Big compromise

THE call to reject the hard-won national minimum wage of R3 500 by the new federation launched at the weekend under the leadership of Zwelinzima Vavi can hardly be described as the dawn of a new era for workers in South Africa, nor acting in their best interests, the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) has noted.

“As Fedusa we are acutely aware that R3 500 a month is not a living wage, but in a country with one of the highest wage inequalities in the world, this minimum wage will help lift millions of workers who earn far below this amount out of wage poverty,” said Fedusa General Secretary Dennis George.

“This figure was, and still is, a big compromise by the three federations who signed it alongside business, the Department of Labour and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on the realisation that anything above it emboldens employers to start laying off workers, which any federation acting in their best interests will avoid at all costs.”

Fedusa was also waiting in anticipation of the audited figure of 700 000 as claimed by Saftu, George emphasised.

In a related development last week, Fedusa instructed its attorneys, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyer Inc, to send a letter of demand to Vavi, to change their name, which has been added to the Register of Federations of Trade Unions by the Minister of Labour Relations, with effect from March 23, failing which Fedusa will approach the Labour Court for relief.

Now that the inaugural congress of the new federation has ratified its name, Fedusa will proceed to approach the Labour Court to obtain the appropriate relief. Frank Nxumalo Fedusa media and research officer