Workers losing on the streets but winning in the boardroom: Cosatu

On the streets, the once-mighty Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) that could bring the country to a standstill a decade ago is no more. But there are many more victories in the boardroom in the form of policies that are pro-worker than was the case 10 years ago.

This is the assessment of Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali, who told Sunday Times Daily during an interview that rising unemployment had made it almost impossible for workers to embark on rolling mass action like before.

He admitted that those who believe Cosatu is weaker now than when it was famous for protracted strikes were probably spot on, but there are reasons for this. The weakening of Cosatu on the streets, said Ntshalintshali, was not a phenomenon only in SA as it was the same the world over.

According to him, there was heightened aggression against workers and, by extension, trade union federations across the world as capitalism flexed its muscle.

“All trade unions in the world are weaker now than they were before because the capitalist is on the rise and (is) very aggressive. Trade union membership is going down all over the world because of a number of things,” said Nsthalintshali.

“So trade unions in general might be weaker than they were before because the balance of forces is changing. Trade unions might be doing what they were doing before but workers might be indebted, for example, and it is not easy to go on strike.

“Unemployment is very high so a worker must think very hard before striking because  one may be supporting more family members than before. It might have been easier 10 years ago to go on strike, and a long strike for that matter, but now it is very difficult even when workers see the employer is very aggressive,” he added.

Ntshalintshali said the contradiction between strike action which, at times, contributes to rising unemployment — such as was the case in the platinum belt — and going the boardroom route where workers where likely to compromise more than they would on the streets had muddied the situation.

It was for this reason that the most favoured strategy nowadays was the boardroom approach.

“In the boardroom we have sound policies that cannot be refuted. But it takes time on the side of government to realise these issues,” he said.

Some of the polices Ntshalintshali accredited to Cosatu’s sharp negotiating skills in the boardroom included:

• UIF Covid-19 TERS: “During the height of the lockdown, social partners managed to secure the release of R63bn  from the UIF to help 5.5-million workers who lost their salaries. This helped prevent millions of retrenchments as well,” he said.

• National Minimum Wage Act: Ntshalintshali believes this law has improved the wages of 6-million workers such as those on farms and in the domestic, cleaning, hospitality, fuel, transport and other sectors. “A decade ago some farm workers were paid as little as R6 an hour. When the NMW was introduced domestic workers were pegged at R15 an hour. They are now at R23.19.”

• Eskom Social Compact: The compact, he said, was drafted by Cosatu and has brought about a road map to rebuild Eskom by tackling corruption, its unaffordable debt, saving Eskom workers' jobs, providing for a just energy transition and tackling climate change.

• Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan: Cosatu pushed for the plan to ensure reliable and affordable energy, the rebuilding of rail infrastructure, ramping up of local procurement, support of small and medium enterprises and mobilising financial resources to stimulate the economy.
• Compensation of Injury on Duty Amendment Bill: “This [thanks to Cosatu] will provide cover for 900,000 domestic workers as well as cover for workplace diseases and post-traumatic stress disorder, and extends times for workers to submit claims, benefiting millions of workers,” he said.