Brace yourself Boksburg: Saftu strike aims to make country ‘ungovernable’ tomorrow
Government approved the national minimum wage of R20 per hour (or R3 500 a month) in November and it is to be implemented on May 1, but the proposal has hit a snag with the Department of Labour stating it could be delayed by a month or two.
The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) is aiming to bring the country to a standstill tomorrow (April 25) with a planned strike over the national minimum wage of R20 per hour.
Saftu is also protesting the labour law amendments, including those on industrial action.
The planned strike stems from Saftu marching to parliament on April 12 to hand over a memorandum of demands.
They say the response to this was not favourable and didn’t address their concerns, which is why they now plan to make the country “ungovernable”.
At a press conference in Johannesburg yesterday (April 23), Saftu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said the affiliates of Saftu and its allies will take the streets to protest against “the biggest attacks on working-class people, the trade unions and the poor majority of South Africans since the end of apartheid”.
He told the media South Africa is the most unequal country in the world, in which 10 per cent of the population earns more than 50 per cent of household incomes while 20 per cent earn less than 1.5 per cent.
“Yet these grossly overpaid tycoons, together with their new champion in the Union Buildings, multi-billionaire President Cyril Ramaphosa, want workers and their families to survive on just R20 an hour, something they would never dream of accepting for themselves,” said Vavi.
He said the amended labour laws, which are currently before the parliamentary portfolio committee, will now force unions to navigate even more obstacles before they can go on strike, including strict rules on balloting of members, picket regulations which will prevent strikers engaging with other workers and extending conciliation procedures, even after negotiations have deadlocked.
Saftu spokesperson Patrick Craven said all employees, regardless of whether they are non-unionised, are encouraged to join the strike under the ‘no work, no pay’ principle.
It is reported according to unaudited figures, Saftu has 800 000 members, the largest affiliate being the National Union of Metalworkers (Numsa) with about 300 000 members.
Saftu members and supporters are expected to take to the streets in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Polokwane, Durban and East London.
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