Cosatu to use May Day to whip up worker support
Union members to vote ANC, say national leaders
May 1 is May Day, the international day of celebrating worker struggles, and unions in the district are getting ready to tell their story – and canvas votes for the ANC.
This week, national Cosatu leaders called on the Chris Hani district’s shop stewards to mobilise the region’s workers for the day.
The call was made at the Cosatu Chris Hani Cluster Shop Stewards Council meeting at the Thobi Kula Indoor Sports Centre in Komani on Friday.
Unionists were urged to show solidarity with 1.6 million workers across SA who, they claimed, would be supporting the ANC in the general elections.
Cosatu central executive committee member and Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) deputy president Thandeka Msibi urged the crowd to participate in the May Day event, highlighting its importance in bringing workers’ issues to light.
“We are here to remind shop stewards of their critical role in protecting workers at the floor level, Msibi said.
In”attendance were representatives of Denosa, Sadtu, Nehawu, NUM, Saccawu, Satawu, Samatu, SAEPU, and Popcru.
Also present were alliance partners the ANC, SACP and Sanco, and youth groups Cosatu Young Workers, YCL, ANCYL, Sasco, and Cosas.
Msibi stressed that the country’s economy needed to be bolstered because unemployment was rising at an alarming rate – recent statistics showed that 30% of those who struggled to find employment had a matric, 30% were graduates, and more than 1,000 qualified doctors were unemployed.
“At first, we thought the people at home affected by retrenchments were semi-skilled workers. Now even the professionals are not getting work which is demoralising.”
Meanwhile, more people were getting laid off from work.
“Workers are tricked by employers over small things because employers want to make sure that unions are useless, which demoralises shop stewards.”
She said workers needed to be encouraged as they were being forced to take on extra workloads as staff shortages rose in all sectors.
Msibi said Cosatu had agreed to host shop steward meetings every quarter to boost morale and regenerate moral fibre.
Collective bargaining unions discussed workers’ problems such as wage issues, tools of trade and overtime, she said. “We have seen the government is signing agreements to give workers specified wage percentage increases. It has been a process to sign the agreement and [agree to] the increase,” she said.
“These are fundamentals for Cosatu to continue fighting for.
“It was a victory before and we knew the collective agreement which was being signed will eventually be implemented, whether it is late this year.”
Msibi said Cosatu believed the ANC was the only political party capable of fulfilling the needs of the working class.
Cosatu had based this decision on its analysis of material issues, challenges, prospects, and impacts on trade unions.
“We are saying 1.6 million Cosatu members will go out and vote for the ANC. This is a conscious decision we took.
“With all the mistakes we see the ANC is making, we believe there is still a way for them to correct them because moving into a democracy and maintaining it is not child’s play.
“We believe [the ANC] can still change the conditions of employment and the material conditions of the working class.”
However, she said the ANC had to stop employing cadres who lacked the knowledge, skill and competence to deliver to communities.