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Thousands of workers are gearing up for a protest against what they are calling the “poverty bill”, which they believe will “leave the workers trapped in poverty, entrench the apartheid wage structure and widen income inequalities even more”.
The national wage bill and various amendments to the labour laws are on the strikers’ agenda, but they believe it’s about more than that.
“This strike is a battle for the survival for workers and their families in South Africa,” is what National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (Numsa) acting national spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said at a press conference in Johannesburg today.
Thousands of workers will be taking to the street in a one day general strike under the guidance of the South African Trade Union Federation (Saftu).
Hlubi-Majola affirmed Numsa’s support towards Saftu’s call for a general worker strike.
“We do so because we view this as a do or die for all workers in South Africa. The changes that this government wants to implement, effectively will take us back to the days of apartheid,” she said.
The protected strike action, under Section 77 of the Labour Relations Act, will be looking at dealing with issues such as the national minimum wage and the fight by Saftu to be included in the National Economic and Development Council (Nedlac).
On April 3 Saftu said that it was angry about a report that said that Nedlac had decided to exclude it as a member on the basis that it had not submitted their audited financials. Saftu argued that it hadn’t built up enough financials as it was a new union, and was formed in April 2017.
Nedlac plays an important role as an organisation that helps to formulate market policy, something that Saftu wants to be a part of.
Saftu President Mack Chabalala said at the press conference today that Wednesday’s strike was a mobilisation of workers “against a ferocious declaration of war by the ruling class of white monopoly capitalists, who are trying to get Parliament to pass new laws which will entrench poverty and threaten workers’ constitutional right to withdraw their labour”.
The union was calling for the proposed national minimum hourly wage of R20 and hour, as per the national minimum wage bill, to be scrapped.
“We utterly reject the argument that this bill should be supported because R20 an hour is ‘better than nothing’,” he said.
Saftu called the minimum wage bill a ‘poverty bill’, and said it would “leave the workers trapped in poverty, entrench the apartheid wage structure and widen income inequalities even more”.
It was also concerned about amendments to the labour laws.
“The amendments will now force unions to navigate even more obstacles before they can go on strike, including strict rules on balloting of members, picket regulations which will prevent strikers engaging with other workers and extending conciliation procedures, even after negotiations have deadlocked,” Chabalala said.
Saftu has appealed to affiliated unions Cosatu, Fedusa and Nactu to join in Wednesday’s strike, as well the Workers’ Day march on May 1.
The nationwide strikes will be taking place across all the major cities in the country, and are set to begin from 10am onwards.
Johannesburg
Assembling at Newtown Precinct Park, protesters will march to the department of labour, the provincial department of health and the premier’s office.
Cape Town
Marchers will assemble at Keizersgracht and march to the City of Cape Town offices and Parliament.
Port Elizabeth
The protest will start at Vusi Dlamini Square and head towards Centenary Hall.
Bloemfontein
Protesters will meet at Batho Hall and march to the labour department.
Polokwane
Assembly point is SABC Park, and protesters will move to the departments of labour and social development.
Durban
Assembling at Botha’s Place and then marchers will move to Durban City Hall, the departments of labour and economic development, and the premier’s and mayor’s offices.
