Cosatu plans to bring economy to a halt in nationwide strike

Trade union federation Cosatu has urged workers across all sectors and ordinary South Africans to join a national strike against worsening living conditions in the country.

Cosatu, which is a key labour ally of the African National Congress (ANC), says its members are ready to take to the streets on Wednesday against the rising costs of fuel and food and the continuous power cuts.

The union has outlined its plans to bring the economy to a standstill in a bid to get government to acknowledge the socio-economic crisis facing millions of South Africans.

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The federation said the only way to make the government act against the unaffordable cost of living is to bring the economy to a halt.

General secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said yesterday the strike will take form of a “stayaway” and a legally protected strike, with workers urged to join on the day countrywide.

“Currently, half the country lives in poverty, with many families forced to live without adequate food, and many of them cannot find jobs. Workers are dealing with wage stagnation with their wages repealed by inflation and punishing debt.”

“Drastic steps need to be taken to avoid an economic collapse that is threatening the lives of millions of workers and the poor,” said Ntshalintshali.

However, the mass protest may not bode well for the economy.

last week, political analyst Andre Duvenhage told The Citizen, the economy was in crisis and embarking on these types of strikes would destabilise the country even more.

“Can’t they see the implication of this? This is absolutely irresponsible, with political motives behind it.”

Duvenhage said if the ANC failed to act on the requests of the unions, it would confirm the perception and reality that the ANC cannot govern the country.

Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi the nationwide protest was not a joint strike with the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), as they had their own programme.

Saftu indicated it would also take part in a national shutdown against similar issues on the same day.

Additional reporting by Lunga Simelane

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