The Congress of South African Trade Unions considered recent protests and a national stayaway over rising food, fuel and electricity prices as major victories in which it had ”earned its battle stripes”.
It showed that Cosatu was serious about its demands for more affordable electricity, secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi said at a media briefing on Thursday, following a Cosatu central executive committee meeting.
Cosatu’s actions had contributed to the rejection of the proposed 53% increase that power utility Eskom had proposed, Vavi said.
Although this contributed to the final tariff increase being lower, discussions were still continuing at Nedlac with Business Unity SA (Busa) because Cosatu’s demands had not been met.
Cosatu and Busa have written to Finance Minister Trevor Manuel to discuss the proposed two-cents-per-kilowatt levy to be implemented in October, which would increase tariffs by another 10% in one year and undermine the principle of increases being phased in gradually.
Cosatu also called on its members to identify job losses caused by the electricity crisis, which caused major disruptions to manufacturing at the beginning of the year.
Cosatu was also pleased that a task team to discuss food prices was considering a structure to monitor food prices in response to its demand for price regulation.
Cosatu also wanted more information on the government’s decision to increase the value of social grants and a decision on the proposed zero-rating of further basic foodstuffs.
”Government is to-ing and fro-ing on the issue of zero-rating further basic foodstuffs,” Vavi said.
Cosatu suggested that the government use the R4-billion it would lose by zero rating chicken to support small farmers.
It accused the media of ignoring the victories it had achieved in terms of electricity and food-price rises, saying it was obsessed about its support for African National Congress president Jacob Zuma.
Affirming its support for Zuma, a statement issued at the briefing said that he had been under attack by the media and that those who support him are characterised as ”stupid and dangerous demagogues”.
They battled to get space to reply in newspapers and felt the Press Ombudsman favoured the media.
In response, Cosatu planned a ”counter-offensive” against the ”daily bias against workers and the left that always pervades the media” and the claim that Cosatu was obsessed with Zuma.
Cosatu was formed in December 1985 to improve conditions of working people, to organise ”the unorganised” and for peace and democracy. – Sapa