DA government in Western Cape snubs Cosatu memorandum

Motlatsi Tsubane, chairperson of Cosatu in the Western Cape, fumed after the DA government failed to send a representative to receive the trade union federation's memorandum on Thursday.

Tsubane led about 250 picketers to the legislature during Cosatu’s Western Cape leg of its “national strike and day of action”. Homeless people danced and cheered as huge speakers, mounted on a trailer, blared struggle songs.

The federation was set to hand over a six-page memorandum at the legislature — which listed the “workers’ grievances”, ranging from corruption and retrenchments to gender-based violence and crime — but no-one came to receive it.

A heavy police contingent closely monitored the march while legislature employees watched from high balconies of the stately building. Three banners stuck out among the picketers — that of Denosa, Nehawu and Sactwu.

“The DA has given us the middle finger because they have literally refused to come received a memorandum from workers,” Tsubane said. “So we had to expose them.”

When TimesLIVE asked Tsubane about the low turnout, he blamed a service delivery protest that disrupted the N2.

“We are not despondent,” he said. “We will organise another action. We will go to the provincial legislature for us to submit and present ourselves to the provincial government.”

He said the federation had expected teachers to support the march in numbers “because they are on holiday. When it's school time, they say it is because the schools are open. There are a number of factors that made them not honour this call.” 

He then turned to the DA.

“We are not surprised that [the DA ignored the march] because they are saying we are bringing, through the back door, issues of the ANC. We are not apologetic that we are in a relationship with the ANC. We are not confused about that. We raise the issues of the workers with the ANC in a very sharp manner.

“We differ with the ANC from all angles. But we know what brings us together as alliance partners.”

He then laid into the DA for demanding the devolution of the police service and commuter rail — among other things — to the province.

“The DA is confused,” he said. “It is protecting the interests of business. They want to privatise transport, they want to privatise the airports and the ports, and they want to control the police as their army in the province.

“The DA is working on self-determination in the province. They want the province to be a federal [state] outside the national standing of our country. SA is not a federal country; we are under government – the national government.”

He said the ANC needs to prioritise the federation’s demands to deal with voter apathy.

“We want to pass this message to our alliance partners: listen to what the workers are saying to you,” he said. “When we have agreements, honour those agreements. The ANC must come and speak to the workers and address all their issues. We have a constituency that the ANC receives its support from.”

Despite the disappointing support for the march, Tsubane said unions are “still relevant”.

“Mark my words, let the DA take over in this country, you will see what is going to happen with workers,” he said. “The DA is striving for the relaxation of union power in the workplace. They are striving for employers, even if it’s unfair practice, to be in a position to fire a person on the spot without following the due processes.”

Tsubane was pleased when Gcina Matakane, a procedural adviser in the office of the speaker, emerged from parliament to receive memorandum.

“We are being shown some respect here,” said Tsubane.

The picketers dispersed after Matakane signed the memorandum.

“From its very founding principle, the federation committed itself to organise and unite workers on the basis of improving their wages and raising their standard of living and making sure that they protect themselves from the insecurities of life,” the memo reads.

“Recently the South African government, finding itself incapable of dealing with this ongoing capitalist crisis, has resorted to increasing austerity measures. This has seen cuts in public spending, leading to massive reduction in all aspects of social and economic benefits to the people, in wages, retirement benefits and pensions, health and education and social welfare transfers.

“These draconian service cuts in the public service wage bill have plunged this economy into meltdown and decimated the township and rural economy.

“The numbers of people suffering from depression and mental illness have increased because of these attacks on working people's livelihoods.”

TimesLIVE

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