Saftu starts roadshow against public service wage deal

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) says they will be setting up a task team to embark on a roadshow to fully explain relevant issues around labour legislation to workers.

Saftu secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi said Saftu wholeheartedly rejects the public service wage agreement signed by both union federation Cosatu and the National Professional Teacher’s Organisation of SA on Friday, and because they did not represent the majority of workers, going on a strike to reject the “sweetheart” deal would not produce the desired results.

He said instead, Saftu would be setting up a task team and embarking on a roadshow from today to explain this to workers affiliated to their federation.

He said if Saftu was able to “tilt the balance of forces” and gain more workers in the next few months, they would immediately embark on a strike to “reverse” the agreement currently signed by the majority.

Vavi said: “As long as Cosatu has the majority in the public service, the workers will always be at the mercy of an untenable relationship with their own employer.

“The only way we can liberate workers in the public service is if they reject this enslaving relationship with the government that is implementing neoliberal programmes and strong austerity measures.”

He added the ruling political party and President Cyril Ramaphosa are only concerned about the rich to the detriment of the poor and working class.

Saftu also took the opportunity to urge South Africans to “wake up” from their belief that the ANC could ever serve the interest of the “downtrodden” in society.

Vavi said Saftu does not have confidence in Ramaphosa’s Thuma Mina campaign or the “new dawn”, as it really means “an assault on living standards” where the poor will be “savaged and attacked” until they become poorer while the rich become richer.

“The ANC and Cyril Ramaphosa unfortunately have been serving the interests of the property class, the bourgeoisie class, of the land owners of the rich, and that’s why the poor only know more poverty, more inequalities, and more unemployment in particular of its youth… the problem is that workers are now handcuffed and expected to fight back,” said Vavi.

– jenniffero@citizen.co.za

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