COSATU supports current strikes 

The Congress of South African Trade Unions declares its complete support for the striking workers in the local government, beverage and motor sectors. Many of these strikers live in informal settlements, because their wages are too low to afford decent housing and other basic necessities.

On average more than 20% of workers' disposable incomes is swallowed by transportation costs of due to the persisting legacy of apartheid racial spatial development which have ensured that African workers generally live far from their workplaces. No workers must be subjected to poverty wages and highly racialised and exploitative working conditions. 

SAMWU 

The South African Local Government's (SALGA) refusal to discuss anything with a monetary value with the union, thus leading to the collapse of the negotiations must not go unpunished. The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs must rein in SALGA to avert the imminent strike by municipal workers. 

FAWU 

COSATU calls upon the employer, South Africa Breweries (SAB) to meet the workers' demand for a 9% increase which is within their reach, anyways. It is worrying that SAB is only concerned about ensuring that there was not a shortage of beer produced whilst it shows little compassion for workers whom it pays peanuts. 

NUMSA 

NUMSA has been negotiating with motor sector employers since April 2013. It is worrying that employers still adamantly refuse to concede to the reasonable demands by workers. 

COSATU shares NUMSA's anger that the employers acted so irresponsibly by refusing to exchange proposals with the national leadership, to find a possible settlement. The union is right to see this as a declaration of war, which compelled NUMSA to embark on a strike, to force the bosses to concede to their legitimate demands. 

Statement issued by Norman Mampane, COSATU communications officer, October 5 2013

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