COSATU+Weekly+General+Strike+Special+17+May+2006



=COSATU Weekly=


 * The weekly newsletter for COSATU members and the public**

=General Strike special edition - 18 May 2006=

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

=Support the general strike!=


 * The special edition of COSATU Weekly serves as a last-minute appeal to all COSATU members to stop work tomorrow and join the nationwide marches.** **Unemployment is a national scandal. Two out of every five people who want to work cannot do so. As a result tens of thousands of workers and their families are forced to survive in abysmal poverty. Workers who could be making a valuable contribution to the country are condemned to frustration and poverty.**

We shall be calling tomorrow on government and employers to treat the shocking levels of unemployment and poverty as a national emergency. We want to see far more of the country’s growing wealth being ploughed into job creation projects, training programmes and the provision of basic services. We shall be demanding more protection for industries like clothing and textiles which face obliteration in the face of unfair competition from China.

COSATU and its affiliates have unreservedly condemned acts of violence in yesterday’s march in Cape Town, whether committed by participants or by the police, some of whom appear to be trigger-happy. All tomorrow’s marches will, in the best traditions of COSATU, be peaceful, law-abiding and disciplined.
 * Cape Town march**

COSATU rejects the argument of the City of Cape Town Metro that the unfortunate events of yesterday justify their application for a court interdict to prevent the march in the city. Our leadership in the Western Cape has however evaluated the unfortunate happenings of yesterday and the concerns of the public and decided not to proceed with the Cape Town march, as a step to avoid exposing COSATU members to the trigger-happy elements in the police and agents provocateurs who may infiltrate the march.


 * This must not however be confused with the general strike itself, which is legal and everyone participating will be protected. We shall continue with the general strike and call upon all our members in Cape Town to stay away from work for the day.**


 * Below are statements sent out by affiliates, for which we thank them:**



=SACCAWU=

SACCAWU Members and workers within the Retail Industry will be embarking in strike action in the form of pickets, marches and demonstrations in major cities and/or centres within the Gauteng, North West, and Limpopo Provinces. The strike, to take place on 18 May 2006, is part of the COSATU rolling mass action against unemployment, poor quality jobs and the ever-escalating poverty within communities of the majority of the population.

Whilst we are made to believe that the economy is growing in leaps and bounds, and employers are in the process raking in gigantic profits year after year, same has dismally failed to translate into retention of jobs as well as creation of quality jobs. Shareholders, Directors, Chief Executives and members of top management are raking in millions of rands and smiling all the way to the bank when it is demanded of workers to smile at the meagre salaries they earn. The millions earned by the above elite few have been amassed by the toiling workers through their sweat, blood and tears. Those not fortunate enough have shed their lives in the name of ensuring growth and prosperity of the companies that employ them!

Big companies continue to grow and crop up all over like weed. Some employers have resolved to embark on extended trading hours, with scant regard for the safety of workers, to an extent that workers continuously risk being mugged, raped and even killed by thugs when they knock off at night as a result of such extended trading. Companies like Woolworth have opted to engage in a very conservative and outdated apartheid-style union bashing and, in which some tendencies like derecognition of the Union becomes central to their agenda.

Unfortunately, the majority of those on the receiving end of this venomous exploitation and harsh working conditions are women and the youth. Workers cannot afford to allow this sick situation to continue unabated and have taken a stance to fight this capitalistic monster to ensure that there is jobs security, more quality jobs are created and the poverty eradication also becomes the responsibility of those trading within South Africa. Employers have benefited for far too long and have had it nice at the expense of workers.

We therefore call upon workers to unite in action against the threat to existing jobs and insulting casual work and join the SACCAWU and COSATU as well as all other progressive formations in order push for the following demands:
 * 1) Employers within the Retail Sector must do away with casual jobs and all other derogatory non-fulltime jobs and convert all non-fulltime workers to fulltime permanent jobs.
 * 2) Commit themselves to Retail Sector Jobs Summit as well as the Centralised Bargaining wherein they will negotiate at the same bargaining forum.
 * 3) Eradicate the use of labour sourced from labour brokers and other employment agencies.
 * 4) Provide safe and reliable transport for late trading and well as compensate workers for being on duty for the so-called late trading.
 * 5) Close the apartheid wage gap.
 * 6) End racism and discrimination.


 * JOIN us on 18 May 2006 to highlight issues raised by workers, for you have nothing to lose but your chains of slavery and super exploitation.**



=CEPPWAWU=

The Chemical Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union (CEPPWAWU) supports the Jobs and Poverty Campaign of Cosatu, and as part of the Federation; we therefore make the following call to all our members and their families:
 * 1) To heed to the call by Cosatu for a Nation wide strike on the 18th May 2006
 * 2) The unemployment level in our country is reaching crisis levels and this is an enormous factor which directly contributes to poverty.
 * 3) The W.T.O. negotiations in Geneva and the demands placed on the developing countries on NAMA and services, if agreed will completely wipe out our manufacturing industry in our country and the rest of the developing world.
 * 4) We must as CEPPWAWU members together with our families support the action on the 18th May 2006 and beyond, and continue the struggle to defend our jobs.
 * 5) We further call on all our members to continue the fight against racism, casualisation and job losses at all workplaces by exposing those employers that are continuously exploiting workers in the above manner.
 * We will defend any member that will be disciplined as a result of supporting the strike on the 18th May. The strike is legal and protected!!! AMANDLA !!!!



=NEHAWU=


 * Statement in support of the COSATU jobs and poverty strike action**

NEHAWU’s National Campaigns Committee met this morning to, amongst others, receive reports from provinces on their state of readiness for the Jobs and Poverty campaign strike action on 18 May 2006 and determine how the Nehawu Service Delivery campaign will unfold.

In support of the Cosatu Jobs and Poverty Campaign, the campaigns committee reiterates the fact that for Nehawu, the Jobs and Poverty Campaign serves as part of the 1st phase of the Service Delivery Campaign.

In this regard, Nehawu members will form part of the marches on the 18th, with the purpose of highlighting those issues that our Public Service Delivery Summit held at the end of April identified as impediments to service delivery.

These issues are, among others:


 * 1) under-funding of the public sector
 * 2) staff shortages in the public service
 * 3) poor conditions of service for public servants
 * 4) outsourcing of so called non-core services in the public sector
 * 5) corruption in the public service

Accordingly, as our members join the marches on the 18th, they will do so to demand:


 * 1) increased funding for public services
 * 2) increased employment in the public sector
 * 3) improvement of the conditions of service for public servants
 * 4) that public services be kept in the hands of the public
 * 5) that certain management functions be decentralised for greater efficiency in the public service
 * 6) that there be more investment in improving the skills of public servants to improve on service delivery and better career- pathing for public servants

NEHAWU is fairly satisfied that sufficient mobilisation was done on the ground by most of our provinces to ensure that members join the strike action in their numbers.

Those of our members who are in essential services and may not join the strike action will wear their stickers, which show their support for the Jobs and Poverty Campaign and for the strike action.

We call on all Nehawu members to join the strike action on the 18th. The clarion call for all our members is;” …**for our public service!**

=DENOSA=

=Support the general strike!=

In the wake of intense effects of globalization, manifesting itself through rapid growth in casualisation of health care workers and particularly nurses, we are unwaveringly and unapologetically calling on all our members to go out in big numbers on the 18th May 2006 and join workers in the fight against poverty and joblessness.

We note that our designation as ‘essential service providers’ strips us of our fundamental ‘right to strike’ as stipulated in the Labour Relation Act No 66 of 1995. What angers us most is the failure of the employer to come to the table and sign a Minimum Service Agreement. The effects of joblessness and poverty have a direct impact on us as nurses and that automatically spills over to the community. With poor and jobless community, a lot of diseases tend to come up and that puts a lot of pressure on nurses, therefore our participation in the general strike hopes for improved conditions in the community so as to curb these diseases.



=SACTWU=

=Support buy local campaign!=

Over the past three years, more than 62 000 clothing, textile and footwear jobs have been lost as a result mainly of imports from China.

Today the largest union in fashion manufacturing called on its 110 000 members to support the call for a national strike on Thursday 18 May 2006.

“We call on the public to show solidarity with some of the lowest paid workers in manufacturing who will demonstrate against job losses on Thursday,” said Mr Ebrahim Patel, General Secretary of the SA Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU). The union proposed that consumers examine the labels on garments and shoes before buying same to check the country of origin and bring to the attention of retailers their concern at the huge quantities of imports.

“Fashion and design are glamorous but the reality of unemployment and low wages is the very opposite. Workers eke out a living on less than R100 a day in many parts of the country and yet jobs continue to be lost through the increasing tendency of retailers to import,” said Mr Patel.

He drew attention to the surge of clothing imports which increased by 480% since January 2003. South Africa’s trade deficit with China has grown to unsustainable levels over this period.

“COSATU tabled a request to retailers to commit to buying 75% of their goods from local manufacturers but the large retailers have all refused to make this commitment. Clothing retailer profits are at historic highs and employment in clothing manufacturing is at a historic low. Unfortunately, the sourcing practices of the retailers are at the heart of the job losses of workers in manufacturing,” he said.

“We expect many thousands of workers to withdraw their labour as a symbolic action to draw attention to their plight. Workers will take part in marches and demonstrations in all the major cities and will deliver memoranda to large retail houses,” Mr Patel said.

The union expects large industrial areas to empty when workers clock out on Thursday in support of the strike.

The union has held factory level demonstrations in Cape Town, Joburg, Durban, Bloemfontein, QwaQwa, Kimberley, Isithebe, Worcester, Atlantis, Newcastle, Pietermaritzburg and Ladysmith during last week and member support for a symbolic action is strong.

All COSATU affiliates are expected to come out in support of clothing, textile and footwear job losses as part of the COSATU Jobs and Poverty Campaign.
 * NUMSA**


 * East Cape metalworkers’ strike is to hit centres of scandalous retrenchments**

Major auto assembly and component manufacturing companies in the Eastern Cape are the latest targets of metalworkers’ biggest strike on Thursday (18 May) over “reprehensible tactics” used by most companies to retrench workers and outsource operations.

The country’s largest metalworkers’ union – the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) - is preparing to square up with Daimler Chrysler South Africa and leather seat manufacturer Johnson Controls SA, among others, in protest against alleged retrenchments threats of 320 workers and plans to relocate both companies to Germany and North America, respectively.

This week’s general strike is in support of COSATU’s jobs and poverty campaign, with one- day work stayaway, marches and picket demonstrations by manufacturing sector unions, public sector and mining, construction and private services unions aligned to COSATU.

“What infuriated metalworkers is the way Daimler Chrysler and BMW forced Johnson Controls to cede its export certificate and they themselves took over the shipping of the leather seats to North America and Germany in the name of Johnson Controls in order to cream off profits through Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP) benefits provided by government,” NUMSA Eastern Cape regional secretary Irvin Jim said yesterday.

Now that Daimler Chrysler and Johnson Controls took a decision, Jim fumed “to consider pulling out of the country in consultation with their mother plants, did this without any consideration for the implication of their decision to destruction of job opportunities as their cost reduction strategy leaves us in the lurch.”

Volkswagen in Uitenhage, General Motors in Port Elizabeth and Straunways’ Ford Engine plant were among major companies to be worst affected by the strike action to also demand secured jobs lost through restructuring.

Jim also warned that NUMSA was more than prepared to intensify the strike in a bid to put pressure to bear on original export manufacturing companies (OEMs) to stop dictating to component sector suppliers and forces them to employ casual workers in order to ensure drastic manufacturing cost reduction.


 * Kwazulu employers’ inequities will not go unpunished**

Fresh from last week’s countrywide mass demonstrations, KwaZulu-Natal metal and engineering employers are now braced for a major disruptive strike on Thursday by metalworkers over job shedding and alleged racism.

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) in KwaZulu-Natal has singled out Mittal in Newcastle, Bell Equipment in Richards Bay and Daimler Chrysler warehouse in Pinetown, among others, as rallying centres of protest action to demand an end to reported racial practices by management, ill-treatment and sacking of union shop stewards.

And, as the final phase of COSATU’s job and poverty campaign reach its climax on Thursday this week with national strike and planned marches in Johannesburg, Pretoria Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, metalworkers in the KwaZulu region will flex their muscle to restore its dwindling membership in companies which retrenched workers through corporate restructuring strategies.

Petrus Ngcobo, KwaZulu-Natal NUMSA regional secretary yesterday decried the dismissal and suspension of the union’s local chairpersons and full- time shop stewards in Bell equipment and Mittal.

“It’s the most abominable racial practices in Bell Equipment which resulted shop stewards being dismissed because of a petition and the local chairperson to be suspended when they complained on behalf of workers that white racist supervisors who forced our members to clock out when they respond to natural calls in toilets should be disciplined,” he said.

Ngcobo also expressed concern at the five-year old ongoing restructuring at Mittal in Newcastle. The union has lost hundreds of worker and leaders in the plant as a result of the plan.

“Our union shop stewards and local chairpersons have been forced to take attractive retrenchment packages and were re-employed in the same positions as casual workers, with no benefits and were also forced to surrender union leadership roles and even memberships rights,” he said.

The union is also chagrined at the proposed removal of Daimler warehouse in Pinetown which has been outsourced to a logistics company in Johannesburg. This resulted in many workers being forced to take re-employment from the outsourcing company as contract workers and more than 220 workers facing inconveniencing transfer to Johannesburg in August, 2006.

Next Thursday’s strike was preceded by a build up action with lunch-hour protest demonstrations throughout the country to demand government intervention in ending job losses by COSATU’s 22 affiliates.


 * W** **Cape metalworker’s stayaway targets racist employers**

Firms in the steel, metal and engineering sector in the Western Cape face a “high wire act” as conflicts over workplace racial practices were expected to intensify during COSATU one-day general strike on Thursday.

The National Union of Metalworkers Union of South Africa (NUMSA) said yesterday it targeted 500 companies where it is organized, to ensure members rallied in front of the worst racist companies to demand that racism end in the workplace.

“We have identified problems in our companies and the nature of the problem in most cases is that it affected all race groups of our societies and as we develop an anti-racism campaign we should start dealing with the demon in the workplace,” Western Cape NUMSA regional secretary Karl Cloete said.

NUMSA Western Cape region will take a lead in the national general strike on Thursday (May 18) in support of the COSATU jobs and poverty campaign aimed at highlighting massive job destruction and continued retrenchments in most manufacturing sectors.

The campaign which started last week will culminate on a one day work stayaway with marches and picket demonstrations by manufacturing sector unions, public service, and mining and private services unions in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria and Port Elizabeth.

NUMSA also planned to selectively focus on industrial protest marches in the Cape Town Business Industry zones and in the remotest areas to demand the removal of labour brokers and an end to job casualisation.

The union will also target those companies which ignored health and safety practices in the workplace as assembly points for protest action.



=SADTU=

=//Teachers prepare for jobs and poverty strike//=

SADTU, as part of COSATU, will be participating fully in the one-day strike called by the Federation for Thursday May 18th. The strike is part of the ongoing COSATU campaign to highlight the continuing jobs bloodbath and resulting mass poverty. Four out of ten workers are unemployed. This places a huge burden on those who remain in employment to support – on average - 8 dependents.

In preparation for the strike, SADTU has been holding nationwide Teacher Forums – mass meetings of teachers and teacher leaders at regional level – to conscientise the membership about the objectives of the Jobs and Poverty Campaign.

As SADTU we will be striking in solidarity with our fellow workers – both employed and unemployed. As educators located in the public service we have also developed a set of demands which address the problems in the education sector.

We take the view that total employment in the education sector and conditions of education workers are closely bound up with the wider struggles for educational and social transformation.

Our goal – drawn from the pages of the Freedom Charter – is the achievement of “free and equal quality public education”. To achieve this goal – amongst other things – we need adequate staffing levels and well-trained and motivated educators; summed up in the slogan of a recent World Teachers Day as: “quality teachers for quality education.”

To ensure quality education is delivered equally to all we have to address and redress the gross inequalities inherited from the apartheid dispensation. This has massive implications for staffing levels and distribution. In furtherance of these goals, we demand the following:

1. An end to the scandal of temporary status for tens of thousands of teachers many of whom have been employed for years on a temporary basis with no benefits (pension, housing allowance, medical aid) or job security. This is sapping the morale of educators. [In 2005 there were almost 50,000 temporary teachers on the books.]

2. Adequate support staff levels for all schools, including clerical and administrative, cleaning, security and ground staff. Whilst the former model C schools are able to use their user fee income to finance support staff, many schools in poor communities have little or no support staff. The results include: educators devoting time to clerical work instead of teaching; learners cleaning premises (it has been calculated that in some schools, learners spend up to 5 hours a week on these non-educational duties); and a general lack of security or sports grounds. It is vital to develop a staffing formula to ensure all of South Africa’s 26,000 schools have support staff.

3. Adequate provision for substitute teachers. This has become urgent given the impact of the HIV/Aids pandemic. The ELRC-HSRC study published last year indicates that prevalence can often be concentrated in particular districts and that the virus leads to higher absenteeism. In these circumstances adequate provision for substitute teachers is essential.

4. A fundamental review of the current Post Provisioning Model which distributes the available teaching staff across schools in an inequitable way and fails to meet the need for redress. The PPM was developed to recognise and reward curriculum diversity – favouring well-resourced schools. Resources – including personnel need to be redistributed in order for poor schools to be able to develop a broader curriculum offering.

The new outcomes based curriculum is premised on smaller class sizes to allow for more preparation time, more intense interaction with learners and time-consuming continuous assessment. The PPM and present class sizes do not take account of this.

Personnel expenditure accounts for over 80% of the education budget – but the redress element within the PPM is a minimal 5%. This means that wealthy schools with massive income from fees receive basically the same number of teachers from the state as poor schools of similar size. The well-resourced school can then also use its fee income to employ additional educators and support staff. Not only is this inequitable and unequal, it also further skews resources in favour of those who already have the best conditions.

5. Early Childhood Development/Grade R – the majority of our children still do not have access to pre-school and Grade R. Research indicates that pre-schooling provides a basis for subsequent success in the education system. The present situation means that the majority of children are already at a disadvantage before they even enter Grade 1. The ECD sector needs to be expanded to ensure equal education for all.

6. Adult Basic Education and Training – with millions of illiterate and functionally illiterate adults (estimates vary wildly) it is essential to expand ABET provision not only to redress the deprivations of the past, but to assist skills development and to empower all our citizens to take a full part in the society.

7. Inclusive Education (ELSEN) – the needs of learners with special needs have taken a back seat. Resources and personnel are needed to ready our schools to become truly inclusive of all learners.

8. A national strategy and plan for teacher training and professional development. This is essential to address past inequalities, to develop relevant skills and to ensure the delivery of quality education.

All the areas listed above require more and better trained personnel. In meeting these needs we start to address issues of unemployment and job creation – whilst at the same time we improve access to, and the quality of, education.

//SADTU is the largest union in the public service representing nearly two-thirds of teachers with a membership of 230,000////.//