Strike is not against ANC, says Cosatu

The Congress of South African Trade Union’s (Cosatu) planned national strike this Wednesday is not against the ANC and the tripartite alliance, the trade union federation’s first deputy president Mike Shingange said.

Speaking after a briefing on Monday morning regarding this week’s national strike by Cosatu members in support of public sector workers who were promised a wage hike this year, among other changes to working conditions.

Shingange referred to the drive by alliance partners to agree with the ANC on a reconfiguration of the alliance as a separate political issue.

The 1.6 million-member federation said the government betrayed the working class and the poor with policies which protect powerful private entities.

Talks on the reconfiguration began in 2017 and were aimed at mapping out a better balance of power among its members. The alliance, consisting of the ANC, the South African Communist Party and Cosatu has yet to conclude this process.

“The work that is being done to reconfigure the alliance is an ongoing programme as far as the alliance is concerned. We have made some good progress for now but that is a political process of the three independent political organisations,” said Shingange.

“But here we are talking about social issues that affect the economy. The fact that our members are losing jobs and that it seems only the private sector has the solutions to push against the economic downfall and deal with unemployment. When you look at the issue of collective bargaining, in areas such as the mining industry, and even some public sector entities it seems they are assaulting collective bargaining. ”

Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said acts of sustained civil disobedience were paramount at this time.

“… Because sitting down and doing nothing will mean that we accept the death sentence that is handed to us by the political and business power structure that is mismanaging the economy and attacking workers’ rights,” he said.

Shingange said the strike would also be joining the call for solutions and action on gender-based violence in the country.

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