THE Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) said on Friday that it joins millions of South Africans in honouring the 65th anniversary and the 91 protesters who were callously gunned down by the apartheid regime in Sharpeville on this day in 1960.
COSATU said: ‘As we commemorate Human Rights Day, COSATU urges South Africans not to take the freedoms we enjoy today for granted.
‘We must never forget the price that our forebears paid in blood, sweat and tears in the fight against apartheid.
‘A 5,000-strong unarmed crowd gathered in front of the police station that fateful morning to protest pass laws before police opened fire.
‘Yet the fight for freedom is far from over. There is still a massive fight to wage as only 24 per cent of land is in black, Indian and coloured hands.
‘We must fight against the deliberately misleading narrative that the introduction of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) has resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs; when in reality the NMW has lifted 6 million farm, domestic, security, construction and hospitality workers out of poverty.
‘The struggle now is to ensure that all employers comply with NMW Act and pay their employees no less than R28.79 per hour.
‘South Africans must oppose the court cases against the National Health Insurance from various quarters and stand firm in support of universal healthcare coverage.
‘The status quo of two health systems in one country, where the poor are excluded from accessing adequate healthcare, while the rich are treated to hotel-like services at private hospitals must not be allowed to continue.
‘As a nation, we must join hands against the scourge of gender-based violence and protect women, children, and vulnerable persons.
‘COSATU has expressed support for the Sexual Offenders’ Register to be made publicly available to guard against known predators being placed in positions where they prey on the vulnerable.
‘Sexual harassment at the workplace must not be tolerated.
‘Most critically, we need to ensure we have an economy that provides decent permanent work for all and a state that is capacitated to provide public services the working class and economy depend upon, as these are the foundations for our human rights ethos but also that better life for all.
‘COSATU calls on South Africans not to be complacent, to remain vigilant and ready to defend this hard-won democracy that our forebears sacrificed their lives for.
‘We must not allow our history to be rewritten. We must never forget.’
- The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) last Thursday condemned the decision by South African Reserve Bank (SARB) not to cut the interest rates in the country.
SAFTU stated: ‘SAFTU outright rejects and condemns the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) decision to leave interest rates unchanged.
‘This decision, while expected from an institution that serves the interests of finance capital, is an act of economic sabotage against workers, the poor, and the unemployed.
‘In the name of fighting inflation, the SARB continues to weaponise monetary policy against the working class in the interest of bankers.
‘It continues ignore SAFTU’s call that monetary policy must be used to drive the re-industrialisation of the economy instead of the profiteering interests of the financiers.
‘The SARB and its MPC boast about keeping inflation within their self-imposed target, yet they completely ignore the broader economic devastation unfolding before our eyes.
‘Their obsession with inflation targeting – a policy imposed by neoliberal orthodoxy – has no place in a country still reeling from the deep developmental backlogs of apartheid colonialism.
‘South Africa is not a developed European economy; it is a nation with massive inequalities, mass unemployment, a stagnant economy, and collapsing public infrastructure.
‘High interest rates administered by the SARB robs working class households of disposable income.
‘The SARB attributes low growth to amongst other things suppressed demand.
‘High interest rates necessarily lead to suppressed consumer demand as household incomes that would otherwise be spent in the economy are now allocated to debt servicing costs.
‘This then registers as high profit rates recorded by the banking sector, as has been the case since late 2022, when the SARB started ramping up interest rates under what it called policy normalisation following Covid-19 lockdown.
‘Instead of taking decisive action to alleviate the economic suffering of workers and the middle class, the SARB has chosen to maintain suffocatingly high interest rates that only serve the banks and financial speculators.
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- Workers and middle-class families are drowning in debt, with increasing repossessions of homes and vehicles as they struggle to meet loan repayments.
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- The public and private sectors are not investing, leaving industrial capacity idle and preventing economic recovery.
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- Food prices, electricity costs, and general living expenses are skyrocketing, yet wages remain stagnant, and unemployment is at historic highs.
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- Public services are deteriorating due to austerity, while corporations hoard profits and banks exploit the crisis to make record earnings through high interest rates.
‘SAFTU demands an immediate reduction of interest rates to make credit more affordable for working-class households and businesses.
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- An end to inflation targeting as the central policy of the SARB, replacing it with a development-focused monetary policy that prioritises employment, industrial growth, and social justice.
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- A halt to electricity price increases, which are driving up the cost of living and destroying small businesses.
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- Urgent state intervention in the economy, including large-scale public investment in industries that can create jobs and drive economic transformation.
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- Debt relief for struggling workers and middle class households facing home and vehicle repossessions.
‘SAFTU will not stand by while the Reserve Bank and the government crush the working class with failed neoliberal policies. We will mobilise workers, the unemployed, and progressive forces to fight against austerity.
‘The time for economic transformation is now! Down with inflation targeting! Down with anti-worker monetary policies! Forward to a workers’ economy that prioritises people over
profits!’
Meanwhile, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is fighting to save jobs after Petra Diamond Mine issued notices to retrench 468 workers at Finsch and Cullinan mines.
Petra Diamond attributes the market downturn to global conditions, and the rise of lab-grown diamonds as some of the reasons for the job cuts.
The NUM said: ‘The NUM believes these justifications are pretexts to sacrifice workers and shield executives from accountability for operational failures.
‘A counterproposal submitted by the NUM, designed to save the company six million rand and stop job cuts, was summarily rejected by Petra Mine management.
‘The NUM took Petra Diamonds to the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration(CCMA) as part of its challenge to the sackings.
‘Other diamond mining companies that are cutting jobs include De Beers, which has given notice to 308 workers at Venetia Mine.
‘Further, the union is calling for urgent social dialogue that will include the Minerals Council of South Africa, diamond mining companies, the government and labour to address the crisis facing the country’s diamond industry.’
Mpho Phakedi, NUM acting general secretary said: ‘Diamond mining companies must always prioritise workers interests when faced with market volatility instead of rushing to sack workers.
‘Dialogue with the unions is necessary to deal with challenges facing diamond mining.’
- The ANC led coalition government has acknowledged the issues raised by the metalworkers union, NUMSA, regarding ArcelorMittal’s exit from the long steel business.
This decision by one of the largest steel producers has sparked widespread worry among workers and the broader steel industry.
NUMSA has been vocal in its opposition, arguing that ArcelorMittal’s departure would have a devastating impact on workers, their families, and the economy.
Last week, NUMSA staged a picket outside the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) offices in Johannesburg, protesting the looming sackings of an estimated 3,500 employees at ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA).
