The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) claimed to have shut down the clothing industry in the Western Cape on Monday during a one-day strike in the province and in the Eastern Cape.
But a Western Cape clothing-industry spokesperson described the shutdown claim as ”a joke”.
Police and union leaders also differed on the number of people who turned up for a march over job losses through central Cape Town.
The police said about 5 000 people took part in the march, compared with a turnout of 27 000 for a similar march in June this year.
Cosatu Western Cape provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich disputed the police figure, saying the total was in fact 25 000, and that he was not disappointed with the turnout.
”Clearly the workers are reaffirming the message to both government and business that there’s hardships, and something needs to be done,” he said. ”Thousands of workers are willing to lose a day’s pay to make this point. That must tell you that there’s a crisis.”
A few minutes later, he told the marchers that the media were going to suggest that ”only 200” workers took part in the march.
”But you will know that they are lying, because there’s more than 30 000 workers right down to the end,” he said.
Addressing the marchers at the gates of Parliament, Cosatu president Willy Madisha said: ”Cosatu are very happy because in the clothing and textile industry here in the Western Cape, we have total shutdown.
”In the Eastern Cape, the motor-car industry, DaimlerChrysler, we have a total shutdown. We have therefore succeeded, comrades.”
‘Distorted’ Cosatu figures
The executive director of employers’ organisation the Cape Clothing Association, Gert van Zyl, said the Cosatu figures were ”absolutely distorted”.
He had received figures on Monday from 49 of the association’s 126 members, with those 49 representing a spread of large, medium and small businesses that between them employ just more than 12 000 people.
”Quite a few had full turnout: one factory with almost 500 employees did not have one person out. A large number had absenteeism of less than 10%. And, of course, then there were some very hard hit, 70% and 80% out,” he said.
The overall absenteeism rate among the 49 was 46%, though this did not necessarily mean those people went on the march.
”The story about the complete shutdown in the industry, it’s a joke,” he said.
DaimlerChrysler production-plant spokesperson Cheryl Kirsten said though workers had wanted to come in, the company decided not to run production because of the uncertainty of getting parts from suppliers affected by the strike.
Cosatu Eastern Cape provincial secretary Xola Phakathi said a total of about 20 000 people took part in marches in East London (where DaimlerChrysler is located), Port Elizabeth, Queenstown and Mthatha.
Memorandum handed over
Outside Parliament in Cape Town, Madisha handed a memorandum to Deputy Minister of Trade and Rob Davies, which said that in the first quarter of this year alone, the formal sector shed more than 130 000 jobs.
It called on the government to exert stronger pressure on business to save jobs, do more to ensure a competitive rand (which would be more favourable for exports) and buy locally.
Madisha said the government has to make sure it is impossible for employers to ”simply go on and dismiss workers like the employers are doing today”.
The government bears the blame for the flood of cheap imports from China and other places, which leads to ongoing job losses in local factories.
”They, as government, have got to move with us in making sure there are safeguards, that our people are protected … We are faced with a crisis in South Africa.”
Taking the memorandum, Davies said he will ”pass it on” and try to ensure it is taken seriously. — Sapa