TRADE union leaders behind the formation of an alternative federation say they will formally launch the new structure on 1st May this year after provincial workers summit meetings across the country.
Former Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) senior leader, Zwelinzima Vavi, is spearheading the formation of the federation and yesterday briefed the media alongside leaders of breakaway unions and other Cosatu affiliates.
The move to establish the workers movement follows Vavi and National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa)’s expulsion from Cosatu in 2014. Vavi said their federation will mark a new day for South African workers.
‘Workers are crying out for an independent, fighting organisation that works with the civil society that has ties with other trade unions fighting the same course all over the world.’
The recruitment drive for a new workers’ federation began in earnest last Tuesday when Vavi shared details in East London. The new federation would take cue from strategies of mass campaigns formulated by students for the #FeesMustFall protests and the protests against outsourcing of services at universities.
‘Forget about the law. The students did not apply for anything.‘Why can’t we create the same havoc … not chaos but mass campaigns to get workers liberated,’ said Vavi.
Vavi circulated a document spelling out what would be done, amongst 200 workers who were previously members of some of Cosatu affiliates, at a meeting organised by the South African Public Servants Union (Sapsu).
The latter is led by Thobile Ntola, who was expelled from the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu). The meeting – held at the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) offices in the city centre last Tuesday – was a precursor to a provincial summit to be held next month.
The new federation, which has been touted to be independent and worker-centred, will rival Cosatu and is set to be launched in May this year. It will also target unions that were affiliated with Cosatu. These included the National Education, Health and Allied Worker’s Union and Sadtu.
The federation, said Vavi, would also include members from civil society groups and non-aligned unions. There were talks underway with some non-government organisations and other independent unions which had shown interest, he said. Present at the meeting were former members from the Sadtu provincial executive committee, Numsa, Food and Allied Workers Union, South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union, and National Union of Careworkers of South Africa.
Vavi told the gathering that a programme of action had been set up and members would be required to use similar tactics that were employed by Cosatu and Sadtu to build the federation.
‘The recruitment campaign will be a matter of life and death. ‘If we are to start toy-toyiing here on Oxford, we’ll go door-to-door in these shops, ask questions like who is employed here, where they come from, but we are not promoting xenophobia.
‘We want to ensure that (outsiders) are here legally,’ he said.
Other questions would be whether employees were casuals or permanently employed to ensure that the law – that states that workers should only remain as casuals for up to three months and thereafter be made permanent – was applied.
Vavi said members would want to about know those who were unionised in the workplace, so they could exercise their right. ”We will clear garages,’ he said, adding that union members will also target security guards at hospitals. Temporary teachers would also be targeted.
He said students had been successful in their campaigns and had delivered where unions had failed – rendering the unions irrelevant and in need of reform. Students are taking up battles that were left unattended by unions and scoring major success,’ he said.
• Meanwhile, a new tax law set to go into effect next month has been met by fierce opposition. Various unions supporting the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) formed a human chain at the Union Buildings today in protest against the new tax reforms that prohibit workers from cashing in all their pension funds when they retire and only give them access to a third of their money.
Leading the protest former Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has slammed the government for its decision to introduce new tax laws. He also slammed President Jacob Zuma and his Cabinet for allowing the laws to go ahead.
‘How dare does he thinks he can now be a father to workers, take our wages, keep it for himself and give it to us as if we are now part of the lot that are in the social grant system.’
The progressive nine unions say they are not willing to negotiate with the government about the new pension reform laws and they will continue to demonstrate in coming weeks to make their mark. Various representatives from the progressive nine unions have one message: ‘That it must be scrapped, nothing else must be debated.
‘It’s a bit late for the government now to say after the time they’ve said there was consultation, now they say let’s consult. They say it’s too late to negotiate and reject the presidency’s announcement made this week-that Minister Jeff Radebe will mediate a resolutions between Cosatu and the National Treasury.
Vavi said: ‘When the president himself is facing 783 charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering, how dare does he think he can now be a father to workers.’ Various unions there include Numsa and the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) among others.
President of Fawu Atwell Nazo said: ‘What we believe is that that act must be scrapped and there’s nothing else that can be debated beyond that.’ Nazo says this is the start of a series of demonstrations opposing the new laws. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) presented its application to Nedlac to embark on a strike against reforms affecting employees’ choice of provident fund and whether to take their benefits on retirement or use it for an annuity.
The union said in a statement on Friday that it ‘is totally opposed’ to the government’s decision to implement the reforms contained in Taxation Laws Amendment Act. The compulsory annuitisation on retirement is to come into effect on March 1st.
‘For thousands of workers the prospect of retirement and old age are bleak‚ especially against the background of increasing rates of poverty‚ rising indebtedness‚ inequality and unemployment‚’ the union said.
‘Most workers leave employment with a pittance‚ so that at retirement they are left with a provident fund that is far too low to cover their needs‚ because workers’ wages are not only insufficient but also not increasing in real terms in line with inflation.
‘Workers are invariably forced to make withdrawals from their provident funds in order to subsist through unemployment. This is especially so given the absence of viable alternatives through a universal social security net and a basic income grant.’
Numsa added that many people didn’t qualify for either a private or an ‘insufficient’ state old age pension. Although the new rules limit annuity requirements to more than R247,500‚ fund accumulation ‘way in excess of multiples of that amount’ were needed to give a monthly income on which people could live.
‘Retired workers who have contributed to society with their tax payments will effectively be subsidising the role of government by not becoming excessively reliant on the state for social assistance‚’ Numsa said. ‘This gives a windfall gain to finance capital‚ with reduced reserve requirements to meet the demands for lump sum withdrawals‚ enabling the generation of higher profits whilst passing on the risks to workers.’
Numsa has demanded that employees have the right to withdraw their full provident fund benefit upon retirement and a social security system that includes a state old age pension of at least R6 000; the implementation of the National Health Insurance scheme; a basic income grant of R1,000 per adult; an extension of the UIF to cover all registered unemployed people; and child benefit grant.
‘Compulsory annuitisation laws will only serve to further entrench the poverty pit for the majority of workers both post- and pre-retirement‚’ the union said.
