Saftu hosts feedback rally in Polokwane
The newly formed South African Federation of Trade Unions' rally was held last Saturday.
POLOKWANE – The union was launched in April this year following the ousting of the National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa (Numsa) from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in 2014 and Swelinzima Vavi expulsion from Cosatu in 2015.
Saftu comprises disgruntled leaders from Numsa, the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu), the SA Liberated Public Sector Workers Union (Salipswu), South African Policing Union (Sapu), and the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (Nupsaw).
Saftu’s 24 unions represent around 700 000 members, with the bulk coming from Numsa and at the time of the launch in April some 16 other unions also attended the function.
Saftu President, Mack Tshabalala, from Numsa as well as Andrew Chirwa and Fawu’s Katishi Masemola were among the speakers in Polokwane. The provincial feedback rally comes after the labour federation’s national congress at which Zwelinzima Vavi was elected as the general secretary.
Saftu sees their task as to respond to the desperate plight of millions of workers and the poor and overwhelmingly black women and men who are struggling from day to day just to keep their families alive and healthy, who live on nothing but poverty wages or pathetic social grants, or in many case just the generosity of family and friends to keep them alive.
Saftu Spokesperson, Patrick Craven, said unemployment in the country is already at one of the highest levels in the world and thousands more jobs are now under threat. “A growing number of the remaining jobs are insecure and low-paid, as outsourcing, casualisation and exploitation by labour brokers continue unabated. An army of vulnerable and powerless workers is growing as many employers try to destroy collective bargaining and drive down wages to the lowest level which desperate workers are prepared to accept,” he said
Issues such as inequality, also in the provision of services, education, healthcare, housing, racism and transport were discussed, as well as the looting of public resources by the president and the Gupta family were discussed.
The fragmentation and weakening of the union movement was also discussed. “Altogether 76% of formal workers are not organised in any union, many of them in the most vulnerable sectors – those employed by labour brokers, and part-time or casual workers who have no permanent employer or workplace.
These are the workers in greatest need of a strong trade union,” Craven said. “Existing federations which ought to be their champions have caved in to the employers and government with their acceptance of a minimum wage which is below the poverty line and their willingness to agree to legal measures to sabotage workers’ hard-fought-for and constitutional right to strike.The once mighty Cosatu has become an appendage of the ruling ANC and is embroiled in its bitter factional fights.”
He said Saftu has resolved to prioritise the millions of workers who are unorganised or members of unions which do nothing for them. “We shall also target the most marginalized and lowest paid workers but also the unemployed and small traders.”
