A recruitment drive for a new workers’ federation began in earnest yesterday when expelled Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi shared details in East London.
The new federation would take cue from strategies of mass campaigns formulated by students for the #FeesMustFall protests and the protests against outsourcing of services at universities.
“We’ll say to hospital chief executive officers ‘employ ’.
“Forget about the law. The students did not apply for anything.
“Why can’t we create the same havoc ... not chaos but mass campaigns to get workers liberated,” said Vavi.
Vavi circulated a document spelling out what would be done, among 200 workers who were previously members of some of Cosatu affiliates, at a meeting organised by the South African Public Servants Union (Sapsu).
The latter is led by Thobile Ntola, who was expelled from the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu).
The meeting – held at the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) offices in the city centre yesterday – was a precursor to a provincial summit to be held next month.
The new federation, which has been touted to be independent and worker-centred, will rival Cosatu and is set to be launched in May this year.
It will also target unions that were affiliated with Cosatu.
These included the National Education, Health and Allied Worker’s Union and Sadtu.
The federation, said Vavi, would also include members from civil society groups and non-aligned unions.
There were talks underway with some non-government organisations and other independent unions which had shown interest, he said.
Present at the meeting were former members from the Sadtu provincial executive committee, Numsa, Food and Allied Workers Union, South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union, and National Union of Careworkers of South Africa.
Vavi told the gathering that a programme of action had been set up and members would be required to use similar tactics that were employed by Cosatu and Sadtu to build the federation.
“The recruitment campaign will be a matter of life and death.
“If we are to start toyi-toyiing here on Oxford, we’ll go door-to-door in these shops, ask questions like who is employed here, where they come from, but we are not promoting xenophobia.
“We want to ensure that are here legally,” he said.
Other questions would be whether employees were casuals or permanently employed to ensure that the law – that states that workers should only remain as casuals for up to three months and thereafter be made permanent – was applied.
Vavi said members would want to about know those who were unionised in the workplace, so they could exercise their right.
“We will clear garages,” he said, adding that union members will also target security guards at hospitals.
Temporary teachers would also be targeted.
He said students had been successful in their campaigns and had delivered where unions had failed – rendering the unions as irrelevant and in need of reform.
“Students are taking up battles that were left unattended by unions and scoring major success,” he said.
Several meetings in the coming weeks were also scheduled to look into weaknesses of other federations and their members.
Vavi starts drive for new workers’ federation
The new federation would take cue from strategies of mass campaigns formulated by students for the #FeesMustFall protests and the protests against outsourcing of services at universities.
“We’ll say to hospital chief executive officers ‘employ ’.
“Forget about the law. The students did not apply for anything.
“Why can’t we create the same havoc ... not chaos but mass campaigns to get workers liberated,” said Vavi.
Vavi circulated a document spelling out what would be done, among 200 workers who were previously members of some of Cosatu affiliates, at a meeting organised by the South African Public Servants Union (Sapsu).
The latter is led by Thobile Ntola, who was expelled from the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu).
The meeting – held at the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) offices in the city centre yesterday – was a precursor to a provincial summit to be held next month.
The new federation, which has been touted to be independent and worker-centred, will rival Cosatu and is set to be launched in May this year.
It will also target unions that were affiliated with Cosatu.
These included the National Education, Health and Allied Worker’s Union and Sadtu.
The federation, said Vavi, would also include members from civil society groups and non-aligned unions.
There were talks underway with some non-government organisations and other independent unions which had shown interest, he said.
Present at the meeting were former members from the Sadtu provincial executive committee, Numsa, Food and Allied Workers Union, South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union, and National Union of Careworkers of South Africa.
Vavi told the gathering that a programme of action had been set up and members would be required to use similar tactics that were employed by Cosatu and Sadtu to build the federation.
“The recruitment campaign will be a matter of life and death.
“If we are to start toyi-toyiing here on Oxford, we’ll go door-to-door in these shops, ask questions like who is employed here, where they come from, but we are not promoting xenophobia.
“We want to ensure that are here legally,” he said.
Other questions would be whether employees were casuals or permanently employed to ensure that the law – that states that workers should only remain as casuals for up to three months and thereafter be made permanent – was applied.
Vavi said members would want to about know those who were unionised in the workplace, so they could exercise their right.
“We will clear garages,” he said, adding that union members will also target security guards at hospitals.
Temporary teachers would also be targeted.
He said students had been successful in their campaigns and had delivered where unions had failed – rendering the unions as irrelevant and in need of reform.
“Students are taking up battles that were left unattended by unions and scoring major success,” he said.
Several meetings in the coming weeks were also scheduled to look into weaknesses of other federations and their members.
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