Workers’ Day rings hollow
We cannot celebrate our mineworkers without facing up to low wages, poor conditions
THE trilogy of historical, present and future worker struggles needs to be examined within the prism of a new narrative for a working-class revolution in pursuit of social justice.
The plight of South African workers is currently compounded by a low-wage regime, a non-transformative apartheid hierarchy and a neo-liberal, legislative landscape that serves foreign-direct investors at the expense of a multitude of workers.
International Workers’ Day celebrations began on May 1 in 1886 in the US. This year is the 130th anniversary of the workers’ commemorations, a time dedicated to the remembrance of all milestones that have been achieved by workers throughout the annals of history.
In South Africa, the tradeunion movement played a vital role in transforming the exclusive labour legislation and contributed immensely to the political liberation of our country.
But under our constitutional democracy there has been a regression in the impact of the labour movement within the tripartite alliance, culminating in the emergence of yellow trade unionism. This is underscored by political careerism in the top echelons of government and in the business community.
South Africa is revered internationally for having one of the best constitutions, undergirded by strong legislation and policies. But commentators concur that despite this strong framework there is poor implementation — due to lack of political will and a conflicted union movement meddled in the confusion of its alliance with the state.
The emergence of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union has rattled this hegemony within the labour movement and provided workers with an alternative voice. This has been met with resistance from business and state apparatus, fanning rivalry between workers through state-sponsored initiatives, such as the formation of the Workers Association Union.
We are also cognisant of recent public discourse on state capture with reference to the Gupta family. For AMCU, the construct of state capture is far broader than just one relationship. We are persuaded to assess this phenomenon in national, provincial and local government and the relationships between private business and influential public servants.
We also examine this construct through the lens of white-monopoly capital and the grasp it has had on the state since the advent of our constitutional democracy. A most recent illustrative example is the manner in which the markets reacted to the removal of finance minister Nhlanhla Nene from cabinet.
The weakening of the South African rand and loss of billions of rands by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, which only strengthened when a person supported by white-monopoly capital was appointed to that position, is an example. This is an illustration of the capture of our state, as decisions are
South Africa is revered internationally for having one of the best constitutions
forced on the executive by the markets.
South African workers are worse off today, as the share of wages has fallen below the share of profits since 1994. Wage inequality has increased, with an average mining boss earning 209 times more than their lowest-paid worker. These earn hefty salaries with fat bonuses averaging R20-million per annum, which equates to R55 000 a day — almost equivalent to the annual salary of one mineworker.
Wage inequality is the most violent way of oppression under South African capitalism, considering that a majority of workers earn slave wages. This has been compounded by poor transformation in the labour market, with the 14th Employment Conditions Commission report stipulating that 62% of top managers are white and only 19% are black, with 57% of senior managers being white while only 23% are black.
This is despite the fact that white South Africans only account for 10% of the country’s population. AMCU has directly confronted this dominion and, in the process, has been defined as militant and radical for raising unorthodox issues.
Those in power have been compelled by white-monopoly capital to review legislation. Nedlac social partners are considering fresh amendments to the Labour Relations Act with a view of limiting the right to strike and introducing a national minimum wage.
Karl Marx contended that material conditions underscore causes for conflict in society while theorising dialectic materialism. In this analysis, it is unsustainable for any rational individual to regulate conflict without dealing with the material conditions that give rise to it. The AMCU approach is to deal with slave mining wages, poor health and safety conditions and fatalities in a quest for social justice for all workers.
As we commemorate this year’s Workers’ Day, we are reminded of the struggles that have been waged by our gallant comrades locally and abroad. The tree of local struggles has been watered by the blood of workers at Marikana, the brutal murder of Steve Mawethu and Bongani Mehlwenkomo.
We are further reminded of mineworkers who have lost their lives on duty through mine fatalities and remember the Lily Mine workers who are still trapped underground.
There is little to celebrate as we make a call to authorities to review the May Day holiday and call it Workers’ Day — with a direct focus on worker issues.
Mathunjwa is the president of Amcu