Saftu to join Cosatu’s protest against the country’s economic policies

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) has confirmed that it will join Cosatu in a strike on Wednesday next week over the country’s economic policies.

Saftu General-Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi says they have already submitted a notice to strike to Nedlac in Rosebank, Johannesburg.

Saftu to submit notice to strike over SA’s economic policies: 

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Vavi says Nedlac is excluding various unions from participating in its meeting and they want it to facilitate discussions on the high unemployment and issues of corruption among other challenges that the country’s economy is facing.

Nedlac agrees on action plan for economic recovery: 

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Vavi says they are calling for a second strike on 2 December 2020 and they plan to embark on a three-day total lockdown of the economy in 2021.

“We regard the totality of the unfolding calamity at all levels of our lives, be it poverty, unemployment and inequality as something that requires unity amongst all the working class formation in order to force government and big business to respond and to address the crisis that we are facing. And if they don’t come to us in terms of favourable terms in what we are asking for, we are definitely going to strike.”

Vavi says the country is at a point of no return and the continued lack of service delivery, job creation and heightened levels of poverty are a recipe for a civil war.

“We are finding ourselves at a point of no return. We are risking a new civil war with the levels of poverty; the levels of unemployment; inequalities and the state of service delivery by our local governments. We are coming in here to force a discussion and should that discussion bare no fruit, we will no doubt occupy the streets. We going to be occupying from Prasa to Transnet to Denel to SAA to Eskom; everywhere and we will get the protection for all those workers who want to participate.”

Saftu to join Cosatu’s strike against the country’s economic policies: 

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Source: SABC News (sabcnews.com)