Cyril tells rally minimum wage will be a victory for workers
JUST a week after thousands of Saftu-affiliated workers took to the streets to protest against a proposed R20 per hour national minimum wage, President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday said the national minimum wage would be a victory for the working class.
In what could be seen as a response to last week’s march by the South African Federation of Trade Unions affiliates, Ramaphosa acknowledged that the minimum wage was not high.
However, Ramaphosa told workers at the Wolfson Stadium in Kwazakhele township in Port Elizabeth, the government had in fact saved hundreds of thousands of jobs by proposing the R20 per month national minimum wage.
“There are those who say the minimum wage should have been R15 000 or R12 000. Yes‚ we want workers to get that type of wage. But at the same time‚ many workers in our country would have lost their jobs.
“Many companies would have closed‚” he said.
“We had to balance between losing millions of jobs and establishing a firm base and a foundation for us to continue waging the struggle for a living wage. That is what we chose.”
Ramaphosa said the government still hoped to incrementally increase the wage.
“This is a victory, no matter what other people may say.”
Ramaphosa also called for workers to always consider the rights of vulnerable groups during strikes.
“We are saying no‚ let us have ubuntu. Even when we are on strike‚ there are certain services that are important. In the past‚ children have died as a result of us as workers not executing some of our duties.”
● Speaking at a Workers’ Day rally in Dumasi village in Ngqeleni, PAC president Luthando Mbinda yesterday backed a R12 500 national minimum wage demand.
“This amount is so significant as the workers at Marikana died fighting for this minimum demand. Their blood cannot be in vain.”
Meanwhile, the general secretary of the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu)‚ Zwelinzima Vavi‚ has threatened to shut down the economy if the proposed national minimum wage is implemented.
Vavi was speaking at a May Day rally at the Lilian Ngoyi Sport Centre in Kwazakhele, Port Elizabeth.
“We need a total shutdown of this economy for a minimum of two days. We want to occupy every city,” he said.
“We won’t move until they withdraw this attack on workers.”
Saftu is demanding a living wage of at least R12 500 a month, while the proposed minimum wage is R3 500 a month, or R20 an hour.
“If the economy is going through hell, let the economy go through hell for everyone,” said Vavi.
Hundreds of people attended the rally, and constantly cheered Vavi.
Cosatu, however, has accepted the minimum wage saying it would help protect all workers and should not be confused with a living wage.
Vavi also complained about the lengthy national bus strike, urging people to mobilise at bus depots. “On Thursday, here in Nelson Mandela and everywhere else in the country, let’s go to those bus depots. That’s the only way we are going to end the strike. Let’s all take that call and get into taxis and stop that strike.”
Drivers from at least 10 companies, including Algoa Bus Company, downed tools on April 18 demanding a 12% pay hike.
The unions have since dropped their demand to a 9.5% increase in the first year and 9% in the second. The companies have offered 8% in the first year and 8.5% in the second year.
In Mthatha, the Public Servants Association (PSA) marched from Madeira Street in the CBD to the Mthatha City Hall, where they held a May Day rally.
PSA’s Jannie Oosthuizen said they wanted to use the Workers’ Day celebrations as a platform to entice more members to join them as this would increase the union’s bargaining power. —