Johannesburg | Wednesday
LAST month’s two-day national strike organised by the Congress of SA Trade Unions had little impact on the economy, according to Public Enterprises Minister Jeff Radebe.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, he said although the full impact was not yet known, figures supplied by the country’s parastatals showed relatively few workers had heeded the trade federation’s call.
”From available information, there was very little economic impact from the strikes.”
Cosatu called on its more than one-million members to strike on August 29 and 30 in protest against the government’s privatisation plans.
Radebe said figures showed there was ”minimal” disruption to the business of state-owned enterprises and the private sector.
”With regard to parastatals, approximately eight percent heeded the call to strike.”
At Transnet, only 7 084 out of a total workforce of 70 000 stayed away from work on the first day of the strike, and only 6 234 on the second day.
Out of electricity parastatal Eskom’s total workforce of 34 000, only 1 038 and 928 employees respectively did not arrive for work during the two-day stay-away.
Only 4 704 workers at Telkom went on strike on the first day, out of a total 43 364 employees, while at Denel, 1 360 employees out of a 9 340 member workforce went on strike on the first day, and 1 060 on the second.
”However, the actual cost of these minimal disruptions to the economy as a whole is not known at this stage, and disruption to other services, such as support staff in IT, are not as yet measurable,” he said.
Cosatu has hailed the strike as a major success, and according to the union about 70% of its members had taken part in the mass action.
Radebe said the two-day strike would not alter the government’s commitment to its restructuring programme.
The benefits of restructuring the economy were clear, and it would be irresponsible, and a ”dereliction of duty” if government were to not proceed, he said.
Leading government figures, including President Thabo Mbeki, engaged in a war of words with tripartite alliance partner Cosatu in the lead-up to the strike.
Government branded the trade federation’s actions misleading, called its leaders hypocrites, and vowed to continue its privatisation programme.
Radebe on Wednesday said the state would continue to engage with Cosatu to address its concerns over the restructuring process. – Sapa