The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) has called on its affiliates and all allies in civil society to join a general protest on Wednesday, against, what it calls, the biggest attacks on working-class people, trade unions and the poor majority of South Africans since the end of apartheid.

Saftu is mobilising the workers to protest against the proposed national minimum wage and against labour law amendments.

“Support is growing daily and we are confident that we shall bring South Africa to a standstill and fill the towns and villages with angry workers, employed and unemployed member of all unions or none, who are demanding action to end the country’s crisis of unemployment, poverty and inequality,” said the federation in a statement. 

Saftu rejected the new proposed national minimum wage of R20 and said that the Bill should not be supported by the argument that “R20 an hour is better than nothing”.

They argued that the new minimum wage Bill would leave workers trapped in poverty, entrench the apartheid wage structure, and widen income inequalities even further.

The national minimum wage Bill is with the Department of Labour to redraft and to take account of the public submissions made to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Labour.

Saftu demanded that the department respond positively to the Bill and urged them to make fundamental changes so that the minimum wage becomes a living wage.

LABOUR LAW AMENDMENTS

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Labour has also been considering amendments to labour laws, which Saftu will also be protesting on Wednesday.

Saftu stated that the amendments will now force unions to navigate even more obstacles before they can go on strike, including strict rules on balloting of members, picket regulations which will prevent strikers engaging with other workers and extending conciliation procedures, even after negotiations have deadlocked.

The amendments threaten to paralyse unions and frustrate angry workers who will be more likely to embark on spontaneous and unprotected strikes, says Saftu.

“There is even a clause which will allow employers and/or government to impose arbitration if they consider strikes to have been going on too long or causing an acute national or local crisis affecting the normal social and economic functioning of the community or society,” pointed out Saftu.

The federation views these new laws as part of a wider attack on workers’ jobs and living standards, part of moves to further casualise labour and privatise public assets.

The latest attacks include the increase in VAT, the Fuel Levy and the Road Accident Levy.

“The South African economy is in free-fall, with no sign of recovery, and, as always it is the working class and the poor who suffer most as a result. The crisis has created a swelling army of unemployed, temporarily employed, part-time, casual and marginalised workers who live in deep poverty,” stated Saftu.