COSATU+demands+decent+work+for+all+South+Africans



=COSATU’s protest action against job losses=

Statement 23 June 2005
By far the biggest issue confronting workers today is the catastrophic loss of jobs and intolerably high levels of unemployment. South Africa is continually losing jobs from the productive heart of the economy. Sections of mining and manufacturing have destroyed tens of thousands of jobs and we face the prospects of losing thousands more in the near future.

Virtually since it was founded 20 years ago, COSATU has consistently called on employers and the state to address this crisis. On May 10 1990, we held our first national protest strike against unemployment. Both the 1998 Presidential Jobs Summit and the 2002 Growth and Development Summit reflected massive pressure to deal with the unemployment challenge.

Faced with growing job losses and inadequate employment creation, COSATU and its affiliates last year entered into dispute with employers in mining, clothing and the retail sector, as key actors in job losses, under Section 77 of the Labour Relations Act.

In the months since we submitted notices of dispute, we have engaged extensively at NEDLAC and elsewhere. NEDLAC has declared that a deadlock has emerged. COSATU submitted notices to permit workers to embark on protected rolling mass action, including pickets, demonstrations, and protest strikes. The first protest strike will be on Monday June 27, when protest marches will be held in all the major cities.

The unemployment rate is 40% if we count all those who want paid work, and close to 30%, using the narrower definition that counts as unemployed only workers actively seeking work. Moreover, economic growth remains relatively slow compared to other middle-income countries. In these circumstances, South Africans cannot afford to lose jobs or economic capacity. Instead, we need urgent action to address the threat to these industries.

With this campaign, COSATU demands decent work for all South Africans.

Amongst others our demands are:


 * Strong measures to end the overvaluation of the rand, especially through a reduction in the real interest rate, which is still higher than it was in the early 1990s or the 1980s. The high rand has led to a flood of imports and undermined the profitability of the mining industry. In real terms, imports rose 25% between 2002 and the last quarter of 2004, while the volume of exports increased only 5%. The Alliance commitment to a competitive exchange rate has already helped, but must be taken forward more vigorously and consistently.
 * Business must make much more serious efforts to avoid job losses. Retrenchment and closure should be the last step taken, since they destroy economic capabilities as well as worsening poverty and inequality.
 * Mining companies must do more to develop South African industry, rather than focusing on foreign mining opportunities.
 * Retailers must stock 75% local goods, cutting back on imports.
 * Government at all levels should strongly pursue local procurement policies.
 * Government must do more to assist businesses to avoid job losses and to help workers confronted by retrenchment. We appreciate the prioritisation of employment creation in government policy documents; now we must see more consistent action to put that commitment into action.
 * Government must review its trade strategy to ensure that it stops destroying jobs. The WTO provides for special safeguard measures to protect industries under threat from Chinese imports. These measures must be applied urgently to save the clothing industry. Government must itself initiate safeguard measures to protect vulnerable industries, or as a minimum allow unions to apply for them, rather than business alone.
 * The Jobs and Poverty Campaign supports additional demands from affiliates that relate to employment and workers’ conditions. In particular, COSATU demands:
 * Local authorities immediately stop privatisation of basic services, which often leads to job losses as well as reduced and more expensive essential services for the poor.
 * SEIFSA must immediately desist from insisting that NUMSA agree up-front to exclude SMMEs from agreements reached in the current round of wage negotiations. NUMSA protest actions on this issue, originally planned for June 7 will now form part of mass marches in urban centres on June 27.
 * Employers have sidestepped labour rights through casualisation and subcontracting, which let the actual employer avoid legal obligations. COSATU demands amendments to the LRA that compel the workplace employer to negotiate with subcontracted workers on any measures that could cause them to lose jobs, and ensure that temporary workers have the same rights and benefits as permanent workers.
 * COSATU demands an end to racial practices that remain prevalent in many workplaces.

For the past few weeks, COSATU leaders have been travelling around the country, mobilising our members. We are ready for action and we call on the unemployed, other trade union federations, NGOs and civil society organisations to join our protest against unemployment and intensify their mobilisation to make sure that every worker is out on the streets on Monday. We are confident that the overwhelming majority of our people will support the demands we are making.

Details of the programme of action are being distributed separately.

Congress of South African Trade Unions 1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets Braamfontein, 2017
 * Paul Noyhawa (Spokesperson)

P.O.Box 1019 Johannesburg, 2000 South Africa

Cell: 082 491 1591 Tel: +27 11 339-4911/24 Fax: +27 11 339-5080/6940 E-Mail: paul@cosatu.org.za**