Unions plan to shut down economy / Alliance is dysfunctional - Cosatu

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Unions plan to shut down economy

Petro-Anne Morkel, News24

Cape Town - Unions hope to shut down the country’s economy next week if their demands for a salary increase and housing allowance are not met, said a union leader during Thursday’s national public sector workers' strike in Cape Town.

“Next week Thursday when the essential service (workers) join us, the strike will intensify,” said James Kruger, National Education Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) provincial chairperson.

Kruger explained that the emergency services' unions have given a seven-day notice indicating that they will join the national strike next Thursday.

Unions in the private sector have also thrown their weight behind the public workers' strike, said Kruger. “We also need the industrial unions for this strike to give a bigger impact,” he added.

Economic impact

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzina Vavi has asked all Cosatu-affiliated unions to submit a seven-day strike notice to their employers on Thursday.

“When the (private sector) unions join us for the secondary strike, we will shut down the industrial sector. We will have a bigger impact and shutdown the economy of the country,” said Kruger.

President of the Public Servants' Association (PSA) Roderick Williams told News24 that even though the participation of private workers' unions will have a negative impact on the economy, the unions have no other choice but “to escalate the strike”.

“Now that Cosatu has joined us, it is an indication of how serious we are. The government forgets that we have friends and family in other centres that are sympathetic to our cause.

“We will force the employer to give us an 8.6% salary increase and a R1 000 housing allowance.”

'No real increase'

As part of the national public workers' strike, unions marched to Parliament in Cape Town on Thursday to hand over a memorandum with their demands to government.

Some of the striking workers who spoke to News24, said they were unhappy with the government’s claim that they have raised their salary increase offer by 1.5% to 8.5%.

Union members claim that this 1.5% has been on the table since negotiations in 2007 and was meant to be used as a performance based salary increase. Only public sector workers who showed marked improvement in their work would receive a 1.5% raise and not everyone across the board.

Unions maintain that the government’s offer still rests at 7%.

“Some don’t get (the 1.5% increase),” said Nolita Sitole, a teacher. “That increase is based evaluations of the work you do in classes and some people get zero from that.

“We need 8.6% for everybody and R1 000 for housing.”
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http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Unions-plan-to-shutdown-economy-20100826

ANC: time to ban unions..... :D



Alliance is dysfunctional - Cosatu

Johannesburg - Cosatu on Thursday warned that its alliance with the ANC is "dysfunctional".

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, referring to conditions in 2001, said "the one common feature with that period is that the alliance is again dysfunctional".

Vavi was briefing the media in Johannesburg, following Cosatu's central executive committee meeting.

"The emergence of a new tendency focused on taking over the ANC and using access to the state for a selfish accumulation agenda disrupted the emerging unity of purpose which has led to a paralysis in both the alliance and government," he said.

Vavi said that confusion over where power lies was preventing an alliance summit "for fear of an implosion".
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http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Alliance-is-dysfunctional-Cosatu-20100826

COSATU: time to split ..... :D
 
ok fair enough, I have sympathy for the strike, but please can they explain to me why they still vote for the government what that they are unhappy with?

Dit maak net nie vir my sin uit nie.
 
Hier sal niks sin maak nie.
Dis al wat sin maak~! :D
 
So they want more money from a government that doesnt have enough for the workers (lets not go into the over paid top dogs), so they will bring the entire economy to a halt meaning less taxes and even less money for (non top dog) government employees. Gotta love the thinking behind strikes.
 
zulgin said:
ok fair enough, I have sympathy for the strike, but please can they explain to me why they still vote for the government what that they are unhappy with?

Dit maak net nie vir my sin uit nie.
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I have absolutely no sympathy with the strikers. They are getting increases in excess of inflation and by past results their performances have not been good enough to demand larger increases! Care to explain why you do?





Interesting times in SA. Loving it. DA winning ANC wards. Cosatu/ANC alliance shaky.
 
Archer said:
So they want more money from a government that doesnt have enough for the workers (lets not go into the over paid top dogs), so they will bring the entire economy to a halt meaning less taxes and even less money for (non top dog) government employees. Gotta love the thinking behind strikes.
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...and the scariest part is that these people are the ones educating the future generation! If they have so little understanding of how things work then what hope do the kids have!
 
LancelotSA said:
I have absolutely no sympathy with the strikers. They are getting increases in excess of inflation and by past results their performances have not been good enough to demand larger increases! Care to explain why you do?


Interesting times in SA. Loving it. DA winning ANC wards. Cosatu/ANC alliance shaky.
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it is rare but I agree with you. ;)
 
its not like there is a difference whether a state employee spends a Rand or the government spends a Rand. The state employee will probably buy food and clothes whereas the government will buy more 5 star hotel rooms and german sedans.
 
LancelotSA said:
I have absolutely no sympathy with the strikers. They are getting increases in excess of inflation and by past results their performances have not been good enough to demand larger increases! Care to explain why you do?
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Second day in a row you amazed me, it's gonna frigging snow :D
 
Translation of the original article posted: "No one notices when government officials strike because government officials suck so much at their job so now we need to cause havoc in private industry so people notice we are striking.
 
LancelotSA said:
<snip>They are getting increases in excess of inflation and by past results their performances have not been good enough to demand larger increases! Care to explain why you do?<snip>
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Inflation figures are not keeping up with real cost of living.
This happens when there are so many alternative taxes introduced, from the Rates and Taxes on imporvements on land that you're taxed on, to the environmental levies and brand new toll fee's, the cost of living has jumped, way above inflation.

Besides, why should the person educating your child be living in squalor?
 
LancelotSA said:
I have absolutely no sympathy with the strikers. They are getting increases in excess of inflation and by past results their performances have not been good enough to demand larger increases! Care to explain why you do?





Interesting times in SA. Loving it. DA winning ANC wards. Cosatu/ANC alliance shaky.
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did you ignore my post in the other thread. the public service are not level with inflation that is why they are asking for the increase. this has been years of accepting the pittance being given to them with the promise of the rest to be given over the periods that were signed for. these promises were never kept. instead there was a period of 2 years where there were no increases and the people had to accept it because they said so. now they have had enough of the promises and the waiting and taking action demanding that the employer accept what they promised all those years ago. this increase they are asking for now will not bring them to the inflation at the moment. when inflation was at 12% some years back, they had to accept 4% just on their salaries and be told you have a job if you not happy there's the door.
 
Celine said:
did you ignore my post in the other thread. the public service are not level with inflation that is why they are asking for the increase. this has been years of accepting the pittance being given to them with the promise of the rest to be given over the periods that were signed for. these promises were never kept. instead there was a period of 2 years where there were no increases and the people had to accept it because they said so. now they have had enough of the promises and the waiting and taking action demanding that the employer accept what they promised all those years ago. this increase they are asking for now will not bring them to the inflation at the moment. when inflation was at 12% some years back, they had to accept 4% just on their salaries and be told you have a job if you not happy there's the door.
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hear-hear...good post!
 
I find it ironic that the govt. refuse to pay their workers properly but at the same time spend all their time adding "Co2 Taxes" onto our vehicles, taxing things left right and center and STILL they don't have money to pay their own people? Wtf? Where are all this money going?!!

Anyway i got family in nursing and know friends in education, the salaries are totally absurd to be honest, and the govt. is dreaming up the one "scheme" after another that makes it so confusing as to WHAT exactly you are gaining that eventually i guess you have to throw your toys and say "no more schemes, give me an increase NOW" .
 
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Wasn't there a study done recently which showed that public sector workers were actually paid better than their private sector counter-parts?
 
Government is pleading sympathy from the general public when their employees are working in the most shocking of environments....the general moral of the public service is so low and all the the rest of the "non-striking" public can say is "get another job"!. Well, sure...and that is what most of the public servants are doing....leaving the country or joining the private sector. The public service is bleeding competent and talent and hard working employees at an alarming rate.

I have huge sympathy for the public service an get increasingly angry at the fat cats and policy makers who refuse to take responsibility for this mess...!!

I have taught mathematics at a public school in the township for Grade 8, 9 and 10 and you work yourself to death. Each grade had 4 classes 8a, 8b, 8c and 8d for example and between 45 -55 pupils per class. I was a temporary teacher and earned R2019 per month before deductions. I received R1789 per month after tax and had to pay FNB R420 per month for the study loan of R10k. I stayed with my parents who footed the petrol bill to school and back...Unfortunately, your efforts are not rewarded when it comes to exams and knowing the huge gap these pupils had to bridge to reach a similar level that is at a private school left you so despondent, words cannot describe. These kids have no future growing up in the township and the one or two that make it out of there is a statistical cetrainty in each and every community, but it's still extremely, extremely sad. Some of the very bright kids have no dreams or aspirations and have accepted their "eternal fate" of living in abject poverty. Young girls at the age of 13 or 14 are already married to someone who has a job and provides food for her family. It is absolutely shocking and I have no idea who South Africa will get itself out of the legacy apartheid created.

I have since left that profession and have earned a MSc and will not go back to the teaching profession. Teachers are booked off everyday for some illness and I know why. I had sleeping problems, high blood pressure and stress related medical niggles in my mid twenties.....I'm sorry, but even today I think about those bright kids who are most likely in jail or dead or something, but at their age, they really had very little to live for....

Sorry for the long post, but just to experience teaching in a township school for a month will blow your mind and make you want to visit a bridge before you go home....
 
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