Cosatu marches to shed light on ‘injustice’

Members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in Limpopo marched to the Office of the Premier, Anglo Platinum Provincial Head Quarters and Shoprite yesterday (Wednesday) to demand, among others, that President Jacob Zuma step down, labour brokers be banned, privatisation of renewable energy and the closure of coal mines .
At Shoprite they demanded that the slavery conditions employees are reportedly subjected to must come to end. “We demand that 24 working hours for casual staff must stop. Shop­rite must provide transport for employees after the 19:00 knock off. The word ‘meneer’ must be abolished at Shoprite and schedules of 45 hours for permanent staff must stop,” Cosatu Provincial Secretary, Gerald Twala.
Twala said the move to renewable energy has not resulted in a just transition for the working class and the poor. “It has only resulted in a jobs blood bath, particularly in the mining communities following Eskom’s decision to close the five power stations. Cosatu rejects the privatisation of renewable energy through the signing of Independent Power Producer (IPP) contracts. Renewable energy is expensive for the poor and the workers, Government must stop the privatisation of Eskom, by halting the signing of IPP contracts.”
He said they maintained the position that labour broking was modern day slavery. “ One of the reasons of having a Department of Labour is precisely to link job seekers with prospective employers without a fee and violation of workers’ labour rights, we therefore demand, the total banning of labour broking and the total scrapping of outsourcing,” Twala concluded.
Cosatu yesterday effected countrywide mass action approved by the National Economic Development and Labour Council in August.

Story: Herbert Rachuene
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