’Tis the season to be on strike

One could be forgiven for thinking that, much as in spring a young man’s fancy turns to love, in South Africa, in spring many a worker’s fancy turns to striking. The second half of the year has become the time for strikes, both threatened and actual. It’s not surprising why this is the case. This is the time when many companies begin negotiating with workers and unions about increases and improvements in conditions of service for the following year. And, in the labour sector, these negotiations can be protracted.

Heading towards the end of the year, we are facing labour unrest – and threatened strike action – in a number of sectors and for a number of different reasons.

Banking workers want to take to the streets – although their union was interdicted from doing so yesterday by the Labour Court – because many of them are facing retrenchment as advancing technology makes them surplus to the banking industry’s requirements.

In the motor and associated industries sector, there is unrest about salaries and conditions of service, while South African Airways pilots are so angry about what they believe is the appalling mismanagement of the airline that they believe strike action may be a way to get something done.

All of this is a far cry from the industrial unrest which characterised the ’80s and early ’90s, when unions were a vital part of the liberation alliance and played a major role in forcing the apartheid government to the negotiating table.

The downside of that history is the cosy relationship between the ANC and trade union umbrella body Cosatu. That relationship has also meant unions have enjoyed huge power since 1994 – to the detriment of the economy, say critics.

Strikes will make a bad economic situation worse … so hang on tight, it’s going to be rough.