for public service unions to be present and active for this year’s conference. Thus, we need affiliates to urgently petition the national trade union confederations to be included in their national delegation to the ILC. Depending on the country, this process can be complicated and requires that you act immediately. Should you need assistance or advice about this process please contactSandra.V...@world-psi.org
From 26 to 30 March, the World Social Forum will meet in Tunis, Tunisia. At Congress in Durban, PSI supported a resolution asking that we get involved in this World Social Forum, in part to express support for our sisters and brothers in the Maghreb. We are already discussing initiatives in the following areas:
• Violence against women
• Youth and employment
• Trade union rights
• Healthcare
• The right to water and sanitation
• Energy and climate change
We will need early indication of unions willing to participate in these activities. We will also be looking for a number of unions to help sponsor the costs of some of the participants. Should you need assistance or advice about this process please contact David...@world-psi.org
I look forward to working with you in the coming months and years.
May I take this opportunity to send my best wishes to you and your families for the year end and a happy and peaceful 2013!
Best regards,
Rosa Pavenelli
General Secretary
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18 December International Migrants Day-“Workers solidarity is needed in times of crisis
Rosa Pavanelli, General Secretary, Public Services International, 13 December 2012
On 18 December 2012 – United Nations International Migrants Day - “Workers’ solidarity is needed in times of crisis,” says Rosa Pavanelli, General Secretary, Public Services International.
On the occasion of 18th December, International Migrants Day, Public Services International calls on all its affiliates to continue working vigorously to free our workplaces and communities of racism, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination.
Across countries hit hard by the economic crisis, we are witnessing an alarming rise in hate campaigns, racist propaganda and violent attacks on migrants. Cuts to public services and the economic uncertainty create a fertile ground for politics of division, with some even blaming unemployment on migration policies and on migrants. In the midst of massive job cuts and reduction in public spending, migrant workers, particularly women and young workers, are disproportionately affected. Migrant workers are the first to lose their jobs and are deprived of access to critical public services, such as health, education, housing and social services, which are necessary for their survival and well-being.
“It is in this time of crisis that workers’ solidarity across the globe is most needed,” says Rosa Pavanelli, newly-elected General Secretary of Public Services International. “We need to fight the racism, xenophobia and discrimination that are raising their ugly head once again and victimising the most vulnerable members of our societies,” stresses Pavanelli.
PSI and its affiliates across the globe have recently concluded their 29th World Congress in Durban, South Africa, with a renewed commitment to defend trade union rights, promote equality, advance economic and social justice and achieve sustainable development for all.
As part of its new Programme of Action for the next five years, PSI unions vowed to continue working with civil society and community groups to defend the human rights of migrants and to fight racism, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination. PSI affiliates passed strong resolutions condemning discrimination and exploitation of migrant workers and putting an end to unethical recruitment practices. Affiliates are committed to defending migrant workers’ rights and to organising migrant workers in their unions.
PSI affiliates believe that people arriving in a new country to work must not be discriminated against but should have the same rights and obligations as everyone else in the country. This is the fundamental principle of equal treatment that PSI upholds.
At the global level, affiliates will continue to strengthen the normative rights-based framework for the treatment of migrant workers and members of their families. Affiliates are committed to fortifying their campaign for the ratification of the 1990 UN International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the International Labour Organization Conventions on Migrant Workers, C97 and C143.
“We can only have genuine solidarity when we are able to protect the most vulnerable members of our work places and our communities. We must act fast and the time is now,” adds Pavanelli.
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Tunisian government backs down over strike
Richard Elliott, UNIglobalunion, Director of Communications, 17 December 2012
UNI affiliate and the leading union in Tunisia, the UGTT wins agreement with the government after threat of strike action
UNI Global Union and the ITUC have stood in solidarity with the UGTT over a general strike in Tunisia planned for tomorrow which has now been averted. The Tunisia government has backed down after being forced to accept that the UGTT represents Tunisian society and is a pillar of the new democracy established only two years ago.
The ruling Islamist party, Ennahda is accused by many Tunisians of doing nothing to effectively reduce unemployment or curb police abuses.
On December 4th, the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the assassination of the founder of the UGTT was marred when militia linked to Ennahda attacked members of the UGTT outside of its headquarters in Tunisia. This was the latest in a string of attacks by militia on the UGTT and its property.
The UGTT council will meet within one month to take a decision about a possible new announcement, depending on what happens in the interim.
Richard Elliott
Director of Communications
Mobile: +41 79 794 9709
UNI global union
8-10 Av. Reverdil
1260 NYON
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 365 21 30
Fax: +41 22 365 21 21
richard...@uniglobalunion.org
www.uniglobalunion.org
Comment
Recognition of Prior Learning Submissions from Labour
Dear comrades,
The South African Qualification Authority [SAQA] is currently in the finalization stages of reviewing its policy on the recognition of prior learning [RPL].
The idea of RPL originated very strongly from the organized labour community in the early days of the development of the national qualification framework. It is very important to us to get your views on the draft revised policy.
Most recently, we have been engaging with organized labour through a workshop that was held in Midrand on the 06th July 2012 and through the representation of the representatives on a RPL Reference Group organized by SAQA.
The closing date for the comments on the draft revised RPL policy was on the 15th of November 2012, but in order to accommodate the voice of organized labour, we will extend this deadline to the 15th of December 2012
Please submit your comments to Dr. James Keevy at SAQA by using the email;
or by contacting the Reference Group as follows;
Isaac Masita at 058718336 mas...@fshealth.gov.za
Elias Kubeka at 0116891711 eli...@numsa.org.za
Malebo Mogopodi at mal...@numsa.org.za
Yours faithfully,
Julie Reevy
Deputy CEO
Announcements
African National Congress National Conference coming on the 16th-20th December 2012 at Mangaung, Free State
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Joe Slovo Memorial Lecture coming in 2013
· Date: 24 January 2013
· Time: 17h30
· Venue: Women’s Jail, constitution Hill, Johannesburg
· Topic: Equal Opportunity or Equal Condition
· Lecturer:
· Professor Jacklyn Cock
· Chairperson:
· Deputy Minister Yunus Carrim
· RSVP:
· Priscilla Magau, Priscil...@gmail.com, 082 574 2315
Chris Hani Institute
5th Floor, COSATU House, 110 Jorissen Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg
Telephone: 011 339 3040
Project Manager: Anthea Metcalfe, 083 660 1432
RSVP: Priscilla Magau
Priscil...@gmail.com
082 574 2315
Chris Hani Institute
5th Floor, COSATU House, 110 Jorissen Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg
Telephone: 011 339 3040
Project Manager: Anthea Metcalfe, 083 660 1432
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South African Labour Bulletin coming Edition
______________
Unite to end violence against women-UN Secretary-General’s Campaign
___________________________
Public Services International calling for Jobs and Solidarity in Europe
_________________________________________________
Norman Mampane (Communications Officer)
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 or Direct 010 219-1342
Mobile: +27 72 416 3790
E-Mail: mam...@cosatu.org.za
