[ad_1]
The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) says it will embark on strike action across the country next week in response to a number of economic problems facing the country.
Saftu is the second largest of the country’s major union confederations, with 21 affiliated unions organizing 800,000 workers.
The trade federation said it has notified Nedlac to go on strike on February 24, 2021, the same day as Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s budget speech.
Most of the action in the strike will focus on a massive withdrawal of workers, he said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The trade federation said it also plans to hold protest marches in major cities across the country on the same day, including at the National Assembly headquarters in Cape Town.
“Even before Covid-19, we faced an economic pandemic of rising unemployment, extreme poverty and extreme inequality,” he said.
“South African capitalism restored its once high rate of profit through policies of austerity, privatization, loose exchange controls, export-led growth, and environmental destruction. Meanwhile, the system was unable to meet even the most basic needs of its people. “
The trade federation has published dozens of complaints which mainly focus on a few key points:
- Building a new economy, which includes a minimum wage of R12,500 per month for all workers and a moratorium on job losses;
- The improvement of living conditions and the redistribution of land;
- The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions;
- Increase the social wage and provide public health financing;
- Free, decolonized and quality public education;
- End corruption and crime;
- A socialist, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist society.
This will be the first major national strike undertaken by unions since the country relaxed the Covid-19 level 3 lockdown rules.
However, analysts have warned that the action is likely to become more prevalent in 2021 in response to government wage negotiations and the upcoming elections.
In a January research note, BNP Paribas said the government’s public sector wage deal is likely to remain a major point of contention in 2021 and could lead to more strikes.
“We see a good possibility of a generalized strike as early as February, possibly tempered by Covid-19 restrictions and existing high levels of unemployment,” he said.
The agreement could also affect the tripartite alliance between the ANC, Cosatu and the Communist Party of South Africa.
BNP Paribas said that the Cosatu trade federation has lost a large number of members in recent years, however, he said the wage deal is likely to dominate the agenda.
Read: Wealthy South Africans could be hit with higher taxes next week
[ad_2]
