COSATU KZN fully supports the call and the declaration of the Protected Strike on the 7th of October 2024 by COSATU and our counterparts.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the province of KwaZulu Natal held a Special Provincial Executive Committee (SPEC) meeting on Friday, 13September. The SPEC was well attended by the unions who are Affiliates of COSATU, local structures, gender structures and young workers structure, and was addressed by the General Secretary of the Federation, comrade Solly Phetoe.

The main purpose of the SPEC was to look at the current campaigns of COSATU which are aimed at defending and advancing the struggle of the workers against exploitation.

COSATU KZN notes with serious concern the deepening of the neoliberal agenda by the imperialist forces through our state and owners of the means of production. This is the reason COSATU in KZN fully supports the strike which is called by COSATU and other Federations on the 7 October. We see this strike as crucial issues because it addresses bread and butter issues for the workers.

About 11.3 million people in our country need jobs but on the one hand workers are retrenched day in and day out through the narrow application of Section 189. Austerity measures impact workers heavily and continue to impose hardships on the working class as it undermines service delivery. Many companies, public services and local government sectors are currently engaging on the collective bargaining, and effects of the neoliberal austerity measures are making it very difficult to conclude progressive collective bargaining agreements for workers.

We are painfully aware that some companies are non-complaint with the National Minimum Wage. Many workers are robbed their rights to earn a basic salary which they have fought so hard for through their Federation. All these companies must be named and shamed, and decisive action taken against them.

The violation of rights and unfair dismissal of workers at Makro, a division of Massmart, will not go unchallenged. We demand their immediate reinstatement. We will support all our unions as they name and shame all the employers who exploit workers and don't respect the labour laws of our country. Our unions both in the private and public sectors are submitting the names of these companies which we will later announce to the public.

The cost of living is ever rising and measures to cushion workers have been strained. The SPEC congratulated COSATU for picking up the campaign of the Pension Fund Reforms which gave birth to the much talked about two-pot retirement system. The amendment of the legislation to allow workers to withdraw a portion of their pension funds is great milestone for COSATU.

However, the KZN SPEC agrees with the COSATU CEC that Nedlac must revisit some sections of the legislation, engage Treasury to review the issue of tax, and giving access to workers to withdraw their savings when they are retrenched or lose their jobs. This is one of the campaigns that the SPEC strongly felt must be highlighted as part of the 7 October protected strike.

The SPEC congratulated the municipalities and SOEs that performed well, in particular those that received clean and unqualified audit outcomes. As per the Auditor General, we wish to call on our government to ensure that all the municipalities and SOEs that received qualified audit outcomes are called to account and that the disclaimers are all addressed effectively. The public has a right to know how their monies are utilised and the reasons for the inefficiency, whether it is the lack of capacity or corruption. We hope that the government will support the municipalities and SOEs that are performing well. As COSATU KZN are worried about the attack on KwaDukuza municipality. Our view is that this is one of the municipalities that are performing well. If this is not properly clarified, it may course harm and instability to the municipality. More focus must be given to ensuring accountability by municipalities that did not perform well on audits.

The SPEC was concerned that Transnet incurred a loss of R7.3 billion for the year. It is strange that the same entity secured a R5 billion loan. The annual report further alludes to Transnet spending billions on security, crime and theft. We are of the view that there is more to this than meets the eye. We call for an investigation and consequence management on this matter. We must mobilise the workers and the society at large for accountability.

Workers have died in the line of duty, in particular four workers in Ballito and seven FARMUSA/SAPI firefighters perished while putting out fire. We are also concerned about reports of workers not getting the service they are due from the Unemployment Insurance Fund. COSATU KZN is calling for an update report on this.

The Provincial Office Bearers gave a brief report on the meeting with the Premier of the Province, Thami Ntuli, which was facilitated through a request by COSATU, to deal with the following but not limited to protection and advancement of the workers gains, responses to previous memorandums, austerity measures, and the call for the Provincial Job Summit to discuss economic growth, protection of jobs and job creation. The SPEC was further briefed about the meeting with the Provincial Speaker's Office which discussed the process on the implementation of the resolutions between labour and government, and the pending meeting with the MEC for the Economic Development, Rev Musa Zondi, which is aimed at discussing economic growth.

Building our organisation is a critical task of our COSATU and the SPEC called on all union leadership and workers to unite for their struggle for the betterment of the conditions of work. COSATU will continue to support the unions that are facing challenges to service their members. The SPEC vowed to work with the national leadership to defend unions such as CEPPWAWU from vultures like the current Administrator who is busy entrenching factionalism instead of assisting the union to rebuild itself. The dismissal of our CEPPWAWU Regional/Provincial Secretary is nothing but silencing comrades from challenging his wrongdoings.

The Special PEC further noted and condemned the attempt by political parties and politicians to divide the workers by forming trade unions. We, therefore, want to caution workers not to be misled as this approach will divide them and reverse their gains. The only beneficiaries will be the employers and those who own the means of production.

In mobilising for the 7October protected strike, COSATU in KZN will work with all the Federations, civil society, mass democratic movement and all our working class communities. COSATU will further work with the SACP, Alliance structures of Ward 1 and the surrounding local communities, ex-Thor workers and their families are to stage a picket for the protection of their livestock which is dying as the company conducts research on the environmental impact as it engages in a clean-up campaign, also to demand updates on matters affecting ex-workers that are being attended to by stakeholders involved in the process.

To this end, we call on all the workers to unite and not report for work on 7 October but join the picket lines and marches for the protection and deepening of their rights.

Workers unite, you have nothing to lose but your chains.

An injury to one, is an injury to all.

Issued by COSATU KZN

For more information, please contact:

Edwin Mkhize(COSATU KZN Provincial Secretary)

082 399 7756

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