COSATU no letters, white background.jpg 27 May 2016 COSATU Johannesburg Local Shopstewards’ Council Input Address by the Local Chairperson Cde Mchunu Greetings, to Cde President Sdumo Dlamini, The POBs of Gauteng Deployed, Cde Dumisani Dakile The Office bearers of the JHB Cluster Present, The Office bearers of the Local, Leadership of all Affiliates present, The leadership of the Alliance present, And most importantly, all COSATU shopstewards, Receive the most profound and revolutionary greetings on behalf the COSATU JHB Local. We are convening here today as shopstewards of the most trusted and revolutionary Federation of workers in South Africa, COSATU. We do so on the backdrop of perhaps one of the most important months on the calendar for both the working class and also Africans in general. The struggle for the self determination of our peoples on the continent and our country has been fought side by side with many progressive sections of society, however the working class played a vital role in breaking the back of Apartheid and Colonialism here in South Africa and on the continent too. Johannesburg Local Shop Stewards' Council, May 2016.jpg Picture: COSATU President Cde Sdumo Dlamini addresses the Johannesburg COSATU LSC So it therefore becomes incumbent upon us as workers to reflect deeply as we build on the revolutionary platform laid down for us by our forbearers to attain the type of freedoms and liberties that we as workers enjoy in this country. It also becomes equally important that as workers never to isolate ourselves on the revolutionary gains made on our continent and contribute to the working class discourse in Africa and the workers across the world over “workers of the world Unite”. That would be in keeping true to our internationalist outlook. Workers month and Africa month are important platform for us to reassert our valuable principles such as; Unity of Workers and Our People, Anti – Imperialism, Development of women in leadership within Unions and the Workplace and The prosperity of our peoples and the continent including the African diaspora. Building on the COSATU National Congress: Making Assessments Without attempting to be naïve, the critical tasks facing the Federation Nationally, within our Province and other lower structures like our local require us as shopstewards to raise the bar of our discussion and probe deeper into issues with a correct sense of vigour forthrightness. We need firstly at a local level together with the cluster enter into a frank discussion into the functionality of COSATU locals in relation to the apparent strengths and weaknesses of affiliates of the Federation. It is incumbent on leaders of affiliates to take a meaningful lead in insuring that shopstewards of Unions attend and participate in the life of the Federation at a local level. We must have an honest and frank discussion about how we bring about full participation and functionality of the Local. These must include amongst other things the functionality of the LOB itself to bring life to sub – committees, activities and programs. The crises that besieges the local in relation to participation and functionality must ultimately take us to a point where we should discuss the structure of the Federation Local and Cluster level with attempt to strengthen the Union at this; including our Affiliates too. If for instance an Affiliate can generate functionality at shop floor/workplace/branch level as well as at a Regional Level whilst at the very same not participate in the COSATU Local and Cluster we will ultimately have a crises in generation of views and perspectives. In the sense that, when the Federation convenes at PEC level; you will have affiliates both those who participate and those who don’t participate, within their own right, come to the PEC with an affiliate position instead of a COSATU local or Cluster position. Or even worse a conflict or conflicts. Therefore if the CEC and PEC can have full affiliate participation around constitutional meetings, campaigns, activities, commissions and sub – committees, the same must be applicable at a local and cluster level. In order for us to further advance this perspective must look into the following considerations: · Review of lower structures of COSATU and their functionality · Review of lower structures’ Powers, functions and Rights in relation affiliates and their obligation to the federation at a Local and Cluster Level. · The Reconfiguration and Demarcation of Locals and Clusters · Correctly aligning COSATU lower structures to those of the alliance structures. · COSATU Locals and Clusters and their relation to the community Workplace Restructuring a Threat to Workers and Society! The post democracy dispensation has come with much needed advancement for the working class in particular and society at large. The entrenchment of key workers laws protecting and shielding workers from the evils of capitalist bosses and other key advancements for our people in general. However as our democracy has been maturing we’ve noticed and been on the receiving end of a massive effort from capitalists in South Africa of “closing rank” and negations of the pro-worker laws. Part of the attempts to close rank from both local and internationally linked capital in South Africa has been to restructure workplaces in such a manner as to reverse the gains of the LRA, Occupational Health and Safety Act and etc through the usage of demonic means like; Mass Retrenchments, Casualization, Short – Times, Labour Brokering and other means. We must be weary as COSATU shopstewards of the companies declaring losses to the Revenue Agency and in return they get compensated for such losses whilst workers are excluded from the compensation process. It is therefore prudent of us a Local to begin a process of looking into ways in which we can, together with our affiliates unions, to develop targeted responses to these demonic acts by bosses. We must run a campaign to ensure that, in an instance that, a company under performs and ultimately is forced to right size by retrenching or casualizing that the company bosses too must be blacklisted from running other companies. We must run such a campaign in our local coupled together with establishment of a special committee that will look into these kinds of issues with an attempt to bring affiliates together to formulate common views around this matter and also build capacity of the Local for campaigns, research and activities. Elections As part of our attempts to strengthen our general capacity as a Local on various fronts that have been motioned above, we must equally use the last phase of the local government campaign to both assist in consolidating and overwhelming ANC victory but also as litmus test whether the local can mobilise through affiliates the broadest range of workers both at the workplace but also in the community to vote for the ANC. This therefore means that we must resolve, here today. That the local will come out with a comprehensive election campaign centred in the workplace through affiliates and also rooted in wards at community levels which will be centrally coordinated at the COSATU local tier. As workers will must also reassert our capacity as the primary motive force espoused in the NDR, this can and must also been done through elections work. However when we engage with our counter-parts in alliance, particularly the ANC, we must not shy away from advancing the positions and perspectives of workers on multiple fronts, including on governance matters. Both the nature and character of the governance and those elected to lead must mirror the hopes and aspirations of workers. This Local therefore has the responsibility to embolden the cluster to able to communicate this message without ambiguity to the ANC, SACP and SANCO at a regional level with our full backing the position of the workers. Reflections of the world we living in and how it impacts on workers. It is important for us as workers to reflect deeply on some of the disturbing and perhaps backward tendencies and methods of protest in our country. The first reflection we ought to make is centred particularly on the timing of service delivery protests, often always happening around election time. Does it therefore mean throughout a 5 year circle issues that affect communities only suffice in the 5th year? We need to reflect on what really happens in the other 4 years that doesn’t warrant the wide spread protests we witness during election years. With the hindsight of experience and history coupled with a strong tradition of protest and strike action, perhaps, we as COSATU also need to develop a perspective around the backward nature and increasingly violent nature of protests and perhaps even give direction around these matters. Equally of great concern is the increasing role of often foreign funded NGOs in our country who derive their mandates from funders and boardrooms but yet claim to represent the interests of communities and interest groups in our country. Perhaps the time has come for our Government to be decisive around NGO regulations and funding and mirror the stances of BRICS counter-parts China and Russia around these matters. Equally concerning is the ideological twerking amongst sections of youth and student in our country. Perhaps the Local must convene a bi-lateral with the PYA to engage around these issues. Other thorny issues worth noting is the increasingly desperate tactics employed by opposition parties in our country aimed at either rendering the Legislative arms of the state ineffective through the use of very backward and fascist tactics of Anarchy, we must defend the cabinet and legislator as organs of the State and the Peoples’ will, that delivered the overwhelming majority for the ANC in Parliament. Equally the Rent a Black strategy that seeks to divide the unity of African people must be defeated, the unity of African people is sacrosanct. We also note attempts by certain sections our society who are trying and using the Judiciary to encroach on another independent arm of the State, as COSATU local we must reflected deeply on this. All these attempts of the Colour Revolution must be observed and dissected, including, the development of the reactionary monopoly owned media in South Africa who has elevated themselves and propagating the views of regime change and the colour revolution must dangerously self-elevated itself into a voice of reason and choice when they actually have no constituency but are staring at the sharp increasingly dropping newspaper sales. We must as part of observing Africa Day celebrate the fact that despite foreign inferences and colonial proxy wars, there is an increasing element of stability and growth in our continent. This can be best advanced by improving regional integration; the African economy and delisting from reactionary bodies like the ICC and Bretton Woods institutions to reassert our independence. The Alliance International Desks have been rather inaudible on a number of international developments affecting progressive counties and governments in the world and this rather discouraging and affects the revolutionary orientation of workers on internationalism. Whilst we appreciate that we might enjoy cordial economic, government and diplomatic relations with these countries we must enhance our understanding of the world we live-in by effectively utilizing our political structures (all tiers) to deepen our understanding of the world we live in. It is therefore important that we pay particular attention to the increasing usage of “soft warfare” of the Colour Revolutions taking place in the world most notably in Venezuela and recently in Brazil. Thank you comrades and compatriots Amandla! -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. 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