[P2P-F] Fwd: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: Important press statement from South Africa yesterday

[Michel Bauwens]

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Date: Tue, Feb 2, 2016 at 8:17 PM
Subject: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: Important press statement from South Africa
yesterday
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Asbjørn Wahl <asbjorn.wahl at velferdsstaten.no>
Date: Tue, Feb 2, 2016 at 7:04 AM
Subject: Important press statement from South Africa yesterday
To: Asbjørn Wahl <asbjorn.wahl at velferdsstaten.no>


Dear friends,



Very important and promising developments in the South African trade union
movement. You remember that the National Union of Metalworkers of South
Africa (NUMSA) was expelled from COSATU in November 2014. Since then, there
has been a lot of discussions. Now, a number of unions (“the Nine Plus
Unions”) have taken an important step towards setting up a new independent
and militant trade union confederation. Read their press statement below.



All the best

Asbjørn Wahl



Press statement issued yesterday by the growing Nine Plus Unions. Amandla!





Breaking the Paralysis, Rebuilding the Trade Union Movement “Alter today to
be relevant tomorrow - don’t lock yourselves in perpetual court battles
when workers are crying out for leaders to fight against labour brokers,
low wages and exploitation of the working class” - Sello Selepe interim
President of newly registered DEMAWUSA The National Office Bearers of the
Nine Plus unions acting on the historic mandates they have received, to
work with other unions, to convene a Workers Summit based on the principles
that unions must be independent and militant, met for the first time this
year on the 28 January 2016.



A. We made an analysis of the ongoing and deepening political, economic and
trade union movement crisis in our country and made the following key
points:

1. The government is consciously entrenching a neo liberal approach that is
strengthening the ruling class, and which is increasing levels of
exploitation and poverty.

2. The ruling class nationally and internationally have unlimited access
and pressure points to check Government strategy, while the working class
has been marginalised, and subject to attack.

3. The economy is being systematically deindustrialised, sold off and
opened for unfettered market forces, and more recently to serve as a
subservient conduit for the expansionist policies of external world powers
who all have their own agenda.

4. The Alliance and the government it supports and protects are faced with
an unprecedented credibility crisis and are increasingly dependent on
patronage networks and historical loyalties in order to maintain support
and control.

5. There is a ‘crisis of representation’ in the country with millions
feeling disempowered and marginalised, and the very nature of our system of
representative democracy is being questioned.

6. The State has increasing become an instrument of class oppression
especially in terms of quelling community protest, surveillance and
secrecy, derailing democratic organisations, undermining of existing
democratic processes, and serving as a cover for institutionalised
corruption.

7. Despite the above, government and the ruling party/alliance are aware of
their own fragility, and have been forced to make concessions in the face
of popular mass action of students who have political and agitation power
but limited economic power.

8. The quadruple crisis of unemployment, poverty, inequalities and
corruption continues to deepen whilst at the same time the drive towards a
kleptocractic capitalist order wherein predatory elites will not be held
accountable continues unabated.



B. In our analysis of the state of the trade union movement we have noted
the following:

1. The political and organisational paralysis of the main federation, but
also the impact of a period of ‘pacification’ on those working to break the
paralysis.

2. The fragmentation of the movement generally, the growth of new unions,
and the very limited collective activity that has taken place over the last
period.

3. The extremely limited amount of grass roots organising and education
taking place across the trade union movement, compounded by a worsening
resource crisis.

4. An inability to make common cause with those layers (especially within
the poor communities of the working class) who are actively struggling but
who remain largely uncoordinated and without campaigning resources.

5. The huge numbers of formal (7m) and informal workers (4m if agriculture
and domestic workers are included) who remain almost all unorganised.

6. The parlous state of internal democracy/mandating/constitutional
observance in many unions and the increasing use of victimisations and the
ruthless purging of dissent. The absence of internal democracy has also
allowed certain leaders to loot their unions for personal accumulation.



C. Workers Summit: Radical Re-Think Required : Our Proposals

1. We will call together all of those we have worked with in the Steering
Committee and propose that we discuss and hopefully agree on the need to
convert the Workers Summit into the Founding Meeting of a new Federation,
based on a Minimum Platform.

2. That at the Founding Meeting or Workers Summit, we propose an Interim
Leadership committee will be elected that seeks to be an inclusive and
representative body to put in place infrastructure and plan for the first
policy and elections Congress that should take place on May Day of 2016.

3. That a series of urgent task teams be formed to focus on matters such as
the principles, Constitution/Structure, Finances and Resources, Policy
Development, Education and Campaigns, External Relations etc.

4. Work is however required to allow all unions to sufficiently consult
members and their structures to endorse the new approach. In this regard it
was noted that:

• FAWU had thorough going debate on this issue at the NOB level, will
convene the NEC and hold a congress in April 2016

• SACCAWU will hold its normal congress in September 2016

• SASAWU is convening a NEC and is working towards a congress in April and
or May 2016

• SAFPU will hold its NEC during the month of February

• SAPSU will hold its NEC during the month of February 1. The more direct
conception of the Workers Summit we have agreed must be politically won
with our friends and allies. We want an independent, militant and fighting
workers movement capable of working with other civil society formations to
drive change. A failure to do this will not only make us lose not only the
moment but will be abdication of our revolutionary responsibility to the
working people.



D. Campaigns to break the paralysis and fight for workers interests – Hands
Off Workers Provident Funds!

1. All unions will in writing support the NUMSA Section 77 notice on the
changes to Provident Funds/Pensions issue already submitted at Nedlac and
will do so by the 01 February so that Nedlac constituencies takes this into
account in the Section 77 committee that will consider Section 77 notice on
the 02 February 2016.

2. We call on all workers kick start lunch hour mass general meeting and
factory demonstrations as from the 02 February.  This will ensure that
members gives us a mandate on the programme we are announcing and to ensure
every worker is mobilised in support of our demands 2. In this regard the
first day of national action shall be the 06 February. Gauteng to organise
shop stewards and activists to do a human chain surrounding the Union
Buildings under a slogan “Hands off our provident funds”. All other
provinces should target government institutions.

3. It is important that we recognise that public sector workers will also
be affected by the changes in pension/tax law, not immediately but as part
of a process of the state abrogating its responsibilities to provide a
living pension to all workers.

4. The President of the country has been caught out lying! He claimed that
there was sufficient with the unions even putting a number of meetings that
never happened. We call on the President to withdraw the amendments or face
the wrath of the working people! Instead of telling lies, he must put on
the table for negotiations a comprehensive social security system and a
social wage to deal with the poverty that is ravaging working class
communities.



E. Resist verkrampte bosses attempt to destroy centralised bargaining
structures

1. We note that the Free Market Foundation case in which they seek to
liquidate centralised bargaining will be heard in the High Court on the 28
and 29 February 2016. We call on all workers to stage picket demonstrations
in the High Court during these hearings.

2. We note with concern that the man who signed the Free Market Foundations
affidavits launching this assault on hard won workers gains, Herman Mashaba
who is/was the chairperson of the Free Market Foundation is now the DA
candidate for the Mayorship of Johannesburg.  This underlines the unholy
intersection between the DA as the party of workers class enemies and the
most back ward and conservative anti union bosses who seeks to reverse
every gain workers have made.



F. A new recruitment campaign to reach the 71% unorganised workers 1. A
meeting of the new/smaller unions to help strength them is going to be an
essential activity moving forward, and this will be taking place shortly.

1. A workshop of all organisers to develop a concrete recruitment campaign
to reach out to the 71% unorganised workers shall be convened early in
February. This strategy will include a plan to organise in rural and small
towns. Accordingly we shall announce very soon when we walk into every city
street and rural areas to insist that all employers observe the letter and
spirit of the law on such as issues as casualisation, equal pay for work of
equal value, pay, etc. This will be a high energy campaign.

2. The General Secretaries will convene a meeting of the NOBs in which the
current weaknesses of the unions shall be openly confronted. Without
addressing the current weaknesses and or inability to recruit new members,
service workers and education – weaknesses will be reproduced in the
future. This will herald a conscious break of in the cycle of paralysis.



G. Fight the Labour Brokering System – And outsourcing

1. The campaign will continue to demand a total ban of the labour brokering
system, while at the same time demand that the legal status of all workers
employed by labour brokers for longer than three months be changed to
direct and permanent employment, in line with the amended legislation. This
campaign will be centered on the mass recruitment of workers, in particular
vulnerable workers in the retail, hospitality, security, cleaning, taxi
drivers, farm, domestic worker sectors, etc.

2. The 9 Plus Unions will in their own right, write to the Minister of
Labour demanding a joint monitoring and enforcement process of the
amendments and other laws! This will not be done on a sectarian basis and
all federations will be encouraged to participate in the campaign.

3. To take up the campaign again the phenomenon of outsourcing in both
private and public sector. In this regard we will link up with other
gallant struggles being fought by the alliance of students and workers and
extend this campaign across the length and breadth of our country.



H. Support Community Health Workers – Support the Extended Public Works
Workers!

1. We will link up directly with these workers and through other
progressive civil society formations working with them. We demand that all
of these workers be absorbed into the public sector and their status be
changed to permanent workers.



K. Organize, Fight with and Support Vulnerable Workers, Communities and
Students

1. As part of the 71% unorganized worker recruitment campaign, we will
develop an aggressive organizing program and fight with and support the
struggles of vulnerable workers in call centers, the agriculture and
forestry sectors, restaurants and fast-food outlets, retail and wholesale,
and other sectors where precarious work takes place.

2. In this regard, we wish to salute the 3 000+ Umbhaba banana farm workers
in Hoedspruit, close to Malelane in Mpumalanga, who are on their 11th week
strike action in pursuit of recognition of FAWU as their union of choice.
In the same way we salute other farm workers, such as those of Du Toit
Farms and Ceres Fruit Growers in the Western and Eastern Cape and countless
others pursuing their struggles. That workers have to campaign for
recognition in this day and age is indicative of how far we have regressed.

3. We will organize those workers in retail and wholesale chains as well as
those in fast food outlets and restaurants, especially those family-owned
businesses. We will include those workers in hotels, conference centers and
game farms/theme parks and related or similar sectors.  It is time these
workers were given the protection of the trade union movement.

4. We will continue to show solidarity with all of those communities, that
are campaigning for appropriate and adequate service delivery, and the
right to be heard! We can no longer allow those thousands of communities to
be isolated, ignored, maltreated. We will link arms with all those who are
fighting against the divisiveness of xenophobia and other negative
sentiments, understanding that division undermines our power. In addition
we shall find ways of supporting the student movement who have inspired us
all by their determination and innovative forms of struggle. It is time we
re-learned from our children that mass democratic campaigning  is amongst
the most crucial tools in our struggle tool-box.



L. Revive the campaign against etolls and for a public transport system

1. We will continue to call for civil disobedience against etolls in
Gauteng and join forces against the introduction of the system in Cape Town
and Durban as mooted by SANRAL.

2. We shall revive the Gauteng pickets and drive slows. We shall actively
link the campaign with our historic demand for a safe, reliable, affordable
and accessible public transport system.



M. Fight Youth Wage Subsidy and Two-tier Wage System in Favour of National
Minimum Wages The Freedom Charter adopted by the Congress of the People
committed to a national minimum wage and a forty-hour week. Almost 22 years
into our democracy these demands have not been realized. We will continue
to pursue the demand for a meaningful national minimum wage not a symbolic
gesture that will make no difference to the current levels of poverty and
inequalities.



N. Fight the scourge of corruption including within our unions We will
renew the campaign and call on all shop stewards and members across the
trade union movement to expose corruption wherever it rears its ugly head
including inside the trade unions. We will continue to support the United
Against Corruption Campaign and ensure it has a working class orientation
in recognition of the fact that corruption affects workers and the poor
more than anyone else, and because workers have the potential power to stop
corruption and insist on accountability. The Workers Summit and the
processes beyond this to form a new federation must develop more detailed
strategies to deal with this phenomenon. We now have accumulated excellent
experiences to draw upon to inform this process, and rid the trade union
movement of its own self-destructive forms of corruption.



The Struggle Continues: A New Chapter Unfolds The activities listed above
represent a decisive break with the trade union paralysis that has plagued
the workers movement. We are moving out of the boardrooms and into the
workplaces, and communities where our people are facing the consequences of
a bankrupt economic system, that delivers poverty, inequality and
unemployment.  A system that allows billionaires to flourish while basic
needs, food, water, electricity, decent schools and healthcare are denied
to millions of our people. To deny the depth of the crisis we are in is
part of the problem, and to simply say we have a ‘good story to tell’ is
nothing short of an insult to those who struggle every day to make ends
meet, and provide for their beleaguered families. Enough is Enough!



We have already started to organize across all provinces, and we are deeply
encouraged by the willingness of workers to struggle and campaign if given
the opportunity. Our task is to help strengthen organization on the ground,
give solidarity and support to all of those workers and communities who are
struggling now, and help coordinate and build class consciousness in the
process. We remain more convinced than ever that it is only when workers
and the oppressed of our country unite together in common cause that real
and lasting change can be brought about.

Today we make a call to workers and the poor in every corner of our
country. The time to organize is upon us. Don’t Moan! Organize!



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