COSATU Central Executive Committee Statement - 27 February- 01 March 2017
The Congress of South African Trade Unions held a scheduled meeting of its Central Executive Committee meeting from 27 February -01st March 2017, which was attended by the national office bearers, the representatives of its affiliated unions and provincial structures. The CEC considered and engaged in wide-ranging discussions around the international and national political situation, the socio-economic context and organisational assessment.
The meeting reflected on the continuing global capitalist crisis that began in 2008, and that is now approaching a decade; and concluded that this proves that the capitalist system has now reached its limits in that it is now experiencing all three interrelated crises; namely a crisis of sustainability, a systemic crisis and a structural crisis.
The structural crisis is shown in the movement of industrial production away from the rich countries in the West to regions of the world, where there is cheap labour. A crisis of sustainability related to its impact on the environment and climate. A systemic crisis relates to the nature of the system itself, whereby the rich are forcing the poor to keep their wage levels low, combined with worsening levels of unemployment. This has seen the emergence of narrow nationalism and protectionism in the USA under Donald Trump and in French politics under the new populist front of Marie Le Pen.
We have also noted that this year marks 100 years since the 1917 Russian Revolution, which gave evidence to humanity that socialism was possible. It is through the practical and concrete results of the 1917 Russian Revolution that we know that the bourgeoisie are not unconquerable.
This year also will also see the two key components of the Alliance convening their own highest national constitutional meetings that are going to further develop and sharpen their overall strategies and tactics for the deepening of the NDR, the struggle for socialism and ultimately elect new leadership collectives to take the Alliance to new heights. The federation will ensure that all necessary preparations and interventions are made leading to these important gatherings, beginning with the SACP National Congress.
The meeting congratulated the ANC, the oldest liberation movement in Africa for reaching the milestone of its105th birthday earlier this year. This 105th anniversary of the movement must mean turning a new chapter in our liberation struggle towards a second more radical phase of our transition. We remember the immense sacrifices and achievements that have been made by our forebears, to whom we owe everything to defend this glorious movement of our people, Africa and the Diaspora. This year is the year where we remember former ANC president OR Tambo; we call on all ANC cadres to emulate the exemplary and principled leadership of Cde OR Tambo by not allowing factionalism and corruption to destroy this glorious movement. He represented the best values of the movement and we owe it to him and others like him to preserve and defend the movement.
We condemn the recent xenophobic attacks directed at African immigrants. COSATU strongly believes that the employers are responsible for the mayhem in the country because they are the ones, who distort the labour market by sidelining South Africans and hiring people from outside our borders. This needs to be addressed or we will continue to have these sporadic attacks. This social unrest has generally revealed the absence of the Congress movement in these communities. For that reason, we shall continue to urge our shop stewards and members to take an active part in community struggles. The aim should be to channel the community grievances in a constructive manner and displace opportunists. The failure to eradicate crime in our communities is also a big problem because the poor communities feel the effects of crime more intensely than the well off communities that have access to private security. The Human Rights Commission also needs to investigate Johannesburg Mayor, Herman Mashaba for his prejudiced comments and intolerant tendencies with regard to African nationals.
We join millions of South Africans to mourn the death of two of our most devoted human rights activists and revolutionaries to have been produced by the twentieth century Judge Essa Moosa and Cde Fidel Castro. May their souls rest in peace and condolences to their respective families and friends.
Organisationally
The CEC meeting was a resounding success and this was underscored by the quality of the deliberations and outcomes, which reflect that we are on course in implementing our three year programme of action leading to the 13th Congress in 2018. The progress that we have registered so far, in particular in strengthening our organisational machinery, to place our members at the centre of all that we do , whilst pursuing other strategic objectives of our programme of action echoes our 12th Congress theme, "Unity and Cohesion of COSATU to Advance the National Democratic Revolution { NDR} for Socialism"
Yet, simultaneously the central executive committee noted that alongside the solid advances that we are making , there are still some shortcomings and challenges that still remain to be overcome this year and beyond. Therefore, in addition to the identified new tasks, these shall constitute part and parcel of our new programme of action in 2017, which has been adopted by the CEC.
The CEC also took time to also revisit and reflect on the strategic tasks contained in the September Commission Report; and the 2015 Plan adopted by the 8th National Congress. At the centre of these historic documents is the task of placing working class interest as the dominant national goal. That includes building a strong organisation; asserting working class hegemony in all sites of power; and defeating neo-liberal dogma. We have the privilege as this generation of trade unionists to evaluate progress in achieving the goals, we set ourselves in the previous congresses and take necessary steps to take the organisation forward.
We shall do this by strengthening COSATU at all levels. Our organisational machinery must be adapted to the new realities and new forms of organising. The aim is not only to build a strong organisation but to ensure maximum unity of the working class.
The COSATU Central Committee will be convened this year and will adopt general and specific policy measures which further the aims and objectives of the Federation.
The purpose, powers and duties of the Central Committee include but not limited to assessing resolutions; implement resolutions that have been adopted and draft resolutions on urgent matters. The federation is also continuing its work on developing COSATU's vision beyond 2015 .The first draft of such a plan will be presented to the Central Committee this year. The task shall also include deriving lessons from the implementation of the 2015 Plan and the organisational redesign, which will be aligned to the mid- term vision
May day
The May day workers celebration will be held under the theme; Build Cosatu engines for People's Power" on the ground 'through struggle for ownership and control of the economy The meeting decided that this year's celebrations will continue to be taken back to places, where workers reside, in line with our resolution to go back to basics and closing the social distance. The celebrations will consist of marches and events in open spaces closer to workers. We shall also ensure that the workers holiday, May day, becomes a non trading day, so as to allow workers to attend; especially those working on farms and other vulnerable sectors. The main rally for the federation will be convened in Bloemfontein in the Free State Province.
12th National Congress - 2017 Campaigns
The CEC as mandated by our last congress concluded that the following campaigns will be rolled out this year:
Recruitment, retention and service campaign.
Provident fund/ social security reform
Living wage campaign
Banning labour brokers
Anti-privatisation
Public transport
Opposition to e-tolling
Anti-corruption campaign
NHI
OHS
Unemployment
The CEC expressed concern that government has so far failed to present a coherent jobs saving and jobs creation plan in the face of massive retrenchments that are affecting all sectors of the economy. The recent big business offensive has included cuts in real wages; an increase in the working hours; widespread casualisation of labour, particularly among women and young workers.
We have seen the over-exploitation of migrant workers; appropriation of labour productivity gains by capital; cuts in pensions and retirement benefits; and the denial of the right to bargain collectively and to strike.
The CEC reiterated its call that retrenchments need to be made a matter for negotiations rather than consultation and this means changing the process in Section 189 of the LRA from one of "consultation with the aim of reaching consensus" to one involving negotiation. We acknowledge that changing Section 189 will not solve South Africa's unemployment problems because this is an economic problem, but the fact is that dismissal for operational reasons is far too easy.
Employers fail to fully canvass the possible alternatives to job losses and they take little, if any, responsibility for the social costs associated with the dismissals. Employed workers must, however, bear the brunt of stretching their meagre wages to cover more and more unemployed dependants. Sometimes the retrenchments are purely motivated by extracting greater profits rather than saving an ailing business. Going forward, we shall be challenging the employer's substantive decisions to retrench instead of only quibbling about the procedural issues during retrenchments.
COSATU does not believe that the actual decision to retrench is, or should be, construed as a matter of pure managerial prerogative; and this means that we will work to expand the notion of substantive fairness.
We are continuously pushing forward with the call for a Jobs Summit because we believe that there is a need for a pact covering jobs, income and prices. The current economic programmes and policies do not promote large scale absorption of the labour force. We still reiterate our call for the Labour and Economic chapters of the NDP to be reviewed because we feel that they are not adequately equipped to help us create the much needed jobs. The federation has identified job losses as one of the issues to be resolved if the country is to secure a stable future.
Workplace issues
The meeting acknowledged that our federation and its affiliates are now regrouping and steadily regaining their focus and strength. The CEC resolved that all COSATU unions should build on this by continuing with their intensive recruitment drive ,and a listening campaign that will help unions deliver better service to their respective members. We are busy dealing with issues that affect some of our unions with internal challenges ,and the CEC has appointed a number of task teams to intervene and resolve some of these identified challenges. We commit to building strong united unions in all sectors, as well as strong and functional bargaining forums.
Umbhaba Farm and Lily Mine
The COSATU CEC expressed shock and anger after hearing that the fate of 3000 workers at uMbhaba Farm in Mpumalanga hangs in the balance ,after revelations that FAWU withdrew the strike notice in the middle of the strike, without notifying the workers, resulting in the strike being declared illegal.
We commend the Alliance in the province under the leadership of the ANC for their intervention and assistance they have given to the workers. The federation will continue to engage with the workers and the lawyers to find a solution to the workers problems.
The federation is happy that workers are united and have chosen NUM as their union of choice at Lily Mine. The pressure from the NUM and COSATU has ensured that at long last the Minister of Mineral Resources, Mosebenzi Zwane has agreed to commission an enquiry and an investigation into the reasons behind the Lily Mine accident.
We shall ensure that the terms of reference are not necessary directed at ticking boxes but on finding the real underlying reasons for the accident including telling us ,who should be held accountable. The CEC also call for the minister and the mine bosses pay workers ,including the families of those who are still trapped under ground for over a year now. The DMR needs to fast-track the work with specialists to secure the trapped workers
The CEC also condemned an increase in the number of workers, who are dying in the mining sector due to poor health and safety compliance by employers. We call on our government through the DMR to prioritise the safety of workers
Politically
The local government elections held last year proved that our movement was facing immense challenges as there were already signs that it was losing touch with its base. This was as a result of the combination of factors, including the organisational and strategic disarray, primarily caused by factional battles, the overall balance of class forces in our society and the ongoing triple crisis of unemployment, inequality and poverty.
As we move towards the 54th National Conference of the ANC, we are convinced that the immediate and primary political task for the federation is to fight for the unity of the ANC and the cohesion of the Alliance. We commit to fight for the renewal of ANC's revolutionary morality and discipline in order to help it reclaim its high moral ground in society, which is vital in deepening the national democratic revolution. We will work hard to reassert the revolutionary values of " unity , selflessness, sacrifice , collective leadership , humility , honesty , discipline , hard work , internal debates , constructive criticism self criticism and mutual respect" We shall also push for more decisive action by the movement and the Alliance against corruption and factionalism.
The local government election results also signalled some serious dangers in the future if nothing changes in how the ANC leads our people and governs the country. The National Democratic Revolution has been perched at a crossroads for some time, threatened by the triple dangers of the undermining of the progressive policies of the ANC, the continued marginalisation of the working class and the predatory tendency of some elements within the movement. We saw a lot of indecisiveness and even retreat by the movement from some of the mandates of Polokwane, especially on the budget and interests rate policies. In other words the same macroeconomic policy framework that was used before Polokwane continues to be used today.
Both the Polokwane Conference and Mangaung agreed on a need for qualitative shift in our macroeconomic policy. The CEC resolved that there is a need to wage a battle to change this macroeconomic framework, and build on this new found realisation from the ANC and its government that economies are made up of people. The latest articulations from both the ANC and its government are starting to acknowledge that it will be dangerous to remain straight jacketed by a puritanical neoliberal approach that does not cater to the changeables and reality, when managing an economy.
Building the Alliance
In dealing with this matter of building the Alliance, we summon from the grave the words of wisdom by Cde Nelson Mandela, when he said "The struggle that will free us is a long, hard job. Do not be deceived by men who talk big with no thought for tomorrow. Freedom is not just a matter of strong words. Neither is it simply brave men and heroic deeds. Impatience, which makes men lose their heads, will not bring freedom".
The CEC agreed that all other issues of debates and discussions amongst alliance partners, outside the shared strategic perspectives and the identified tasks in the immediate future should be considered insignificant in the light of the pressing challenges of the moment. The meeting has made a call to the federation to remain true to its pro-poor and socialist ideals ,and also think clearly about its identity and role going forward. It should continue to assert its independence, to challenge, criticise and pose alternative policy proposals to the ANC without undermining it. COSATU shall therefore retain its right to criticise the implementation of unacceptable policies by the ANC and its government.
The CEC made it clear that the future of the Alliance is dependent on the tolerance levels within it ,but if the principles have to be sacrificed to maintain the Alliance's life, then it ceases to be of any significance.
The CEC resolved that we must invest in building the unity of the alliance as a vehicle, which drives the revolution. Our anger and frustrations about the challenges in the Alliance must not blind us to see and understand that the functionality and non functionality of the Alliance is based on the struggles we wage on the ground. Anger alone without a practical and revolutionary plan is not enough and anger alone without preparedness to sweat and work to change the balance of forces on the ground is not enough.
We believe that the Alliance will serve the interests of the working class if it is committed to achieving economic liberation because economic policy is the heart of social transformation.
The CEC reiterated its support for the DP of the ANC, Cde Ramaphosa to take over from Cde Jacob Zuma as the next president of the ANC in the next elective conference in December 2017.
On Brain Molefe, the CEC registered its disappointment in the manner that ANC dealt with the deployment of Brain Molefe, while he is yet to clear his name in the state capture report. He still needs to account on why he resigned and when is he responding the allegations of corruption during his term as the CEO of Eskom
Radical Economic Transformation
"In essence, a revolutionary policy is one which holds out the quickest and most fundamental transformation and transfer of power from one class to another. In real life such radical changes are brought about not by imaginary forces but by those whose outlook and readiness to act is very much influenced by historically determined factors.
To ignore the real situation and to play about with imaginary forces, concepts and ideals is to invite failure. The art of revolutionary leadership consists in providing leadership to the masses and not just to its most advanced elements; it consists of setting a pace which accords with objective conditions and the real possibilities at hand. The revolutionary-sounding phrase does not always reflect revolutionary policy, and revolutionary-sounding policy is not always the spring-board for revolutionary advance. Indeed what appears to be "militant" and "revolutionary" can often be counter-revolutionary". ANC Strategy and Tactics document Morogoro Conference
The federation has been greatly encouraged by the renewed language of commitment coming from both the ANC and its government, regarding the Radical Economic Transformation. We are not naive as to the difficulties and challenges that this newfound commitment from the ANC presents because the same commitments have been made before, only for the movement to flatter to deceive. But our analysis of the global economic situation and the overall global balance of forces tell us that the ANC has no other choice but to push ahead with the radical economic transformation because failure to do so will result in the movement being impeached by this economy in 2019.
COSATU insists that this should result in a fundamental shift from the past, where government has relied heavily on the ineffectual mechanisms of incremental or piecemeal reform. Despite rhetorical statements about the centrality of job creation and transformation of the economy, there will be very little achieved without a shift in the macroeconomic framework in line with the resolutions of Polokwane; and the important policy advances outlined in the latest vision by both government and the ANC will not materialise.
COSATU will remain alert to the tendency from some within the ANC to view economic transformation through the prism of de-racialising' capitalism and also want to use it for narrow personal accumulation. We shall ensure that radical economic transformation does not only mean the integration of blacks into the economic structures of ownership, while leaving these structures unchanged. We shall continuously push back against this integrationist strategy that does not tamper with the capitalist logic of accumulation; and that politically attempts to define the black bourgeoisie as a motive force of the revolution instead of the working class.
We agree with the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan that radical economic transformation cannot afford to be elitist and adopt a narrow approach to black economic empowerment. To transform the financial sector, we need a state bank; to transform the health sector, we need the NHI and a state pharmaceutical company and to move the economy forward and change ownership patterns, we need government to nationalise some strategic sectors of the economy. This also means that we need to revisit both the Labour and Economic chapters of the NDP because; we do not believe they will help with goals of Radical Economic Transformation.
The federation believes that determining the content of the Radical Economic Transformation cannot remain the preserve of the ANC alone but it should be the collective responsibility of the entire Alliance. Failure to allow the entire Alliance to define the content of the proposed economic transformation will render this another missed opportunity by the movement. Unfortunately, the movement can ill afford that because people are running out of patience and the movement and its government are running out of time.
Developmental state
The CEC strongly believes that to achieve some of the goals articulated by the January 08 statement and the State of the Nation Address, we need an activist and an intelligent developmental state that will work to enact imaginative legislation.
Polokwane said "a South African developmental state, whilst learning from the experiences of others, must be built on the solid foundation of South African realities. Whilst engaging private capital strategically, our government must be rooted amongst the people and buttressed by a mass-based democratic liberation movement.
Whilst determining a clear and consistent path forward, it must also seek to build consensus on a democratic basis that builds national unity. Whilst acting effectively to promote growth, efficiency and productivity, it must be equally effective in addressing the social conditions of the masses of our people and realising economic progress for the poor".
We are clear that for a state to be developmental it cannot be legislated, it all depends on what the state does and how it does it. In this context, the Freedom Charter propagates for the state ownership of the commanding heights of the economy and control of the private sector for the benefit of the people .We reiterate our call for an interventionist, activist, socialist-oriented developmental state whose role in the economy is aimed at bringing to the mainstream economy to those, who were isolated from participating in it by the apartheid policies.
Government's commitment and acceptance of the need for fundamental radical economic transformation, as the only way to address unemployment, and massive levels of poverty and inequality is a step in the right direction. But the economic targets set out in the National Development Plan, are neither appropriate nor realistic.
The CEC therefore calls on government to do a lot more to support local industrialisation and manufacturing including the use of incentives to grow the textile, leather, automotive sector industries. We also need promote investment in rural areas and in the townships economy.
NHI
The federation will pursue its guiding objective to build its capacity to fight for the realisation of the right to decent healthcare for all as stated in section 27 of the Constitution that " Everyone has a right to have access to healthcare services ". Whilst our country spends a lot of money in healthcare compared to many other countries, only a few have access to good healthcare.
We shall step up our fight to ensure that the redistribution of resources through the NHI favours the working class. Thus financing the NHI should not allow the use of VAT, as it would create a situation where a big share of the poor's incomes is spent on health compared to the rich. Instead, there should be cross subsidisation of the working poor and the unemployed through the imposition of higher taxes on the rich in order to pay for the poor.
COSATU will fight any attempt to introduce a multi payer system, instead of a single fund, intended to ensure that the rich subsidise the poor. The NHI is but one aspect of the transformation of the health system.
There are many challenges in the public health system such as the poor state of the infrastructure, management failures, patients being subjected to long lines, dirty laundry, shortage of doctors, etc. We are committed not only to the creation of the NHI but also to the transformation of the health system, including the operations of the institutions.
The death of more than one hundred psychiatric patients in Gauteng is a reminder of the dangers of outsourcing and agencification of the state. Governments need to act decisively to do away with outsourcing and use of private healthcare providers in the health system.
National Minimum Wage
The COSATU CEC has noted and welcomes the National Minimum Wage report by the federation's negotiating team ,including the social partner's recommendation for the adoption of a legislated universal National Minimum Wage. While the proposed figure of R20 an hour, {R3464 a month for 40 hours per week, and R3897 a month for 45 hours a week} does not address the minimum living standards of an average South African household and still falls short of the federation's proposed figure of R4 500; it is still a significant starting base towards a living wage. This represents a step forward for the country and a victory for the workers and their federation, COSATU that has been relentless in its campaign for the adoption of a legislated national minimum wage. The NMW is a product of workers living wage struggles since the 1980's.
This once again reinforces our perspective that unless the working class raises itself to a hegemonic position in key sites of power, and strengthens its capacity to mobilise and fight, the envisaged economic transformation will never happen. COSATU insists that a meaningful National Minimum Wage must be viewed as but one important element of a new wage policy, which will help recognise the dignity of every worker in our society, and also overcome the legacy of an apartheid wage structure.
The struggle for a Living Wage will be a long and difficult one, and will include the struggle for affordable basic services like, transport and food, and provide decent wages and improved working conditions. All of this will only be achieved through the collective power of workers.
The meeting commended the National Office Bearers for not signing the deal before consulting the workers; this strengthens the principle of a mandate driven organisation that is accountable to workers. The NOB's have been given a mandate to go and sign the deal at Nedlac and reiterate our position that the starting figure must be combined with a firmly agreed medium term target to achieve a decent NMW within a stipulated timeframe, and also insist that an agreement must be reached that there will be annual increases to progressively achieve this target. The real work is only now beginning at Nedlac with the drafting of the legislation and the resolution of all substantial outstanding issues.
SASSA -CPS crisis
The CEC expressed concern about the inept manner in which the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has handled the extension of its contract with Cash Paymaster Services. This is likely to see the most vulnerable groups of South Africans who are beneficiaries of the social grant system not getting paid on the 1st of April 2017.
There are 17 million of South Africa's poorest, who are dependent on social security every month. The Department of Social Development pays out a total of R10 billion to beneficiaries each month. Amongst the most vulnerable groups are the elderly, the disabled as well as children below the age of 18. Research has proved that most of the social grants are spent on food, meaning that a disruption to this social security system could be catastrophic and ultimately life threatening.
COSATU is appealing to the President to intervene and heads need to roll at Sassa. The minister and her team in the department need to take political responsibility for this crisis, by resigning of be dismissed. They have failed to deal decisively with the irregular expenditure and irregular tender procedures that have resulted in the threat to the livelihoods of 17 million grant beneficiaries. This is not just an administrative bungling but it is a political own goal that smells of corruption.
COSATU demands the total eradication of outsourcing of government functions, the tendering system and agencification of the state. Outsourcing is wasteful, threatens jobs and makes public control and accountability impossible, therefore providing a breeding swamp for corruption and nepotism to thrive. This year's budget speaks of further job losses at the Post Office, and postal workers have borne the brunt of thousands of retrenchments and outsourcing. We believe that the Post Office and Postbank should be used as priority service providers for the government starting with the distribution of social grants.
Land and Agrarian Reform and Food Security
We reaffirm our historic demands for more effective land redistribution, and we strongly believe that the new Expropriation Bill will allow government to expropriate property for public purpose and also speed up land reform. COSATU however urges government to amend the bill to prohibit any compensation of individuals, whose property was acquired during apartheid and colonial forced removals. We insist that the land redistributed must be effectively utilised, so that we can improve food security in our country whilst addressing poverty of our people in particular in the rural areas. We also support the government's imposition of a moratorium on foreign landownership.
Education
The CEC reiterated its call that education is not only a socio-economic matter but is also a human rights issue. We shall beef our team of negotiators that will be tackling this matter at Nedlac. We still insist that Nedlac is an appropriate platform, where society can engage in a sound dialogue to find a sustainable solution to the current impasse on education funding. Our failure to find a sustainable solution on time will have a huge negative socio-economic impact on our society.
We are reiterating our call for the introduction of wealth tax that will help with the funding of free education and that the country's budget must prioritise free education. This process of finding a sustainable funding model should be linked to the demand for curriculum transformation. We also need a curriculum that is decolonised and not Eurocentric but that also responds to the needs of this continent and our country in particular.
Comprehensive Social Security
The CEC welcomed the presentation of the Comprehensive Social Security Discussion Paper that was released by government for discussion at Nedlac. We are unhappy because workers are continuing to die of poverty and the latest figures show that less than 6% of South Africans can afford to retire. The federation wants to hear about timeframes around comprehensive social security reform, and also demand the extension of a 2018 deadline for compulsory annuitisation of workers provident funds, because government delayed the presentation of the Comprehensive Social Security paper at Nedlac.
Sugar Tax
We are equally opposed to government's rushing into taxing sugar sweetened beverages without adequately preparing and supporting sugar farms and mills to transition to healthier products, e.g. bio-fuels. Government's projected 5000 job losses in the sugar industry will cause an economic crisis in rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. Many of these towns are still feeling the pain of having lost thousands {1000s} of textiles jobs. Government needs to delay and engage with industry and labour on a plan to meet government's corrective health objectives of reducing over consumption of sugar, whilst protecting and creating scarce jobs.
Bank collusion
The meeting reiterated its call for tougher punishment for the seventeen {17} international banks, including Standard Bank ,Absa and Investec that colluded with each other "on prices for bids, offers and bid offer spreads for the spot trades in relation to currency trading involving dollar currency pairs". The federation has been saying for a long time that the alliance capitalism that holds sway in this country needs to be reigned in, if we are serious about economic transformation.
The current penalty of 10% of annual company turnover is obviously ineffectual because these companies just budget for this money and carry on with their nefarious activities. The Reserve Bank and the Treasury have also through their inaction colluded with these criminal elements. If government does not put deterrence measures in, this will continue because it is perpetuated by the misdirected naivety and idealism of all those, who hold political power.
Public Transport -Scrapping of E-tolls and Labour brokers
The CEC believes that the latest admission by Gauteng Premier David Makhura that e-tolls were a mistake and that all efforts to save them have failed , should send a clear message to both Sanral and the national government that it is time to give up and scrap them altogether. This follows in the footsteps of Johannesburg mayor, who said that he will not allow motorists to be harassed about e-tolls in the city by Metro Police Officers. We reiterate our call for the total crapping of E-tolls and Labour brokers. The carnage on our roads is proof enough that we need an integrated, affordable, safe and reliable transport system. The economy is also paying a price for having a poor transport system, because the failures at Prasa results in workers getting to work late.
International solidarity work
The CEC has reiterated its continued commitment and support for the people of Palestine, Swaziland, Cuba, Western Sahara, Basque and Kurdistan, and we undertake to step up our internationalist solidarity protest actions in their support.
Issued by COSATU
Sizwe Pamla (National Spokesperson)
Tel: +27 11 339-4911 Direct 010 219-1339
Mobile: 060 975 6794
E-Mail: sizwe@cosatu.org.za
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The meeting reflected on the continuing global capitalist crisis that began in 2008, and that is now approaching a decade; and concluded that this proves that the capitalist system has now reached its limits in that it is now experiencing all three interrelated crises; namely a crisis of sustainability, a systemic crisis and a structural crisis.
The structural crisis is shown in the movement of industrial production away from the rich countries in the West to regions of the world, where there is cheap labour. A crisis of sustainability related to its impact on the environment and climate. A systemic crisis relates to the nature of the system itself, whereby the rich are forcing the poor to keep their wage levels low, combined with worsening levels of unemployment. This has seen the emergence of narrow nationalism and protectionism in the USA under Donald Trump and in French politics under the new populist front of Marie Le Pen.
We have also noted that this year marks 100 years since the 1917 Russian Revolution, which gave evidence to humanity that socialism was possible. It is through the practical and concrete results of the 1917 Russian Revolution that we know that the bourgeoisie are not unconquerable.
This year also will also see the two key components of the Alliance convening their own highest national constitutional meetings that are going to further develop and sharpen their overall strategies and tactics for the deepening of the NDR, the struggle for socialism and ultimately elect new leadership collectives to take the Alliance to new heights. The federation will ensure that all necessary preparations and interventions are made leading to these important gatherings, beginning with the SACP National Congress.
The meeting congratulated the ANC, the oldest liberation movement in Africa for reaching the milestone of its105th birthday earlier this year. This 105th anniversary of the movement must mean turning a new chapter in our liberation struggle towards a second more radical phase of our transition. We remember the immense sacrifices and achievements that have been made by our forebears, to whom we owe everything to defend this glorious movement of our people, Africa and the Diaspora. This year is the year where we remember former ANC president OR Tambo; we call on all ANC cadres to emulate the exemplary and principled leadership of Cde OR Tambo by not allowing factionalism and corruption to destroy this glorious movement. He represented the best values of the movement and we owe it to him and others like him to preserve and defend the movement.
We condemn the recent xenophobic attacks directed at African immigrants. COSATU strongly believes that the employers are responsible for the mayhem in the country because they are the ones, who distort the labour market by sidelining South Africans and hiring people from outside our borders. This needs to be addressed or we will continue to have these sporadic attacks. This social unrest has generally revealed the absence of the Congress movement in these communities. For that reason, we shall continue to urge our shop stewards and members to take an active part in community struggles. The aim should be to channel the community grievances in a constructive manner and displace opportunists. The failure to eradicate crime in our communities is also a big problem because the poor communities feel the effects of crime more intensely than the well off communities that have access to private security. The Human Rights Commission also needs to investigate Johannesburg Mayor, Herman Mashaba for his prejudiced comments and intolerant tendencies with regard to African nationals.
We join millions of South Africans to mourn the death of two of our most devoted human rights activists and revolutionaries to have been produced by the twentieth century Judge Essa Moosa and Cde Fidel Castro. May their souls rest in peace and condolences to their respective families and friends.
Organisationally
The CEC meeting was a resounding success and this was underscored by the quality of the deliberations and outcomes, which reflect that we are on course in implementing our three year programme of action leading to the 13th Congress in 2018. The progress that we have registered so far, in particular in strengthening our organisational machinery, to place our members at the centre of all that we do , whilst pursuing other strategic objectives of our programme of action echoes our 12th Congress theme, "Unity and Cohesion of COSATU to Advance the National Democratic Revolution { NDR} for Socialism"
Yet, simultaneously the central executive committee noted that alongside the solid advances that we are making , there are still some shortcomings and challenges that still remain to be overcome this year and beyond. Therefore, in addition to the identified new tasks, these shall constitute part and parcel of our new programme of action in 2017, which has been adopted by the CEC.
The CEC also took time to also revisit and reflect on the strategic tasks contained in the September Commission Report; and the 2015 Plan adopted by the 8th National Congress. At the centre of these historic documents is the task of placing working class interest as the dominant national goal. That includes building a strong organisation; asserting working class hegemony in all sites of power; and defeating neo-liberal dogma. We have the privilege as this generation of trade unionists to evaluate progress in achieving the goals, we set ourselves in the previous congresses and take necessary steps to take the organisation forward.
We shall do this by strengthening COSATU at all levels. Our organisational machinery must be adapted to the new realities and new forms of organising. The aim is not only to build a strong organisation but to ensure maximum unity of the working class.
The COSATU Central Committee will be convened this year and will adopt general and specific policy measures which further the aims and objectives of the Federation.
The purpose, powers and duties of the Central Committee include but not limited to assessing resolutions; implement resolutions that have been adopted and draft resolutions on urgent matters. The federation is also continuing its work on developing COSATU's vision beyond 2015 .The first draft of such a plan will be presented to the Central Committee this year. The task shall also include deriving lessons from the implementation of the 2015 Plan and the organisational redesign, which will be aligned to the mid- term vision
May day
The May day workers celebration will be held under the theme; Build Cosatu engines for People's Power" on the ground 'through struggle for ownership and control of the economy The meeting decided that this year's celebrations will continue to be taken back to places, where workers reside, in line with our resolution to go back to basics and closing the social distance. The celebrations will consist of marches and events in open spaces closer to workers. We shall also ensure that the workers holiday, May day, becomes a non trading day, so as to allow workers to attend; especially those working on farms and other vulnerable sectors. The main rally for the federation will be convened in Bloemfontein in the Free State Province.
12th National Congress - 2017 Campaigns
The CEC as mandated by our last congress concluded that the following campaigns will be rolled out this year:
Recruitment, retention and service campaign.
Provident fund/ social security reform
Living wage campaign
Banning labour brokers
Anti-privatisation
Public transport
Opposition to e-tolling
Anti-corruption campaign
NHI
OHS
Unemployment
The CEC expressed concern that government has so far failed to present a coherent jobs saving and jobs creation plan in the face of massive retrenchments that are affecting all sectors of the economy. The recent big business offensive has included cuts in real wages; an increase in the working hours; widespread casualisation of labour, particularly among women and young workers.
We have seen the over-exploitation of migrant workers; appropriation of labour productivity gains by capital; cuts in pensions and retirement benefits; and the denial of the right to bargain collectively and to strike.
The CEC reiterated its call that retrenchments need to be made a matter for negotiations rather than consultation and this means changing the process in Section 189 of the LRA from one of "consultation with the aim of reaching consensus" to one involving negotiation. We acknowledge that changing Section 189 will not solve South Africa's unemployment problems because this is an economic problem, but the fact is that dismissal for operational reasons is far too easy.
Employers fail to fully canvass the possible alternatives to job losses and they take little, if any, responsibility for the social costs associated with the dismissals. Employed workers must, however, bear the brunt of stretching their meagre wages to cover more and more unemployed dependants. Sometimes the retrenchments are purely motivated by extracting greater profits rather than saving an ailing business. Going forward, we shall be challenging the employer's substantive decisions to retrench instead of only quibbling about the procedural issues during retrenchments.
COSATU does not believe that the actual decision to retrench is, or should be, construed as a matter of pure managerial prerogative; and this means that we will work to expand the notion of substantive fairness.
We are continuously pushing forward with the call for a Jobs Summit because we believe that there is a need for a pact covering jobs, income and prices. The current economic programmes and policies do not promote large scale absorption of the labour force. We still reiterate our call for the Labour and Economic chapters of the NDP to be reviewed because we feel that they are not adequately equipped to help us create the much needed jobs. The federation has identified job losses as one of the issues to be resolved if the country is to secure a stable future.
Workplace issues
The meeting acknowledged that our federation and its affiliates are now regrouping and steadily regaining their focus and strength. The CEC resolved that all COSATU unions should build on this by continuing with their intensive recruitment drive ,and a listening campaign that will help unions deliver better service to their respective members. We are busy dealing with issues that affect some of our unions with internal challenges ,and the CEC has appointed a number of task teams to intervene and resolve some of these identified challenges. We commit to building strong united unions in all sectors, as well as strong and functional bargaining forums.
Umbhaba Farm and Lily Mine
The COSATU CEC expressed shock and anger after hearing that the fate of 3000 workers at uMbhaba Farm in Mpumalanga hangs in the balance ,after revelations that FAWU withdrew the strike notice in the middle of the strike, without notifying the workers, resulting in the strike being declared illegal.
We commend the Alliance in the province under the leadership of the ANC for their intervention and assistance they have given to the workers. The federation will continue to engage with the workers and the lawyers to find a solution to the workers problems.
The federation is happy that workers are united and have chosen NUM as their union of choice at Lily Mine. The pressure from the NUM and COSATU has ensured that at long last the Minister of Mineral Resources, Mosebenzi Zwane has agreed to commission an enquiry and an investigation into the reasons behind the Lily Mine accident.
We shall ensure that the terms of reference are not necessary directed at ticking boxes but on finding the real underlying reasons for the accident including telling us ,who should be held accountable. The CEC also call for the minister and the mine bosses pay workers ,including the families of those who are still trapped under ground for over a year now. The DMR needs to fast-track the work with specialists to secure the trapped workers
The CEC also condemned an increase in the number of workers, who are dying in the mining sector due to poor health and safety compliance by employers. We call on our government through the DMR to prioritise the safety of workers
Politically
The local government elections held last year proved that our movement was facing immense challenges as there were already signs that it was losing touch with its base. This was as a result of the combination of factors, including the organisational and strategic disarray, primarily caused by factional battles, the overall balance of class forces in our society and the ongoing triple crisis of unemployment, inequality and poverty.
As we move towards the 54th National Conference of the ANC, we are convinced that the immediate and primary political task for the federation is to fight for the unity of the ANC and the cohesion of the Alliance. We commit to fight for the renewal of ANC's revolutionary morality and discipline in order to help it reclaim its high moral ground in society, which is vital in deepening the national democratic revolution. We will work hard to reassert the revolutionary values of " unity , selflessness, sacrifice , collective leadership , humility , honesty , discipline , hard work , internal debates , constructive criticism self criticism and mutual respect" We shall also push for more decisive action by the movement and the Alliance against corruption and factionalism.
The local government election results also signalled some serious dangers in the future if nothing changes in how the ANC leads our people and governs the country. The National Democratic Revolution has been perched at a crossroads for some time, threatened by the triple dangers of the undermining of the progressive policies of the ANC, the continued marginalisation of the working class and the predatory tendency of some elements within the movement. We saw a lot of indecisiveness and even retreat by the movement from some of the mandates of Polokwane, especially on the budget and interests rate policies. In other words the same macroeconomic policy framework that was used before Polokwane continues to be used today.
Both the Polokwane Conference and Mangaung agreed on a need for qualitative shift in our macroeconomic policy. The CEC resolved that there is a need to wage a battle to change this macroeconomic framework, and build on this new found realisation from the ANC and its government that economies are made up of people. The latest articulations from both the ANC and its government are starting to acknowledge that it will be dangerous to remain straight jacketed by a puritanical neoliberal approach that does not cater to the changeables and reality, when managing an economy.
Building the Alliance
In dealing with this matter of building the Alliance, we summon from the grave the words of wisdom by Cde Nelson Mandela, when he said "The struggle that will free us is a long, hard job. Do not be deceived by men who talk big with no thought for tomorrow. Freedom is not just a matter of strong words. Neither is it simply brave men and heroic deeds. Impatience, which makes men lose their heads, will not bring freedom".
The CEC agreed that all other issues of debates and discussions amongst alliance partners, outside the shared strategic perspectives and the identified tasks in the immediate future should be considered insignificant in the light of the pressing challenges of the moment. The meeting has made a call to the federation to remain true to its pro-poor and socialist ideals ,and also think clearly about its identity and role going forward. It should continue to assert its independence, to challenge, criticise and pose alternative policy proposals to the ANC without undermining it. COSATU shall therefore retain its right to criticise the implementation of unacceptable policies by the ANC and its government.
The CEC made it clear that the future of the Alliance is dependent on the tolerance levels within it ,but if the principles have to be sacrificed to maintain the Alliance's life, then it ceases to be of any significance.
The CEC resolved that we must invest in building the unity of the alliance as a vehicle, which drives the revolution. Our anger and frustrations about the challenges in the Alliance must not blind us to see and understand that the functionality and non functionality of the Alliance is based on the struggles we wage on the ground. Anger alone without a practical and revolutionary plan is not enough and anger alone without preparedness to sweat and work to change the balance of forces on the ground is not enough.
We believe that the Alliance will serve the interests of the working class if it is committed to achieving economic liberation because economic policy is the heart of social transformation.
The CEC reiterated its support for the DP of the ANC, Cde Ramaphosa to take over from Cde Jacob Zuma as the next president of the ANC in the next elective conference in December 2017.
On Brain Molefe, the CEC registered its disappointment in the manner that ANC dealt with the deployment of Brain Molefe, while he is yet to clear his name in the state capture report. He still needs to account on why he resigned and when is he responding the allegations of corruption during his term as the CEO of Eskom
Radical Economic Transformation
"In essence, a revolutionary policy is one which holds out the quickest and most fundamental transformation and transfer of power from one class to another. In real life such radical changes are brought about not by imaginary forces but by those whose outlook and readiness to act is very much influenced by historically determined factors.
To ignore the real situation and to play about with imaginary forces, concepts and ideals is to invite failure. The art of revolutionary leadership consists in providing leadership to the masses and not just to its most advanced elements; it consists of setting a pace which accords with objective conditions and the real possibilities at hand. The revolutionary-sounding phrase does not always reflect revolutionary policy, and revolutionary-sounding policy is not always the spring-board for revolutionary advance. Indeed what appears to be "militant" and "revolutionary" can often be counter-revolutionary". ANC Strategy and Tactics document Morogoro Conference
The federation has been greatly encouraged by the renewed language of commitment coming from both the ANC and its government, regarding the Radical Economic Transformation. We are not naive as to the difficulties and challenges that this newfound commitment from the ANC presents because the same commitments have been made before, only for the movement to flatter to deceive. But our analysis of the global economic situation and the overall global balance of forces tell us that the ANC has no other choice but to push ahead with the radical economic transformation because failure to do so will result in the movement being impeached by this economy in 2019.
COSATU insists that this should result in a fundamental shift from the past, where government has relied heavily on the ineffectual mechanisms of incremental or piecemeal reform. Despite rhetorical statements about the centrality of job creation and transformation of the economy, there will be very little achieved without a shift in the macroeconomic framework in line with the resolutions of Polokwane; and the important policy advances outlined in the latest vision by both government and the ANC will not materialise.
COSATU will remain alert to the tendency from some within the ANC to view economic transformation through the prism of de-racialising' capitalism and also want to use it for narrow personal accumulation. We shall ensure that radical economic transformation does not only mean the integration of blacks into the economic structures of ownership, while leaving these structures unchanged. We shall continuously push back against this integrationist strategy that does not tamper with the capitalist logic of accumulation; and that politically attempts to define the black bourgeoisie as a motive force of the revolution instead of the working class.
We agree with the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan that radical economic transformation cannot afford to be elitist and adopt a narrow approach to black economic empowerment. To transform the financial sector, we need a state bank; to transform the health sector, we need the NHI and a state pharmaceutical company and to move the economy forward and change ownership patterns, we need government to nationalise some strategic sectors of the economy. This also means that we need to revisit both the Labour and Economic chapters of the NDP because; we do not believe they will help with goals of Radical Economic Transformation.
The federation believes that determining the content of the Radical Economic Transformation cannot remain the preserve of the ANC alone but it should be the collective responsibility of the entire Alliance. Failure to allow the entire Alliance to define the content of the proposed economic transformation will render this another missed opportunity by the movement. Unfortunately, the movement can ill afford that because people are running out of patience and the movement and its government are running out of time.
Developmental state
The CEC strongly believes that to achieve some of the goals articulated by the January 08 statement and the State of the Nation Address, we need an activist and an intelligent developmental state that will work to enact imaginative legislation.
Polokwane said "a South African developmental state, whilst learning from the experiences of others, must be built on the solid foundation of South African realities. Whilst engaging private capital strategically, our government must be rooted amongst the people and buttressed by a mass-based democratic liberation movement.
Whilst determining a clear and consistent path forward, it must also seek to build consensus on a democratic basis that builds national unity. Whilst acting effectively to promote growth, efficiency and productivity, it must be equally effective in addressing the social conditions of the masses of our people and realising economic progress for the poor".
We are clear that for a state to be developmental it cannot be legislated, it all depends on what the state does and how it does it. In this context, the Freedom Charter propagates for the state ownership of the commanding heights of the economy and control of the private sector for the benefit of the people .We reiterate our call for an interventionist, activist, socialist-oriented developmental state whose role in the economy is aimed at bringing to the mainstream economy to those, who were isolated from participating in it by the apartheid policies.
Government's commitment and acceptance of the need for fundamental radical economic transformation, as the only way to address unemployment, and massive levels of poverty and inequality is a step in the right direction. But the economic targets set out in the National Development Plan, are neither appropriate nor realistic.
The CEC therefore calls on government to do a lot more to support local industrialisation and manufacturing including the use of incentives to grow the textile, leather, automotive sector industries. We also need promote investment in rural areas and in the townships economy.
NHI
The federation will pursue its guiding objective to build its capacity to fight for the realisation of the right to decent healthcare for all as stated in section 27 of the Constitution that " Everyone has a right to have access to healthcare services ". Whilst our country spends a lot of money in healthcare compared to many other countries, only a few have access to good healthcare.
We shall step up our fight to ensure that the redistribution of resources through the NHI favours the working class. Thus financing the NHI should not allow the use of VAT, as it would create a situation where a big share of the poor's incomes is spent on health compared to the rich. Instead, there should be cross subsidisation of the working poor and the unemployed through the imposition of higher taxes on the rich in order to pay for the poor.
COSATU will fight any attempt to introduce a multi payer system, instead of a single fund, intended to ensure that the rich subsidise the poor. The NHI is but one aspect of the transformation of the health system.
There are many challenges in the public health system such as the poor state of the infrastructure, management failures, patients being subjected to long lines, dirty laundry, shortage of doctors, etc. We are committed not only to the creation of the NHI but also to the transformation of the health system, including the operations of the institutions.
The death of more than one hundred psychiatric patients in Gauteng is a reminder of the dangers of outsourcing and agencification of the state. Governments need to act decisively to do away with outsourcing and use of private healthcare providers in the health system.
National Minimum Wage
The COSATU CEC has noted and welcomes the National Minimum Wage report by the federation's negotiating team ,including the social partner's recommendation for the adoption of a legislated universal National Minimum Wage. While the proposed figure of R20 an hour, {R3464 a month for 40 hours per week, and R3897 a month for 45 hours a week} does not address the minimum living standards of an average South African household and still falls short of the federation's proposed figure of R4 500; it is still a significant starting base towards a living wage. This represents a step forward for the country and a victory for the workers and their federation, COSATU that has been relentless in its campaign for the adoption of a legislated national minimum wage. The NMW is a product of workers living wage struggles since the 1980's.
This once again reinforces our perspective that unless the working class raises itself to a hegemonic position in key sites of power, and strengthens its capacity to mobilise and fight, the envisaged economic transformation will never happen. COSATU insists that a meaningful National Minimum Wage must be viewed as but one important element of a new wage policy, which will help recognise the dignity of every worker in our society, and also overcome the legacy of an apartheid wage structure.
The struggle for a Living Wage will be a long and difficult one, and will include the struggle for affordable basic services like, transport and food, and provide decent wages and improved working conditions. All of this will only be achieved through the collective power of workers.
The meeting commended the National Office Bearers for not signing the deal before consulting the workers; this strengthens the principle of a mandate driven organisation that is accountable to workers. The NOB's have been given a mandate to go and sign the deal at Nedlac and reiterate our position that the starting figure must be combined with a firmly agreed medium term target to achieve a decent NMW within a stipulated timeframe, and also insist that an agreement must be reached that there will be annual increases to progressively achieve this target. The real work is only now beginning at Nedlac with the drafting of the legislation and the resolution of all substantial outstanding issues.
SASSA -CPS crisis
The CEC expressed concern about the inept manner in which the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has handled the extension of its contract with Cash Paymaster Services. This is likely to see the most vulnerable groups of South Africans who are beneficiaries of the social grant system not getting paid on the 1st of April 2017.
There are 17 million of South Africa's poorest, who are dependent on social security every month. The Department of Social Development pays out a total of R10 billion to beneficiaries each month. Amongst the most vulnerable groups are the elderly, the disabled as well as children below the age of 18. Research has proved that most of the social grants are spent on food, meaning that a disruption to this social security system could be catastrophic and ultimately life threatening.
COSATU is appealing to the President to intervene and heads need to roll at Sassa. The minister and her team in the department need to take political responsibility for this crisis, by resigning of be dismissed. They have failed to deal decisively with the irregular expenditure and irregular tender procedures that have resulted in the threat to the livelihoods of 17 million grant beneficiaries. This is not just an administrative bungling but it is a political own goal that smells of corruption.
COSATU demands the total eradication of outsourcing of government functions, the tendering system and agencification of the state. Outsourcing is wasteful, threatens jobs and makes public control and accountability impossible, therefore providing a breeding swamp for corruption and nepotism to thrive. This year's budget speaks of further job losses at the Post Office, and postal workers have borne the brunt of thousands of retrenchments and outsourcing. We believe that the Post Office and Postbank should be used as priority service providers for the government starting with the distribution of social grants.
Land and Agrarian Reform and Food Security
We reaffirm our historic demands for more effective land redistribution, and we strongly believe that the new Expropriation Bill will allow government to expropriate property for public purpose and also speed up land reform. COSATU however urges government to amend the bill to prohibit any compensation of individuals, whose property was acquired during apartheid and colonial forced removals. We insist that the land redistributed must be effectively utilised, so that we can improve food security in our country whilst addressing poverty of our people in particular in the rural areas. We also support the government's imposition of a moratorium on foreign landownership.
Education
The CEC reiterated its call that education is not only a socio-economic matter but is also a human rights issue. We shall beef our team of negotiators that will be tackling this matter at Nedlac. We still insist that Nedlac is an appropriate platform, where society can engage in a sound dialogue to find a sustainable solution to the current impasse on education funding. Our failure to find a sustainable solution on time will have a huge negative socio-economic impact on our society.
We are reiterating our call for the introduction of wealth tax that will help with the funding of free education and that the country's budget must prioritise free education. This process of finding a sustainable funding model should be linked to the demand for curriculum transformation. We also need a curriculum that is decolonised and not Eurocentric but that also responds to the needs of this continent and our country in particular.
Comprehensive Social Security
The CEC welcomed the presentation of the Comprehensive Social Security Discussion Paper that was released by government for discussion at Nedlac. We are unhappy because workers are continuing to die of poverty and the latest figures show that less than 6% of South Africans can afford to retire. The federation wants to hear about timeframes around comprehensive social security reform, and also demand the extension of a 2018 deadline for compulsory annuitisation of workers provident funds, because government delayed the presentation of the Comprehensive Social Security paper at Nedlac.
Sugar Tax
We are equally opposed to government's rushing into taxing sugar sweetened beverages without adequately preparing and supporting sugar farms and mills to transition to healthier products, e.g. bio-fuels. Government's projected 5000 job losses in the sugar industry will cause an economic crisis in rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. Many of these towns are still feeling the pain of having lost thousands {1000s} of textiles jobs. Government needs to delay and engage with industry and labour on a plan to meet government's corrective health objectives of reducing over consumption of sugar, whilst protecting and creating scarce jobs.
Bank collusion
The meeting reiterated its call for tougher punishment for the seventeen {17} international banks, including Standard Bank ,Absa and Investec that colluded with each other "on prices for bids, offers and bid offer spreads for the spot trades in relation to currency trading involving dollar currency pairs". The federation has been saying for a long time that the alliance capitalism that holds sway in this country needs to be reigned in, if we are serious about economic transformation.
The current penalty of 10% of annual company turnover is obviously ineffectual because these companies just budget for this money and carry on with their nefarious activities. The Reserve Bank and the Treasury have also through their inaction colluded with these criminal elements. If government does not put deterrence measures in, this will continue because it is perpetuated by the misdirected naivety and idealism of all those, who hold political power.
Public Transport -Scrapping of E-tolls and Labour brokers
The CEC believes that the latest admission by Gauteng Premier David Makhura that e-tolls were a mistake and that all efforts to save them have failed , should send a clear message to both Sanral and the national government that it is time to give up and scrap them altogether. This follows in the footsteps of Johannesburg mayor, who said that he will not allow motorists to be harassed about e-tolls in the city by Metro Police Officers. We reiterate our call for the total crapping of E-tolls and Labour brokers. The carnage on our roads is proof enough that we need an integrated, affordable, safe and reliable transport system. The economy is also paying a price for having a poor transport system, because the failures at Prasa results in workers getting to work late.
International solidarity work
The CEC has reiterated its continued commitment and support for the people of Palestine, Swaziland, Cuba, Western Sahara, Basque and Kurdistan, and we undertake to step up our internationalist solidarity protest actions in their support.
Issued by COSATU
Sizwe Pamla (National Spokesperson)
Tel: +27 11 339-4911 Direct 010 219-1339
Mobile: 060 975 6794
E-Mail: sizwe@cosatu.org.za
- See more at: http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=12494#sthash.bQJYSkb8.dpuf
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