Taking COSATU Today Forward, 28 June 2024
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #HappyBirthdayNEHAWU |
Taking COSATU Today Forward
‘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
Friday, 28 June 2024
COSATU Call Centre Number is 010 219 1342
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
Organize or Starve!
Contents
o Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- President Cyril Ramaphosa mourns SANDF casualties in Democratic Republic of Congo
o South Africa
- COSATU welcomes inflation rate drop but warns economy not out of the woods
- SADTU Northern Cape welcomes the appointment of the new MEC for Education
o International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Kenya: Government must protect freedom of assembly and investigate killings Maina
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
President Cyril Ramaphosa mourns SANDF casualties in Democratic Republic of Congo
27 Jun 2024
As Commander-in-Chief of the South African National Defence Force, President Cyril Ramaphosa is deeply saddened by the death of two soldiers and injuries sustained by 20 others in a mortar attack on their base in Sake in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
President Ramaphosa offers his deep condolences to the families of the fallen troops as well as their commanders and colleagues.
The President’s thoughts are also with the SANDF members who are recovering from their injuries.
The President assures the bereaved families and the injured troops that the South African National Defence Force will take the utmost care to provide the necessary logistical and psychosocial support to all those affected.
“As we mourn the deaths and casualties inflicted on our soldiers, we value and are humbled by the sacrifices they have made for the cause of peace and stability in our region, and they shall not be forgotten,” said President Ramaphosa.
South African forces are part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) which was deployed on 15 December 2023 to support the Government of the DRC to restore peace and security in the eastern DRC.
This was in response to an increase in conflicts and instability caused by the resurgence of armed groups.
Media enquiries:
Vincent Magwenya
Spokesperson to the President
E-mail: me...@presidency.gov.za
Issued by The Presidency
South Africa
COSATU welcomes inflation rate drop but warns economy not out of the woods
Zanele Sabela, COSATU National Spokesperson, 28 June 2024
The Congress of South African Trade Unions welcomes the positive decrease in the inflation rate from 5.1% in April to 4.6% in May.
This will help ease the pressure on millions of workers struggling to take care of their families and cope with the rising costs of living as well as cushion them slightly from electricity, water and municipal tariffs due to go up on 1 July. It will also enable consumers to spend more in the local economy and thus spur growth.
It is critical as inflation slows down, that the Reserve Bank provide relief to consumers and the economy by lowering the repo rate which has been steady at a painfully high 8.25%. This will help reduce the costs of servicing home loans for millions. Consumers have struggled with the 475 basis points hike to the repo rate over the past two years.
The pending drop in the fuel prices in July of R1 per litre of petrol and 30 cents for diesel is additional welcome news for workers, commuters and the economy.
Whilst welcoming this relief, the economy will not be out of the woods anytime soon with the marginal drop in GDP earlier this month and a 0.6% drop in employment figures.
It is key that Treasury honour its commitment to see where fuel taxes can be reduced as well as continue efforts to ensure Eskom is able to provide reliable and affordable electricity, and becomes less dependent on unaffordable double digit tariff hikes.
Similar progress is needed to ensure all Metro Rail lines are fully operational thus providing cheaper public transport for millions of commuters. Equally, more support is needed for Transnet to reduce costs of transporting food to the retail sector.
COSATU urges the government of national unity to move with speed to remove blockages to unlocking the economy as soon as Cabinet is appointed.
Issued by COSATU
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SADTU Northern Cape welcomes the appointment of the new MEC for Education
Palesa Nqumashe, SADTU Northern Cape Provincial Secretary, 27 June 2024
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) in the Northern Cape welcomes and congratulate Honorable Abraham Vosloo on his appointment as the MEC of Education in the Province.
We are elated by this appointment mainly because Honorable Vosloo has a proven track record of leadership and dedication in the public service. With his extensive background of the Education sector and government, we believe that he will make a significant impact to improve the performance of the Northern Cape Department of Education (NCDOE).
He is appointed in a currently unstable and underperforming department with a lot of challenges. Amongst other things, the following needs urgent attention of the newly appointed MEC:
- Building a coherent and meaningful stakeholder relation to the advancement of quality public education.
- Respecting and protecting resolutions of the education chamber in the interest of the education sector.
- Ensure that collective agreements are not subjected to re-negotiations but are implemented.
- Ensure that posts are filled to attain effective governance and stability in the system.
Importantly, our common purpose derives from the basic fact that learners must be aided to perform to their full potential and with this appointment, we are hopeful that all decisions will be taken to ensure attainment of excellence in our schools.
Honorable Vosloo is from the Treasury Department as MEC of Finance and therefore, understands fully the challenges faced by NCODE in terms of budgetary constraints and ultimately, the moratorium on filling of posts and to a larger extent the late salary payment of education workers. With this concern, it is our collective view that he knows nothing can be achieved in education with austerity measures in place.
Having stated the above, as SADTU we commit and pledge our support to work closely with the MEC in making sure the Northern Cape Department of Education rise above the occasion and is placed where it should be.
ISSUED BY: Northern Cape Secretariat
International-Solidarity
Kenya: Government must protect freedom of assembly and investigate killings Maina
27 June 2024
The ITUC calls on the government of Kenya to investigate the killing of more than 20 people by security forces during a protest against its finance bill, which it has now withdrawn.
The government must also guarantee that the people of Kenya can safely exercise their basic, democratic rights in the future.
ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle said: “This violent crackdown on protesters expressing legitimate concerns and exercising their democratic rights is unacceptable. It is essential for the health of Kenyan democracy that the rights to freedom of assembly, expression and protest are preserved. These rights are guaranteed in the Kenyan constitution and international law.
“Further suppression is not the answer; the only solution is negotiations. The Kenyan government must engage with its citizens constructively, listen to their valid concerns and use this to find a more equitable solution to the budget deficit.”
The ITUC is deeply concerned that the police used excessive force, including live bullets, to repress protests against the finance bill. Largely led by young people, the demonstrations highlighted opposition to proposed tax increases on essential commodities, while many Kenyans have been forced into poverty by the high cost of living.
In the 2024 ITUC Global Rights Index Kenya is rated 4: systematic violations of rights.
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The WFTU condemns the attempted coup against the elected government of Bolivia
27 Jun 2024 by Central WFTU
The WFTU expresses its full solidarity and support to the mobilizations called by CENTRA OBRERA BOLIBIANA-COB, the only organized expression of the Bolivian workers, and which belongs to the big family of the WFTU.
The WFTU will follow up closely on the developments, escalating, if necessary, the international mobilization of workers in solidarity with the Bolivian people in their struggle to defend the democratic order and their political and trade union rights and freedoms.
For more information read the COB statement:
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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