The Congress of South African Trade Unions welcomes the raid by the Competition Commission’s raid on shipping line offices as part of an investigation into suspicion of collusion. The federation will be following this investigation closely because it is disconcerting to think that these companies have colluded to inflate prices for cargo transport making our region uncompetitive. 

We hope that the raid will not be the end of this long overdue action, but it will lead to arrests, convictions and stiffer sanctions.  Government has been too soft on business ,which collude and abuse our laws for too long, leaving ordinary workers to bear the brunt of their corrupt activities.

COSATU has been arguing that fines are not working as deterrence to cartels, so we want to see company executives held personally liable. We have consistently been calling for the prosecution of all directors, whose companies are implicated in cartel behaviour and we want them sentenced to longer sentences.

We reiterate our position that going forward, we need laws that will allow members of public to also claim damages against cartels. We should do away with the dodgy anti-competitive practices and collusive behaviour by big business that has robbed the poor of their income and livelihoods ,while distorting our economy.  South Africa’s Competitions Act must be further strengthened and the Competition Commission, SARS and SAPS must be given adequate powers and resources to stamp this unacceptable behaviour out of our economy. Workers are tired of the government’s mollycoddling of businesses , while their jobs are on the line and their livelihoods are compromised.  They deserve better from government.

 

Issued by COSATU