Parly stifles minimum wage brawl
A FIGHT broke out in parliament yesterday during a labour portfolio committee meeting to discuss the National Minimum Wage Bill.
The committee chair‚ Sharome van Schalkwyk‚ described the incident as “unfortunate” and blamed members of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) for the disruption but the union blamed parliamentary security.
“The committee will not be distracted and derailed in trying to improve the conditions many of our poor working South Africans find themselves in. The processes on the National Minimum Wage are unfolding‚ and this drastic and chaotic stance is not warranted‚” said van Schalkwyk said.
A video sent to reporters by a parliament staff member shows a violent fight breaking out in Committee Room 1. A woman screams “my baby”‚ seemingly while she is being physically removed from the room. Earlier in the video‚ an unknown man swings an unidentifiable object during a scuffle and punches appear to be thrown.
Van Schalkwyk said a handful of activists “Saftu regalia” disrupted the meeting.
The committee accepted activists had a right to protest‚ “but that right should not seek to interfere with the work of parliament‚ and the rights of other persons”, she added.
Saftu‚ however‚ tells a different story‚ saying 15 of its leaders were “forcefully evicted” from the meeting. The union said that a letter had been sent a day earlier‚ complaining its presentation on the bill was completely ignored‚ and that the bill “undermines what we believe is a constitutional prerequisite to have meaningful and adequate consultations with the public, in particular the stakeholders”.
“It transpired that the chairperson of the committee did not deem it necessary for the letter from Saftu to be tabled to the committee for consideration but intended to proceed notwithstanding what would have amounted to a seriously flawed public participation process in which most of the submissions made by a large number of organisations has been ignored.
“We refused to leave the committee meeting until our letter was tabled to the portfolio committee for consideration and a decision to be made thereon. In response the chairperson called on the parliamentary services security services to remove us from the venue‚” the union said.
It continued that their demonstration was peaceful “[but] we were met with a forceful security who had no regard for our rights to peaceful demonstration”.
“They proceed to forcefully remove us through assaulting us. In the process one of our female leaders was assaulted and dragged out of the venue with no regard to her right to dignity.” — in