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COSATU Strike and Protest March
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Striking members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) march through the Durban city centre March 7, 2012. Tens of thousands of South Africans staged a one-day national strike on Wednesday, hitting mining production, as the biggest labour group in the continent's largest economy flexed its muscles to remind the ruling African National Congress (ANC) of its political clout. The immediate targets of the strike are new road tolls around Johannesburg, and short-term contract labour agencies that COSATU says exploit workers and perpetuate the inequalities of the white-minority apartheid rule that ended in 1994.
Considering the nature of the protest march one would expect some angry faces and rebellious behaviour, but the crowd was actually very friendly and well behaved. At the protest even a number of white people were supporting the strike and wearing the cosatu t-shirts. Although Labour brokers will remain a contentious issue between Cosatu and the government until they are abolished, Cosatu president S'dumo Dlamini said on Wednesday. “We will never understand the regulation of labour brokers, we want a total ban,” he said at the Congress of SA Trade Unions' protest in Durban against labour brokers and e-tolling. He said Cosatu had discussed the issue of labour brokers with the government. If its demand they be banned was not met, another march would be held in August.
Dlamini said the state and Cosatu were still in agreement on a number of issues and that the ANC-led government retained Cosatu's backing. Once the marchers had gathered at the Durban City hall, Dlamini said Cosatu had decided not to comment on the African National Congress disciplinary processes involving the ANC Youth League. “We are not commenting because we respect the ANC’s internal disciplinary processes. We will not want the ANC to disrespect our own internal disciplinary processes.”
If we can try to dig more about this strike, The protest action by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Wednesday was beyond the narrow issues of labour brokering and the e-tolling system -- it was more about class struggle, its general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi told thousands of marchers in Johannesburg
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| COSATU Protesters from above looked like a Sea of red |
This strike caused a lot of chaos in the country in such a way that learners and workers could not go to their preferred fields. It is painful to see citizens of the country stucked all the time because of the strike. if the government could give workers what they need all the time such things would not happen in the country. The strike will also take place in August if the government does not deliver its promises. Do you think the government will deliver before the August strike?
http://www.timeslive.co.za/ilive/2012/03/08/the-politics-of-a-cosatu-led-strike-ilive
well done to the COSATU members for being friendly and well behaved marchers,it is a lesson to others who might be planning for a march that they shoul march peacefully and it was thoughtfull of COSATU to foward the complain about the e-toll on the roads between johannesburg and pretoria, if the government planned it as a business then its a good money making business that will punish the poor.
ReplyDeleteSometimes Government proceeds to implement policies and major projects without having considered the poor in mind. The implementation of e-tolling systems will have an impact on majority of South Africans who are fully dependent on Government aid for survival.
ReplyDeleteEven though taxis are exempted, trucks which deliver essential goods such as food are not exempted and as a result food and petrol pricing will sky rocket owing to tolling fees.
Subsequently, the poor will be forced to pay more with the little money they have.
It is imperative that the poor will be affected by the tolling system. I fully support the strike by Cosatu and also commend their behaviour during the march.
I am not adamant that Government will implement significant change in its e-tolling system, and also abolish the usage of labour broker as anticipated by Cosatu. However considering that the ANC will be meeting later this year to discuss policies there is a possibility that these two issues will be discussed thoroughly.
Congrats for such stimulating debate.
We should acknowledge that the government is implementing this e-tolls not to suffer their people but to better their country.I understand that it will look unfair to the disadvantaged as they think that the government is doing this for their own interests.We African people we want everything to just happen for free forgeting that it will make our government to collapse.
ReplyDeletethanks for the comment khensani, i also support the Cosatu for what they did.
ReplyDeleteAt Wisani i really appretiate your comment and for understanding the reason why Cosatu strikes, the problem with the government is that they do not care for their workers or the poor all they care about is themselves and the tenders forgetting that at the end of the day those people also need to be paid and pay their debts.
ReplyDeleteat Angy so what do the government do with the poor?
ReplyDelete