The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) says it is receiving overwhelming support for its general strike against labour brokers, scheduled for 7 March.
“It is all-systems go for the biggest mass protest in years. Thirty-two marches will be taking place around the country, all starting at 9am.”
The protest is also against the casualisation of labour and the imposition of e-tolling in Gauteng.
The federation met with civil society organisations yesterday to discuss the extent to which their sectors of economy will be affected by the strike. It says the strike is supported by all organisations in the Western Cape, including all unions, NGOs, civil society, religious organisations and schools organisations.
“All indications are that the economy of Cape Town will be brought to a halt, as expression is given to the opposition [to] modern day slavery, namely labour brokers.”
Potato sacks
Cosatu says its members are determined to put an end to labour broking, “a practice which is nothing less than a form of human trafficking, reducing workers to commodities, hired out to companies like sacks of potatoes, usually with no benefits, poverty wages and no job security”.
It adds that these workers can easily be intimidated into not joining a union and exercising their constitutional right to organise, bargain and strike, and this is why the central executive committee insisted that every effort must be made to mobilise workers employed by labour brokers to join the action on 7 March.
“Cosatu, as always, would prefer not to have to ask its members to sacrifice a day's pay, and our door is open to further negotiations with the relevant ministers to try to reach agreement on these issues, even at this late stage. Banning labour brokers... however, remains our basic demand.”
It has called on members to intensify the mobilisation of the entire working class and to participate in the protest actions.
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