COSATU in solidarity with public service workers

The Central Executive Committee of the Congress of South African Trade Unions has declared its total support for the strike by 1.3 million public service workers and demands that the government moves immediately to make a new offer which can lead to a rapid conclusion to the strike.

COSATU warns that it will not allow a defeat of the public sector workers. We know the full political and economic implications if the public sector workers lose this battle. In order to ensure that the strike does not fail COSATU makes the following calls:

1. On all public sector workers to intensify the strike. We need a total shut down of the public sector until the government comes to its senses and accedes to the legitimate demands of the working class.

2. All COSATU affiliated unions will embark on solidarity action in support of the demands of the public sector workers. In this regard, every COSATU union shall on the 26 August submit notices to their respective employers that will allow them legal right to embark secondary strike. Our members and their communities (working class) are the ones on the receiving end of the current situation. It is workers’ kids who have not been at school since the beginning of the strike; it is the workers and their families that rely on the functioning public hospitals. The rich, which includes the elite in society, are hardly affected by the strike. Their kids are in private schools where teachers are better paid. They go to private hospitals to access healthcare. We warn that the strike will also be protected and take as long as necessary until the government as the employer accede to the legitimate demands of the workers.

3. COSATU calls on all members of POPCRU and SAPU and all police and other law enforcement officials not to allow the employer to use them to crush the strike. We certainly are not making a call on them to allow lawlessness. Our call on them is that they exercise maximum caution and avoid unnecessary conflict with workers whose only sin is to exercise their right to picket and demonstrate in support of their demands.

4. We call on civil society to support the strike and not to cross the picket lines. Volunteering is equal to scabbing and scabbing does deepen frustrations and anger amongst workers. This is what normally creates violence between workers on strike and those seen by workers to be taking their jobs and undermining their legitimate demands.

The federation regrets the hardship which the strike has caused but insists that the responsibility for this must be firmly placed at the door of the government, which could have prevented the strike in the first place, and could still now end the strike, by coming forward with a serious new proposal. Secondly government has refused to sign an agreement on minimum service level agreements for the past 16 years. This would have allowed clarity with an agreed number of workers to continue providing a service in case of essential services. Government has for all these years refused to sign so that it can unilaterally declare most of the public sector workers as essential services whilst declaring that there is no support for strike action by its employees. We call on the government even at this late hour to sign an agreement with the public sector workers so that there is skeleton staff in areas where workers provide an essential service.

The federation also reiterates its strong insistence that strike must be conducted in a peaceful, lawful and orderly manner and condemns any acts of violence and intimidation by anyone involved in the strike, including its own members. We also disassociate ourselves from the irresponsible utterances by some of our leaders that have only served to alienate us from the public. Our demands are legitimate and enjoy  overwhelming support from the public.

Union pickets have been mainly very peaceful, but striking workers exercising their legal rights have come under attack from the police with intimidation, rubber bullets and arrests. What makes us even more angry is that during the FIFA world cup police were trained in civilised ways of crowd control. Once their more important visitors left, they have now revert back to the old apartheid style ‘skiet and donder’ with trigger happy police shooting at workers at their backs. This we will take up with the leadership of government at the highest level.

We submitted a letter to the Minister of PSA on 12 August in line with the LRA authorising legal pickets by members and supporters. We are entitled to establish the legal pickets in public places outside workplaces. The police have no right to disperse pickets outside workplaces.

The unions are deeply disturbed by the outright lies that government has told the people of South Africa that there is an 8.5% wage increase offer that has been presented to the unions. No offer was tabled at the PSCBC, a democratic institution set up for negotiations. Government has now decided to negotiate with the media instead of trade unions admitted to the council. The unions latest statement issued by Government stating that in “real terms” government is offering public service unions an 8,5% increase, is pure misinformation aimed at causing confusion.

The Government has added the Pay Progression – an old and hard fought gain by the Unions - on to the 7% salary increase offer to claim this 8,5% increase. The Government must explain to the public and workers that, the general salary increase for 2010/2011 is only 7% as contained in the draft agreement. Labour is demanding a general salary increase of 8.6%.

The pay progression which is 1% for teachers and 1, 5% for other public service employees, has been in place since the signing of Collective Agreement No 8 of 2003. It is also not automatic as workers first have to undergo performance evaluation before they are awarded the increase.

Government calculates pay progression as a wage increase knowing full well that not everyone qualifies and benefits from it and it is a flawed system that is open to abuse by the supervisors. This system is a performance-based system which was first unilaterally implemented during the 2001/2002 financial year by the government as employer. This performance based system is part of the existing conditions of service, which was not part of the 2010 negotiations and had never been part of any negotiation recently.

The system gives rise to extreme unhappiness amongst public service workers and annually when evaluations are completed government is flooded with grievances by disgruntled public service workers. This unilateral system is not an objective tool and bonuses are allocated on favouritism, nepotism and blatant unfairness. Further, it is not possible for everyone to qualify as a limited budget is made available and the DPSA policy also limits the different categories of bonus allocations.

We would like to state categorically that the Government’s offer at the Bargaining Council is a 7% general salary increase, R 700 housing allowance and 1 July as the implementation date.

We urge the employer to refrain from confusing the public through this misinformation. This wage impasse will not be solved by misinformation but by the parties concerned working together in good faith.

We also demand that SABC News apologise for broadcasting inaccurate news to the public. The public broadcaster must, at all material times, provide the public with accurate information and not allow itself to be used by government to spin. Government’s unashamed lies show the contempt which this government has for the citizens of this country and the crisis of leadership we have as a country if our own government lies to the public without a sense of shame.

We have noticed that despite government pleading poverty it has enough money to buy full page adverts to peddle its lies and also has money to transfer patience to the private hospitals. With the private health receiving 2/3 of all money spent on health to provide services to 15% of the population, private hospitals are helping government to derive big profits. Special courts were set up for the World Cup but now they are being used to punish striking workers when they should be established permanently to fight crime that is affecting everyone.

These are workers who are employed to serve the public and they are ready and willing to perform their duties as long as government gives them what they deserve which is an 8.6% wage increase and a R1000 monthly housing allowance. A government with serious socio-economic challenges will think twice before spending millions of rands buying tickets on a month-long soccer tournament and buy acres of space in the media to peddle lies and mislead the public.

The government ministers who deny workers their meagre wage increase have spent millions of rands on luxury vehicles and are living caviar lifestyles at the expense of the poor majority that is dependent on government services. This is a case of the shepherd feeding himself forgetting about the lambs.

We call on government to respect the democratic institutions and present a new offer, if there is one at the PSCBC, not tell lies in the media. The ministers are wasting time playing games because they are not suffering and their children are not forced to use public hospitals and schools. The entire government continues to fail the poor South Africans by failing to provide the necessary leadership to resolve the impasse.

Finally COSATU repeats its demand that the government is responsible to end the strike by bringing a new offer to the table.

International Transport Workers' Federation
Shock over death of trainee seafarer in South Africa

The ITF and a South African affiliate have been horrified to learn that a trainee seafarer died at sea after she alleged that she had been raped.
Akhona Geveza was part of a group of over 130 young people, including 100 women, who had been participating in a maritime training programme supported by Transnet Port Authority (TNPA) and the South African Maritime Safety Agency (SAMSA). She reported that she had been raped by a senior officer.
The ship, Kariba, on which Akhona was undertaking her training was operated by Safmarine, a subsidiary of one of the world’s largest shipping companies, AP Moller-Maersk. The ship was registered in the UK.
Six different authorities and institutions are involved in the investigation into her death.
Zenzo Mahlangu, general secretary of the South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) said: “Satawu extends its heartfelt condolences to Akhona Geveza’s family, who have been devastated by the loss of their only child and only breadwinner. We will be doing everything we can to support the Geveza family.
“The training programme is one that Satawu has actively supported, both in TNPA and in SAMSA. One challenge has been to find ships on which to place the young cadets for practical training. To learn now that those who have been placed are being subjected to unspeakable abuse is tragic.
“The death of Akhona has surfaced many other cases of alleged sexual abuse of these young people – both men and women. The episode makes Satawu ashamed to be a part of the transport industry.”
Satawu will be seeking a high level meeting with Transnet to discuss measures that must be put in place to protect trainees from further abuse.
Alison McGarry, ITF women’s coordinator, stated: “The ITF is horrified by the death of Akhona Geveza. Across the globe ITF maritime unions are campaigning to ensure seafarers and trainees are treated with dignity and fairness.
”We support Satawu in their campaign to make maritime companies accountable for the health and safety of cadets.

SATAWU Press Statement on the state of Transnet 30^th June 2010

Satawu notes the finalization of Transnet’s disciplinary process against Siyabonga Gama which has regretfully resulted in his dismissal from the parastatal. We have consistently argued that the process must be fair and free of outside interference by any party – just as we consistently insist on this in disciplinary matters against our own members.

Mr. Gama served the Transnet’s Freight Rail Division well, introducing new structures and new technology, tackling racism, and promoting the employment of women at all levels. He believed in the developmental role of rail. He was well respected by the workforce, and Satawu truly regrets what has happened to him.

But if rules are broken, there are always consequences. If Mr. Gama is of the view that the punishment has been too harsh, then he should with dignity, pursue whatever legal options are available to him. This is his right as an employee.

There are however issues directly and indirectly related to this case that Satawu is deeply disturbed by.

There appears to be prima facie evidence that selective discipline has been applied in the case of over-runs of tender spending mandates. These allegations must be transparently investigated by the shareholding Minister of Public Enterprise.

It should be noted that Satawu supported the principle of Transformation at Transnet i.e. the appointment of a Black CEO, and not a particular individual and we still advocate that even now.

Satawu is also concerned about some recent restructuring developments. Despite no agreement being reached at the Transnet Restructuring Committee about the future of the branch lines of Transnet Freight Rail, and despite a common understanding that the issue would now be subjected to a Nedlac process of consultation, Transnet has advertised for expressions of interest by the private sector. This has been done in the full knowledge that these lines cannot be operated without some form of subsidy from government. Satawu calls on the Minister of Public Enterprises to halt this process, and also calls on the Minister of Transport to stop his officials from continuing to advocate policies that are contrary to the position of the ANC. For some years now, the DOT officials have been given free reign to advocate freight transport policies which undermine the developmental role of Transnet and its Divisions. This has got to stop.

Transnet is bullying Satawu on two other restructuring matters – their intention to sell off the ship repair facilities, as well as their intention to outsource the running of their properties, including Esselenpark. Satawu will never accept such outsourcing, with conditions of employment that will undermine existing conditions.

In sum, all is not well in Transnet. The existing Board and corporate management has lost its way. The sooner a new Board and CEO are appointed the better.

Please contact the General Secretary, Zenzo Mahlangu on 072 613 1332 for any further comment.

Released: 30 June 2010