The National Shutdown on Wednesday, 24 August, was described as a day that will never be forgotten, in phrases of unification, by South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) President, Ruth Ntlokotse, exterior Parliament in Cape Town.
SAFTU NATIONAL SHUTDOWN MARCH IN CAPE TOWN
Ntlokotse addressed protestors exterior parliament, which was the final cease of a march that noticed memoranda of calls for handed over to the municipal, provincial and nationwide governments, in addition to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).
“The message we are sending to the government today is that we are saying enough is enough. It cannot be that workers’ living standards are declining on a day-to-day basis and they pretend as if that situation is normal,” stated Ntlokotse to reporters after the march concluded.
SAFTU and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) each mobilised members and the general public at massive to participate in a socioeconomic protest impressed by the worsening residing situations of working-class folks.
The marketing campaign particularly talked about the rising value of residing; load shedding; unemployment and the necessity for a primary earnings grant; crime; ending austerity and placing an finish to the privatisation of State-owned entities as a few of the causes for the protest.
FOUR STOPS FOR PROTESTORS
In Cape Town, there have been a sequence of audio system from unions and civil society teams that addressed the group earlier than a consultant signed and accepted the memorandum.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis accepted the doc himself and briefly addressed the group. People spoke about their considerations about crime in town and the mayor took the chance to inform the crow in regards to the 100 new Law Enforcement officers who will be deployed in simply the CBD, which will apparently give the City a 24-hour policing presence in the realm.
Outside the DMRE places of work, NUMSA Western Cape Regional Secretary, Vuyo Lufele, stated the union and Federation don’t want “any energy in private hands.” He hit out at Independent Power Producer (IPP) procurement and stated the observe is similar to the tender system.
“This fight will continue until the price of electricity goes down, until the people are in control of the energy sector,” stated Lufele.
A regional supervisor for the DMRE, Pieter Swart, signed the memorandum on behalf of the division and promised they might reply throughout the stipulated time interval. The memorandum known as for an finish to load shedding, extra reasonably priced electrical energy and extra free items for poor households.
The core calls for in the memorandum handed to the provincial authorities in Wale Street targeted on unemployment and the necessity for a primary earnings grant.
“We are tired of suffering. You would not be here if you were not tired of suffering,” stated Bravo Thompson, #PayThe Grants Western Cape coordinator.
SAFTU’s memorandum requires the R350 grant to be changed by a primary earnings grant. R1500 is the determine referred to by the Federation.
An unnamed consultant from the provincial legislature signed the memorandum with out addressing the group.
Another unnamed consultant clambered onto the trailer exterior parliament to signal the doc. He instructed SAFTU management he works in Corporate Services and was instructed to not say a phrase. This angered the group and Ntlokotse was pressured to ask them to not heckle the parliament official as a result of “he’s a worker too.”
Later, the SAFTU president stated the very fact that the nationwide authorities “refused” to simply accept the memorandum of calls for was “clear undermining.”
“[This is] an illustration that they are taking us for granted,” stated Ntlokotse. However, the Federation chief stated SAFTU was happy that each labour federations agreed to take their calls for to the streets on 24 August. “Yes, we march separately but we strike together. It’s a positive step in the right direction – unity of workers will enable us to achieve so many things.”
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