FAWU Strongly Supports SAFTU Stayaway 24February 2021

 

NATIONAL STAYAWAY - 24 FEBRUARY 2021

The Food and Allied Workers Union is one of the Unions who, together with many workers and the poor in the country, suffers the brutality of the capitalist greed system, worse, even in the post-colonial government. 

Over 10, 8 million unemployed and counting, no interest from the current government to take the word of the working class to reshape policies designed to accommodate the larger part of the South African society who are the lowest paid and the poor. We don’t agree with the government using a narrow definition of unemployment that exclude the disgruntled unemployed since they do not have resources to look for jobs. The government is responsible for having not created employment as committed, except temporary employment that take citizens back to hunger. 

Child hunger alone is said to have increased up to 16% in the last quarter. Household hunger still affect over 1,6 million while no program or initiatives that incorporate the position of the working class to address this major crisis.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has not been declared indefinite, employers have been on the other hand, dismissing workers permanently even when bosses opened businesses after the regulations were relaxed. All this chasing profit race, happens while the government is watching without any pronouncement to defend workers. 

The government has yet again made another mockery to workers particularly farm workers offering them a lousy R21,69 per hour to survive. This is the same working class that has been content in the liberation struggle, right from where Khoisan people were peacefully enjoying an exclusive agricultural economy as indigenous people of our country, until the racist colonisers took their land and property. Since then, each generation of the working class fought in each epoch for liberation of South Africa. Today, the current government that follows capitalism which has no morals, farm workers (in the same agricultural sector) are subjected into an indefinite waiting period for a living wage in a “democratic country”. FAWU does not believe in life after death and so we shall never wait but fight to enjoy a better life. We shall not to pass poverty to another generation without a fight. 

Despite all labour laws just after 1994, workers from all sectors of our economy fought for the transformational legislations in workplaces since some bosses had no interest on providing skills, educating, promoting and providing economic opportunities in line with the responsibility of our country to develop itself. 

Nothing the above, two laws were promulgated in 1998, the Skills Development Act and Employment Equity Act as a result of workers fighting for transformation. Instead of government obligating bosses to transform workplaces using these laws, the government invited bosses to pay fines for years. Today, the black majority of workers who are the previously disadvantaged group retired without a better life they fought for. Even those retrenched, they lost jobs without any economic alternatives. 

We therefore encourage the current, particularly young workers of our country to not keep hoping that their lives will change for the better for the rest of their working lives. They should rather mobilise the entire working class and fight against the government who has never brought workers on board in the distribution of wealth. 

Nothing can convince the working class to wait forever. The cruelty of apartheid has not benefited the working class what so ever. Workers and the poor must unite and must never negotiate with capital any more as it never addresses crisis it creates. We shall reclaim and advance workers’ rights against the status quo.

Capitalism will continue to resurface in various forms as it has been the case in many generations, pre-democratic and post-colonial government. The government will continue to defend neo-liberal policies in the name of developing the country, yet this has been justified for over two decades that there is no current policy that is able to address inequalities, unemployment and poverty. 

We call upon all workers and all people in South Africa to join the SAFTU STAY AWAY on the 24th February 2021 and not to touch any value chain of any sector of our economy for this government to listen to the same class that put them in power. 

FAWU DEMANDS THE FOLLOWING:

 REVIEW THE NMW BY CONSULTING LABOUR INCLUDING SAFTU; 

 ALLOW SAFTU TO NEDLAC;

 INTRODUCE WEALTH TAX;

 STOP EVICTIONS AND DEVELOP EQUITY STAKE FOR FARM WORKERS; 

 EMPLOYERS TO GIVE WORKERS A LIVING WAGE; 

 EMPLOYERS WHO VIOLATE ANY LABOUR LAW MUST GO TO JAIL; 

 PLACE MORATORIUM ON RETRENCHMENTS; 

 PROTECT SOUTH AFRICAN ECONOMY BY NOT SELLING SA COMPANIES;                       OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY;

 NATIONALISE STRATEGIC SECTORS OF OUR ECONOMY;

 WE DEMAND CREATION OF DECENT JOBS;

 STOP VICTIMISATION AND EXPLOITATION OF MERCHANDISERS IN RETAIL,                   WORKERS IN HOSPITALITY AND FAST FOOD OUTLETS SECTOR INCLUDING                   FARM  WORKERS.  

SHUT DOWN THE COUNTRY – STAY AT HOME ON THE 24TH FEBRUARY 2021!!!!!!

For more information, feel free to contact Mayoyo Mngomezulu, FAWU General Secretary on 082 440 4039, mngomezulu.mayoyo@fawu.org.za or Vuka Chonco, FAWU Deputy General Secretary on 082 499 5854, vuka.chonco@fawu.org.za