COSATU+Daily+Labour+News




 * COSATU Daily Labour News, 28th June 2005**

CONTENTS

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 * 1) Cosatu says two million heeded strike call
 * 2) Gold mines paralysed by Cosatu strike
 * 3) Factories grind to a halt as workers demand more jobs
 * 4) Durban at a standstill as strikers protest job losses, strong rand
 * 5) Singing marchers slam Garden Route municipalities during one-day national strike
 * 6) Mafikeng Shoprite Checkers reports 90% stay away
 * 7) Premier promises jobs summit
 * 8) 'We're retrenched every day by the capitalists'
 * 9) Thousands of workers strike against job losses
 * 10) Strike affects key SA industries

1. Mail & Guardian, 28 June

=Cosatu says two million heeded strike call=

More than two million workers supported Monday's stayaway in protest against job losses, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) asserted.

It said this was a clear signal to government and employers that more should be done to create jobs and stop retrenchments.

"Well over two million workers supported the strike, with at least half a million participating in more than 20 marches countrywide," the union federation said in a statement.

Cosatu said the large support confirmed that unemployment and job losses are workers' biggest concerns, and highlighted the power of organised labour.

Various civil society organisations, including the SA Communist Party, the Communist Youth League, the ANC Youth League and the trade union Solidarity supported the strike against job losses.

The SA Chamber of Business (Sacob) said only 10% of workers took part in the strike, costing the South Africa economy an estimated R500-million.

Cosatu retorted that Sacob had tried to diminish the strike's impact both to deny the strength of workers' organisations and sway public opinion.

Employers' organisations assessments of worker participation in the strike were based on "ideological stances and anecdotes" rather than accurate surveys, Cosatu added.

The mass action affected car manufacturers, the mining, retail and clothing sectors.

A total of 86% of clothing and textile workers supported the strike, the Clothing and Textile Workers' Union said.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/&articleid=243936

2. Business Report, 28 June

=Gold mines paralysed by Cosatu strike= By Nicky Smith and Mokgadi Pela

Johannesburg - Cosatu's nationwide strike kept up to 80 percent of gold miners away from work yesterday while other sectors faltered as tens of thousands of workers took to the streets in protest against job losses and unemployment.

Frans Barker, the senior executive at the Chamber of Mines, said coal was the second most badly affected mining sector with 70 percent of its workforce absent. On the platinum and diamonds mines, there was an average turnout of 50 percent.

Barker said it was virtually impossible to guess how much of South Africa's daily mineral exports of R400 million was affected or whether the production could be made up.

"With such a high stayaway figure, it's virtually impossible to make it up," Barker said. AngloGold Ashanti spokesperson Steve Lenahan said all of its South African mines had shut down.

"None of our 27 000 employees are at work today," Lenahan said yesterday. AngloGold planned to meet with the unions to discuss ways to make up for the lost production.

AngloGold produces about 350kg of gold a day and at yesterday's gold price the day's production had a value of about R33 million.

John Bredenham, the chief executive of South Deep, said "disappointingly" only a few employees had arrived at work.

"Today was just a bloody waste of time and a nuisance," he said, adding that there would be no opportunity to make up the lost production.

Gold Fields had a mixed turnout, according to spokesperson Willie Jacobsz. Production losses totalled about 150kg of gold for the day, he said.

Barker said the relatively heavy participation in the sector was not surprising since workers might also be sending a message on wage talks.

Cosatu's biggest affiliates, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA, said between 50 percent and 100 percent of workers across the country stayed away.

Moferefere Lekorotsoane, the NUM's communication chief, said: "It almost looked like a NUM march with our banners and posters dominating the city centre."

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union said 90 percent of its members joined the strike. Over 40 000 members have lost their jobs since January 2003.

The SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union said over 60 percent of members stayed away.

Cosatu said its action had sent a message to the government and business that they should do more to create jobs, support local industry and buy more South African and less foreign goods.

"We cannot say the economy is booming when we have unemployment at around 40 percent," said Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven.

"We want a completely different mind-set from business - saving jobs instead of cutting them for short-term commercial gain."

The government said the strike would not force a change in policy.

Pick 'n Pay Stores said 61 percent of its workers heeded the strike call.

Shoprite said less than 45 percent and Woolworths said about 5 percent of its staff had stayed away.

Martin Dealle of Edgars Consolidated Stores said about 6.5 percent of its staff did not arrive for work.

The SA Chamber of Business said many workers had ignored the strike. Only four of 25 businesses canvassed by the chamber reported that more than half their staff were absent, said Johan Zietsman, the chamber's head of labour policy.

Cosatu is planning further protests, including provincial walkouts culminating in another half-day national strike on September 19.

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=&fArticleId=2602421

3. The Herald, 28 June =Factories grind to a halt as strikers demand more jobs= By Derrick Spies THE Eastern Cape’s industrial sector, with emphasis on the automotive industry, was severely hit by yesterday’s Cosatu strike. Several factories were brought to a standstill as workers stayed away in protest against job losses in the mining and manufacturing sectors. But the retail and service sectors reported only minor absenteeism. Alfred da Costa, chief executive officer of the Port Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Percci) said early indications were that the industrial sector had been the most seriously affected. Nationally, the SA Chamber of Business (Sacob) said about ten per cent of workers took part in the strike, which cost the South African economy an estimated R500-million. Snap surveys by Percci yesterday revealed absenteeism figures of between ten and 80 per cent. Among the hardest hit were Bridgestone Firestone in Port Elizabeth, which was closed yesterday, and Daimler Chrysler in East London – which, although it had a 70 per cent attendance for the morning shift and 80 per cent for the second shift, did not have enough employees to begin production. Da Costa said the building industry saw an average absenteeism rate of 15 per cent. “I do not think that the strike will advance Cosatu’s cause for job creation. If anything, I think it will have an adverse effect,” said Da Costa. “One of the key points of job creation is to attract investors. I feel that this latest strike will act as a deterrent, creating the impression of an unpredictable labour force, which does not auger well for service delivery and profitability,” Da Costa said. Daimler Chrysler spokesman Madelaine van Wyk said that although employee attendance was good at the plant, suppliers had been badly disrupted and this contributed to the lack of production. Volkswagen SA spokesman Bill Stephens said that at the beginning of the first shift, which began at 6am, the absenteeism rate was “quite high” but he refused to give any figures. GMSA communications manager, Denise van Huyssteen, said that while the company was disappointed it was not able to maintain normal operations yesterday, it had managed to continue with limited production and training. “More than 50 per cent of our workforce were in attendance yesterday. Early indications are that this would have been much better had it not been for transport difficulties, which were experienced by employees,” Van Huyssteen said. Continental closed early yesterday, after running a single shift instead of the usual three. “We were able to run a morning shift as 35 per cent of our employees belong to Solidarity, who did not take part in the strike,” said human resources general manager Attie Higgs. Goodyear’s general manager of human resources, Marius Fourie, said they had also experienced significant absenteeism. A survey by the Border Kei Chamber of Commerce revealed most companies experienced an absenteeism of between 30 and 80 per cent, with the manufacturing sector hardest hit. The Nelson Mandela Metro said it would only be able to comment on the strike today, once the absentee figures had been studied. The one-day strike was called by Cosatu against unemployment and the strong rand, as well as the recent dramatic job losses in the mining and manufacturing sectors. http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/2005/06/28/news/n01_28062005.htm

4. The Witness, 28 June


 * Durban at a standstill as strikers protest job losses, strong rand**

By Duma Pewa, Sarah De Jager, Mokgadi Seabi, Noloyiso Mchunu and Sapa

Tens of thousands of workers protested against unemployment and poverty around South Africa on Tuesday in a nationwide strike that business says was poorly attended and unnecessary.

Durban was brought to a virtual standstill by a big march and Pietermaritzburg was also affected.

The marchers protested against retrenchments and the strong rand, which has been cutting exporter earnings and causing job losses.

"We strike because we are tired. We are retrenched every day by the capitalists. They put profits before us," Congress of SA Trade Unions president Willie Madisha said to loud applause at a march in Johannesburg.

The SA Chamber of Business (Sacob) said only 10% of workers took part in the strike, which cost the economy an estimated R500 million.

"Judging from the response of a survey on Sacob's members this morning, the strike does not appear to have been well supported," said Johan Zietsman, a labour specialist at Sacob.

Between six and seven million people are employed in South Africa.

"I don't see how this strike solves the unemployment situation in South Africa. Job growth happens by stimulating business conditions. The strike has made the situation even worse," Zietsman said.

But Cosatu said the strike was highly successful, claiming a 70% success rate in the Western Cape, particularly hard hit by the crisis in the textile industry.

In Pietermaritzburg, marchers handed a meomorandum to representatives of the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business and the Labour Department, demading that retailers reduce imports and make sure that their stock is 75% local goods.

"Political transformation has not been matched by substantial transformation of economic power," said the memorandum.

No crucial public services appear to have been affected by the strike in Pietermaritzburg.

In Durban, business was temporarily brought to a standstill in West Street as about 5 000 people marched.

Handing over a memorandum to eThekwini Municipality deputy mayor Logie Naidoo, Cosatu's first national deputy president, Joe Nkosi, appealed to local government structures to speed up service delivery as promised by the government and stop privatisation.

"Do not sell our cities and don't sell us water and electricity. Where is the free water you promised?" Nkosi said.

Also handed over was a memorandum specifically addressing the demands of the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa, which is demanding an eight percent wage increase.

The Steel and Engineering Industry Federation of South Africa is offering five percent.

The protest, the second of a series that started last month and will run until next year, was described by Dlamini as a success.

Dlamini said that failing a positive response from the government, they will embark on a stay-away.

He said they want the government to stop playing referee and start intervening on behalf of the workers.

Another appeal went to members of the public to stop buying imported goods and support the workers by buying South African products.

noloyiso@witness.co.za

http://www.witness.co.za/content/2005_06/35036.htm

5. The Herald, 28 June

=Singing marchers slam Garden Route municipalities during one-day national strike= By Phindile Chauke Garden Route Reporter GARDEN Route branches of Cosatu yesterday demanded that the government create jobs and monitor casual employment, which it claimed had become another form of worker exploitation by companies. Southern Cape Cosatu members joined the mass action strike countrywide, taking the opportunity to highlight what they described as the exploitation of workers on the Garden Route through casual employment conditions. In Johannesburg, Cosatu president Willie Madisha said profit was being put before people. “We strike because we are tired. We are retrenched every day by the capitalists. They put profits before us,” he said. In Knysna, hundreds of Cosatu members, singing struggle songs marched to the Knysna municipal offices to hand over a petition to municipal manager David Daniels. Retail outlets along the Garden Route appeared unaffected by the stayaway but absenteeism among municipal workers was significant. Nationally, the SA Chamber of Business said only 10 per cent of workers took part in the strike, which cost the South African economy an estimated R500-million. Cosatu’s George co-ordinator, Richard Mguzulwa, said the biggest concern in the area was job losses. He said the renovation of the Eden Municipality’s offices had also called into question the municipality’s support for local business. “They (Eden Municipality) decided to renovate the municipal offices at a cost of more than R2-million and imported furniture from Indonesia. That is not acceptable – it was an unnecessary expense because they are there to create jobs for the communities. They could have created jobs with a million of that money and supported local businesses,” Mguzulwa said. “We will see after the next municipal elections if those people will be in those renovated offices,” he said. Hundreds of members of the Knysna Cosatu branch marched to the Knysna municipal offices to hand a petition to municipal manager David Daniels. Cosatu said it was giving the municipality a seven-day deadline to meet its “urgent” demands in a bid to save jobs and fight poverty in the Garden Route town. In the petition handed to Daniels, Cosatu members demanded that attention be given to unemployment, privatisation of municipal work and the provision of basic services. The petition also alleged mismanagement of resources and finances, together with claims of maladministration by the Knysna Municipality. Cosatu claimed that 40 per cent of the people in Knysna who were supposed to be working were without jobs, while those employed were on casual contracts and had been dismissed when they asked for a bonus. The unions also demanded that the municipality provide transport for municipal workers. Cosatu representative Velile Waxa said: “We expect a response on all of the demands within seven days of the receipt of this document (by the municipality), after which we will request the provincial and national government to intervene.” In Johannesburg, Madisha demanded that the government find a way to devalue the strong rand. The one-day strike was called by Cosatu against unemployment, the strong rand and job losses. http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/2005/06/28/news/n13_28062005.htm

6. SABC, 27 June

=Mafikeng Shoprite Checkers reports 90% stay away=

The Mafikeng Shoprite Checkers has reported a 90%t stay-away by its workforce. The workers attended a rally as part of the call by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) to strike against job losses.

Most retailers have reported a normal turn-up, though most workers reported late for work due to lack of public transport. In Rustenburg, more than 7 000 workers dispersed peacefully after handing over a memorandum of demands to the local municipality offices.

In the Eastern Cape, businesses in the Border-Kei region reported a stay away of between 30 and 90%. Stephanie Jeffrey, Border-Kei Chamber of Business spokesperson, says three businesses had a full complement of workers and only a few had to close for the day.

At enterprises where production was not possible, workers were occupied with maintenance tasks. In the Nelson Mandela Metropole many workers also heeded the strike call.

Alfred de Costa, the Port Elizabeth Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO, says stay-away figures in the industrial sector varied from 10 to 80%. In many cases production had to be scaled down.

http://www.sabcnews.co.za/economy/labour/0,2172,107265,00.html

7. Daily Dispatch, 28 June

=Premier promises jobs summit= BHISHO - Premier Nosimo Balindlela yesterday bucked her personal security system when she moved into the heart of the 7000-strong Cosatu protest march to accept a memorandum from the organisation's provincial secretary, Xola Pakhati. Balindlela flew back to her office by helicopter from Sterkspruit yesterday afternoon, landing shortly before the arrival of a clearly emotional crowd singing the praises of sacked former deputy president Jacob Zuma. Marchers carried placards urging the government to address Cosatu's concerns with growing unemployment, the government's inability to create jobs, and the need for poverty alleviation. Balindlela listened attentively as demands for the government and the private sector to address job losses, job-creation and the urgency of a tripartite job summit, involving government, business and labour, were articulated. Clearly against the advice of her security detail, the premier acknowledged calls from the crowd for her to join them. The word went out: "Make a way for Mama ... let her through", and a path was opened for her to move into the middle of the crowd where she joined the Cosatu leadership and Border-Kei Chamber of Business CEO Les Holbrook. Balindlela acknowledged Cosatu's efforts at convening a job summit. "The fault lies not with Cosatu; Xola Pakhati has been to see us here in Bhisho often on this issue. "The fault lies with us ... with government," she said, adding that a job summit would now be placed on her priority list. Holbrook, representing formal business, committed the Chamber to working with government and labour to promote job creation and investment. Unemployment was a national problem needing to be addressed realistically by all role players. Yesterday's march was one of Cosatu's four nationwide protest actions in support of its national one-day stayaway. Addressing the crowd at the Victoria Grounds in King William's Town, National Union of Mineworkers general-secretary Gwede Mantashe said: "This march is about recommitting ourselves to the Freedom Charter ideals." If the government wanted to create jobs it had to be bold and develop a clear industrial policy around this, he said. "There must be a clear approach for every sector of the community in every province. The state must be able to direct investment and credit with more incentives put in place for labour intensive sectors. "Such incentives must be linked to actual job-creation." He said the government must appreciate that strong unions were partners for delivering jobs and poverty alleviation. "The government has put in place policies that have made capital the biggest beneficiaries. Workers have no protection from ill-considered retrenchments (and) liquidations. They are victims all the way." Metalworkers' union Numsa joined the Bhisho march. Provincial secretary Irvin Jim said about 30000 members stayed away from work yesterday. The union organised buses from Port Elizabeth, East London, Butterworth and Queenstown to the Bhisho march. In East London, most Numsa members work at DaimlerChrysler and small engineering companies who supply parts to big companies in the motor industry like Lear and Becker Automotive, all based in the West Bank. Numsa spokesman Dumisa Ntuli said 60000 people had lost jobs since 2004 in the metal industry nationwide. "What we cannot do is ... wait until we are hit as hard as the mining and textile industry. "Employers have an ... agenda to make profit ... while workers lose out. We have to fight that," said Jim. http://www.dispatch.co.za/2005/06/28/Easterncape/aalead.html

8. Mail & Guardian, 28 June

='We're retrenched every day by the capitalists'=

Thousands of workers protested against unemployment and poverty around South Africa on Monday in a nationwide strike that business says was poorly attended and unnecessary.

From Cape Town to Johannesburg to Ulundi, workers marched against retrenchments and the strong rand, which has been cutting the exporter earnings and causing job losses.

"We strike because we are tired. We are retrenched every day by the capitalists. They put profits before us," Congress of SA Trade Unions president Willie Madisha said to loud applause at a march in Johannesburg.

Madisha attacked the strong rand and demanded that the government find a way to devalue it.

"The rand is too strong and because of its strength we have a problem. This thing of the rand must be looked into. It must be devalued," he said.

Since the rand's recovery from a dramatic downward plunge in 2001, its current relative strength has been blamed repeatedly for job losses, particularly in the export and mining sectors.

The SA Chamber of Business (Sacob) said only 10% of workers took part in the strike, which cost the South Africa economy an estimated R500-million.

"Judging from the response of a survey on Sacob's members this morning, the strike does not appear to have been well supported," said Johan Zietsman, a labour specialist at Sacob.

"We have estimated that about 10% of employed people would participate. This would result in loss of R500-million to the economy."

Between six and seven million people are employed in South Africa.

Zietsman said despite Cosatu's intentions, the strike had not done much to ease the unemployment problem.

"I don't see how this strike solves the unemployment situation in South Africa. Job growth happens by stimulating business conditions. The strike has made the situation even worse," he said.

But Cosatu said the strike was highly successful.

"The Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban marches are already numbering tens of thousands and there are several hundred (marches) in smaller towns," the federation said in a statement on Monday afternoon.

"One notable example is the first ever Cosatu march in Ulundi. Other marches are underway in Witbank, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg, Mafikeng..."

Costau said the Volkswagen and Mercedes plants in the Eastern Cape had stopped production because of the strike.

Telkom's office in the North West province had closed, 80% of Metcash workers had not turned up for work and Highveld Steel in Witbank had closed, Cosatu said.

Garbage had not been collected in many areas.

In Johannesburg Cosatu members brought traffic to a standstill before handing a memorandum containing their concerns over job losses to the Chamber of Mines.

A large group of workers then marched to the Gauteng legislature to hand over another memoranda.

In Cape Town tens of thousands of strikers marched to the gates of Parliament to hand over a memorandum protest against job losses.

They also handed over memoranda in the city centre to retailers' representatives, demanding that they cut back on imports of cheap clothing from China.

The number of strikers, who marched carrying a forest of banners and a black cardboard coffin saying, "Bosses get richer/ the boys get poorer", was estimated by the police at 27 000 but unionists put the figure at twice that.

Cosatu's Western Cape general secretary Tony Ehrenreich said the turnout was "symptomatic of people's deep concern with the effect that government's policies are having on their lives".

"There's 60 000 people who came on the march and there is an overwhelming majority of people that supported the strike call," he said.

A Cosatu survey had shown 70% support for the stayaway in the Western Cape.

The SA Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) said in a statement released at midday that preliminary indications were that about 86% of the 185 000 workers in the clothing, textile and leather industries nationally had supported the stayaway.

Sactwu regional secretary Aziza Kannemeyer said the clothing and textile industries were the biggest employers in Cape Town, and were shedding jobs at the rate of a thousand a month.

Western Cape provincial secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, Karl Cloete told the crowd that this year alone 5 000 workers had been retrenched in the steel and engineering industries.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=243914&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/

9. UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 27 June

=Thousands of workers strike against job losses= Thousands of South African workers demonstrated against job losses and poverty in a countrywide one-day strike called by trade unions on Monday. "We are here to protest the thousands of jobs lost and the slow decline in the core of our economy; we are here to demand a development strategy to ensure that growth in the economy benefits all our people, creating jobs and overcoming poverty on a massive scale," said Zwelinzima Vavi, general secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in a speech in Johannesburg. According to Vavi, "Two out of five workers cannot find paid jobs - twice as many as ten years ago. Most of the unemployed are young people who have never had a job since leaving school." One in four South Africans in the formal sector and two-thirds of the workers engaged in informal, domestic and agricultural work still earn less than US $150 a month, he added. Describing the strike action as a success, COSATU spokesman Paul Notyhawa claimed that almost the entire mining sector had been affected, while 86 percent of the workforce in the textile and clothing manufacturing sector had stayed away. However, South African Chamber of Business spokesman Johan Zietsman said that the strike had affected only 10 percent of workers across the country, and noted that numbers varying between 11 to 80 percent of the workforce in the mining, clothing and textile and steel industries had stayed away. Quoting local police, the South African Press Agency said at least 20,000 to 30,000 workers participated in demonstrations held in the cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg. The department of labour puts the national official unemployment average at 30.5 percent or 4.8 million people, but independent researchers have disputed the department's definition of 'unemployed', with some saying the general level of unemployment has reached 40 percent. Analysts blame the current strength of the rand against the dollar as one of the main reasons for mass retrenchments, particularly in gold mining: in the last decade the number of people employed has dropped from around 530,000 to just 187,000. COSATU announced that, starting next week, it intends organising pickets and lunch-hour demonstrations in every province until August. //[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]// http://allafrica.com/stories/200506270532.html

10. BBC, 27 June

=Strike affects key SA industries=

Tens of thousands of workers have demonstrated in South Africa's main cities in a nationwide strike over unemployment and poverty. Overall support was patchy, with mines and the textile industry most affected. Jobs in these sectors have been lost through the strengthening of the South African currency, and by cheap clothing imports from China. The main demonstrations were in Johannesburg, and in Cape Town, where strikers took a petition to parliament. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), which called the strike, claimed an overwhelming response to the strike, but the Chamber of Business said only 10% of workers were striking. 'Joblessness and despair' Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi told demonstrators in Johannesburg ...

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