Strikes for hikes misguided now

These are higher wages in a country where more than two million jobs have been lost as a result of the Covid-19 emergency and the preceding economic implosion.

An elite group of people in a struggling Third-World country – people who have jobs are, by definition, elite – want to bring more chaos and disruption to an already reeling country. And all in the name of salary increases which begin to look obscene when held up against the daily struggles of most workers and the fight for survival of the unemployed.

At Gautrain, for example, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) is demanding a pay hike of 8%, which is toned down considerably from its original 26% claim and counters the 4% offered by company management. It is worth pointing out that most workers forced to take pay cuts or mandatory leave during the lockdown would love to get a 4% increase, which is about the current rate of inflation.

Likewise, truckers and government employees are promising a week of mass action in pursuit of what we believe are selfish demands, given the crisis staring us in the face.

Civil servants’ unions are demanding the government honour a three-year agreement signed in 2018 which guarantees inflation or above increases. They argue the agreement predates Covid-19. But everything predates this once-in-a-lifetime trauma.

Everybody has had to change their attitudes and outlook. So, why should unions be any different? Once again, unionists are showing, through their inflexibility and blinkered vision, that this country is not a great place for investment. And without investment, there will be no jobs growth.

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