S. Africa unions protest low-wage workers system
The one-day strike calls attention to labor brokers, and to unionists’ power.
Thousands of South Africans marched in cities around the country Wednesday as a major trade union federation called a one-day strike to demonstrate against labor brokers — and to remind the government of the movement’s power.
The strike, called by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, was aimed at the mining, manufacturing, retail and services industries. The protests were peaceful, but business groups claimed that the action cost the economy hundreds of millions of dollars.
Protesters demanded that the African National Congress-led government ban labor brokers, who find low-wage casual workers for businesses. The federation said brokers leave thousands of workers in low-paying, short-term jobs. It accused major retailers of abusing the system to reduce the cost of wages.
The strikers also protested new highway tolls, which the federation says will hurt the poor by adding to the cost of goods and services and of commuting to work.
Analysts said the strike was designed in part as a show of the federation’s strength within the ANC alliance before the ruling party’s leadership conference this year. The union organization is expected to wield significant influence at the gathering, where South African President Jacob Zuma is seeking a second term as party leader, which would all but guarantee him a second presidential term as well.
Federation General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said the strike was designed to remind the government of the power of the working class.
“Today we are here to remind some fellows where they are coming from. They don’t know any more the power of the working class,” Vavi said. “This is not a march. This is an occupation of the city of Johannesburg by the workers.”
The ANC government plans legislation to regulate labor brokers, requiring employers to convert casual workers to full-time employees after six months. Business groups argue that brokers help find jobs for poorly skilled workers who would otherwise be locked out of the workforce.
Carol Paton, an analyst writing in the Business Day newspaper, said the strike was more about showing the federation’s political muscle because its battle to eliminate abusive practices by labor brokers had largely been won. “Any trade unionist knows that sometimes it is good to have a strike,” she wrote. “Strikes unite and mobilize workers, they build the union and send a message about the power of worker unity to the rest of society, and they keep the organization vibrant and alive.”