Workers come first, SA and ANC after

The unprecedented stance by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) to snub the recent ANC national executive committee (NEC) lekgotla, followed by a call the labour movement made on Monday for Wednesday’s countrywide stayaway, amounted to finally putting worker interests above those of the tripartite alliance, according to a political expert.

Cosatu’s has called for better wages, intervention in the poor state of the economy, an end to widespread corruption, and to retrenchments, as well as taking a stance against gender-based violence.

For the first time in the history of the tripartite alliance, the labour federation on Friday made clear its unhappiness with the ANC-led government, by not attending the NEC lekgotla – a meeting which briefed delegates on the ruling party’s implementation of its conference resolutions.

Nelson Mandela University lecturer in political and conflict studies, Ongama Mtimka, described as “quite significant” Cosatu’s snub of the meeting, saying: “This is the time when Cosatu wants to flex its own power and bargaining position – important in dealing with political challenges.

“While the ANC may cry foul about its political partner not participating in formal processes like the NEC Lekgotla, such mechanisms can sometimes disempower stakeholders.”

With unions piling up pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa to lead the country out of economic stagnation, labour analyst Andrew Levy said labour was “unfair to blame the president for the state of the economy”.

“The question of wage increases and the economic circumstance in which we find ourselves, can neither be blamed on President Ramaphosa nor business,” said Levy.

“Companies are very constrained, fighting to save jobs, with over two million people currently unemployed.

“The gross national product has shrunk by 50% annualised in the last quarter and a large number of people have faced wage cuts. There are huge retrenchments and there will be a lot more coming.”

The world, said Levy, has been in a recession since 2011 and 2012, while the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the situation, making it even more unfair to blame Ramaphosa, said Levy.

While a one-day stayaway strike would not sink “an economy, which is already sunk, it will reinforce the view that overseas investors have about a South Africa grappling with labour relations problems”.

“It will all end at the bargaining table, although employers don’t have the funds to meet the kinds of demands made by unions,” added Levy.

Mtimka, however, disagreed, saying: “It is important to change the narrative, by also asking the question on the consistent impact on worker livelihood, due to the unfair distribution of income.

“Whenever industrial action comes, we always focus on the short-term impact on the economy, forgetting that the very unfair distribution of income has an inconsistent negative impact on the economy. The fact that workers are less likely to afford the same goods and services that they produce, should concern us a lot more than the short-term disruption in economic activity due to industrial action.

“If workers are willing to sacrifice income because of the industrial action, then we should be probing a lot further into the impact of inequality in general.”

Mtimka maintained that inequality could be blamed on “South Africa’s history as an economic system that is based on cheap labour”.

“The fact that workers are getting a meagre share of the national income which has not significantly increased since 1994, is a big issue,” said Mtimka.

“This is notwithstanding an economy that has been on a consistent rise until the global financial crisis.”

brians@citizen.co.za

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