Thami Mazwai One understands Cosatu supremo Zwelinzima Vavi’s overriding passion for the welfare and well-being of workers. After all, fighting for workers is his profession as well as his bread and butter. But is he not being a bit myopic?
There is no point in protecting rights if these result in investor wariness and the declining union membership now being experienced worldwide in a globalising environment in which technology provides the edge. It would make more sense for the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) to be a partner in the creation of jobs and the provision of worker skills. For this we need an environment in which recklessness and radicalism take a back seat. Regrettably, Vavi seems to be blind to the issues and the facts. As such, he comes across as a slave to dogma. It’s hard to discern what he means when he says Cosatu will not allow the government to snatch away labour’s hard-won victories. These were secured during the days of apartheid. It is irresponsible to now try to tar the current government with the same brush, as if it is continuing the labour repression of the apartheid regime. The government has overhauled repressive labour legislation; even farm and domestic workers now enjoy some semblance of protection. Institutions such as the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration now give workers a fair measure of protection. The liberal media’s reference to “Comrade Tito” (the African National Congress’s first minister of labour, Tito Mboweni, who is now Governor of the South African Reserve Bank) shows just how serious this government was about labour protection. His successor, Membathisi Mdladlana, is a graduate of the labour movement. As minister of labour, he must now look at the broader picture. His role is not to simply protect labour but to create a labour market and environment that promotes economic growth and development. If this means scrapping hard-won labour rights that hinder economic growth and the creation of jobs, so be it. In any case, protection for jobs and labour lies in economic growth. As a businessman, I know that my workers are the final arbiters on whether Mafube Publishing grows. All progressive employers are determined to ensure the welfare and well-being of workers so that they can make healthy profits.
Granted, there are blood-sucking employers with scant regard for blacks as human beings and who live in the past, exploiting and oppressing labour. And they are not necessarily all white. These are the people who must be hounded out of the system, not the businessman who is seriously concerned about his company’s growth and profit margins and who applies humane measures (such as training workers) to achieve these objectives. Mdladlana’s amendments, which have more to do with economic development than anything else, must be seen in this context. Thus it does not make sense for Cosatu to object to: l The variation of core rights, including work hours; l Easier probation provisions; l Retrenchments subject to consultation; and l The abolition of premium pay for Sunday work. Employers are also not happy and have problems with several provisions of the law but continue to operate and do not hold anybody to ransom. Considering some of the legislation, there’s no doubt the amendments are long overdue. With 36 staff, Mafube is in the small- and medium-enterprise sector. In the publishing industry, it competes against TML, Caxton, Primedia, Nasionale and Independent. These giants do not use kid gloves when dealing with us. Staff are poached all round and Mafube has little recourse.
The point, comrade Vavi, is that an organisation like mine needs protection, not exposure. We cannot operate under the same regulations as our competitors. The variation of core worker rights will help us to survive. I cannot afford to pay my workers a premium for working on Sunday. Nasionale, Caxton and Primedia can, but I cannot. I cannot afford any ceiling on overtime. I cannot afford to sit with Independent and negotiate wages at a bargaining council. What might be acceptable to them could put paid to Mafube. To show that I cannot afford this, my staff and I are gleefully contravening the Act. Countless other small businesses are doing so too. Workers and small-business owners know that if we were to leave ourselves at the mercy of Cosatu’s hysterical demands, we would soon be out of business. Incidentally, if Mafube collapses, 36 families will have no livelihood. If this is what Vavi wants, we will fight him to the bitter end. Reprinted by kind permission of Finance Week