‘Strike rights must stay’
ALSO CITE ‘SLAVERY’ OF WORKING FOR R20 AN HOUR
Enraged National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) members took to the streets yesterday to protest the amendment to the national minimum wage and proposed new labour laws.
Converging in Newtown in Johannesburg, they cited the agreement President Cyril Ramaphosa signed in 2017 which brings the minimum wage up to R20 per hour, effective on May 1. This, they said, would leave them with a pittance of a salary.
“No worker can feed a family of five while earning R3 500,” said a protester who did not want to be named.
Numsa members also marched to the Gauteng Legislature and handed over a memorandum demanding proposed changes to the Labour Relations and Basic Conditions of Employment Acts.
The union believes the proposed changes would make it impossible for workers to strike, and must be thrown out. Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola emphasised the need to remind government of the importance of human rights. “On this day [Human Rights Day], workers were killed by the apartheid government for protesting against the dompas. “We are here again in 2018 to remind this socalled democratic government that workers’ rights are human rights,” she said. Hlubi-Majola told members Numsa would continue to fight for their rights until the minimum rate of pay was changed.
“We will not allow workers to earn R20 an hour while Ramaphosa earns over R3 million a year.
“If you are a domestic worker, Ramaphosa says you deserve to earn R15 an hour.
“If you are a farmworker, he says you deserve to earn R18 per hour.
“This is all happening while CEOs are earning R8 625 per hour. They are rich because of these workers, yet workers are told they deserve slave wages.”
Numsa members then chanted “away with Ramaphosa!” and “away with slavery”!
Unions have said they will embark on strike action on April 25 over these two matters.