The Congress of South African Trade Unions repeated its support for striking security guards on Thursday, announcing a number of events in support of the strike.
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said the federation will immediately establish strike committees to coordinate solidarity actions.
Cosatu’s affiliates will also organise pickets, demonstrations and marches against security-guard employer associations and companies.
”These workers are underpaid and ruthlessly exploited,” Vavi told reporters in Johannesburg. ”The industry is one of the most conservative, exploitative and backward, right after farm and domestic workers.”
The events were decided on by Cosatu’s central executive committee (CEC), which met in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Members of the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) have been on strike for a number of weeks over a wage dispute with employers. Their protests across the country have often turned violent.
Fourteen other unions have accepted an 8,3% wage increase, while Satawu members want 11%. Satawu is angry because the wage deal was signed without it, even though it has 35 000 members in the industry while the other 14 unions together represent 25 000 workers.
Vavi said the CEC condemned the incidents of violence, although many were not committed by strikers. However, he said Cosatu will not take action against Satawu as the union has on a number of occasions condemned the violence and said it would cooperate with the police.
He blamed the employers for the lack of discipline among some strikers, saying the employers’ ”vicious and intransigent” tactics have made workers angry and frustrated.
Vavi said the CEC welcomed a meeting at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration planned for Friday, to be attended by unions and employers.
He said Cosatu will also attend the meeting ”to ensure that a resolution is found”.
On Tuesday, Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana called off public hearings on wages and employment conditions in the security industry.
The minister has the final say on what wage increase the guards will get once he has been advised by the Employment Conditions Commission, which holds the hearings.
Mdladlana said: ”The current environment in the sector where the fourteen unions, employers and Satawu are not negotiating … is unacceptable and would make it difficult for us to implement a sectoral determination.”
Satawu’s members are not holding protests this week. — Sapa