South African Union News
PHANTSI NGECAPITALISM! PHAMBILI
NGOMZABALAZO WABASABENSI!
THE WORKERS SOLUTION IS
REVOLUTIONARY TRADE UNIONISM!
COSATU on the move
10,000 workers joined a Congress of South African
Trade Unions rally in Johannesburg on March 25. COSATU demands
included double payment for Sunday work, six months maternity leave,
of which at least four months should be paid, and the introduction of
a 40 hour work week. Speakers also called for regulations of shift
work, affirmative action and training.
This march was part of COSATU's rolling campaign to defend and
advance minimum labour standards. The ANC-led government has refused
to include these demands in the Employment Standards Bill, while
bosses' are calling for "labour market flexibility" (the erosion or
removal of regulations covering work conditions).
If these demands are not met, the campaign will continue and
culminate in a general strike on May 12.
We should all support these demands. We must make sure no backroom
deals are made between union leaders and the bosses and rulers. Let
us not be fooled by the ANC speakers who always come to these marches
and give speeches claiming to support the workers demands- the only
way forward is mass struggle, and workers unity.
Finally, it is important to fight the influence of anti-socialist
ideas in COSATU. We must also resist the growing power of
conservative paid full-time leaders like Shilowa in COSATU- make sure
that workers run their own unions.
New union federation formed
On April 1, a new mass trade union federation will be launched:
the Federation of Unions of South Africa. This is the result of a
merger of Federation of South African Labour Unions (FEDSAL) and the
Federation of Organisation's Representing Civil Employees. FEDUSA
will have 515,000 members, making it the second largest federation in
South Africa. This is almost twice as many members as NACTU (the
National Council of Trade Unions). FEDUSA's base will probably be
among White collar and civil service workers. If FEDSAL was anything
to go by, most, of these workers will be White.
FEDUSA states that it is committed to democracy, non-racialism and
independence from political parties. It aims to build upon the close
co-operation that FEDSAL established with COSATU and NACTU in recent
years.
The establishment of a new federation committing many White
workers to progressive policies must be welcomed. It indicates that
growing numbers of White workers are moving to an acceptance of class
struggle and non-racial workers unity.
At the same time, we are obliged to state that any attempts by
White workers to achieve gains at the expense of their Black
counterparts, or to preserve past privileges, will be both futile and
reactionary- they will certainly destroy the COSATU-NACTU-FEDSAL
co-operation that has developed.
Instead, the way forward is to unite all unions into one
super-federation based on one-union-one-industry that will be capable
of destroying this rotten capitalist system for once and for all. The
workers solution is a trade union-led revolution.
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