Submission of the CWIU to the portfolio committee on Child and Family support
- Authors: Chemical Workers Industrial Union (CWIU)
- Date: 1997
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/170234 , vital:41871
- Description: Having studied and extensively discussed the new child support and benefit system as agreed by cabinet on 5 March 1997, the CWIU Western Cape Women's Committee at its seminar held on 5-6 April 1997, noted j:tee following: 1) That the pSC-cess leading up to this development was not transparent and democratic despite its far-reaching consequences for the poorest sections of our people. 2) That the new system is designed to meet the requirements set by the government's economic strategy - Growth Employment and Redistibution (GEAR) for "fiscal restraint" and reducing the budget deficit and not meeting the needs of the majority of South Africans. This economic strategy of the government is in itself its response to the demands of local and international capital and not in line with the promise of "A better life for all" as embodied in the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) and the new constitution which states the right for all "to have access to social security, including, if they are unable to support themselves and their dependents, appropriate social assistance". 3) That certain assumptions are made regarding the requirements of families, specifically women and their unsupported children, with regard to their survival, let alone decent living standards. In particular we refer to the new rates of R75 per child (under the age of 6 years) per month which is according to the government "slightly above the household subsistence level". This raises a number of serious questions and implications. Who determined these figures, what are they based on and who is it aimed at ? For years in the labour movement we have been confronted by capitalist bosses with similar "scientific statistics" across the bargaining table when fighting for decent wages. We have always rejected these as being based on existing poverty levels and seeking to perpetuate these conditions. These figures are also determined by academics hidden and protected by the privilege of the university environment, treating our poverty as mere scientific subjects for study to strengthen the ideological hand of their capitalist masters. We reject the figures and are convinced that the new rates will have the effect of increasing poverty. It has also been pointed out to us, for what it is worth, that the actual "Household Subsistence Level" figure is more than what the government has decided, ie. R96.83.
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- Date Issued: 1997
Profile on CWIU
- Authors: Chemical Workers Industrial Union (CWIU)
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/170170 , vital:41864
- Description: Chemical Workers Industrial Union (GW1U) CW1U wus launched in November 1074 following a wuvo of strikes by workers in Durban, who wero demanding bettor wages. During those dark yours when repression wus at its highest peak, workers hud no hade unions to assist them. In chemical, transport, textile and .paper industries, workers formed trade unions to take their struggle forward. They also formed a tight .federation, the Trade Union Advisory and Co-ordinating Committee (TUACC). At its launch in 1974, CWIU was concentrated in Durban and had just under 1 000 members. In July 1980, a branch was opened in the "old” Transvaal. In building a national union, CWIU merged with Glass and Allied Workers Union (Gawu) in 1982. In the interim, other branches where launched throughout the country, though it was easy task with security cops keeping surveillance on every movement of union officials. To build a stronger united worker-front, CWIU took quantum leap when it merged again with Plastics and Allied Workers Union in 1986.
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- Date Issued: 1996
Staff development policy
- Authors: Chemical Workers Industrial Union (CWIU)
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/170184 , vital:41866
- Description: CWIU is committed to the development of all its staff members. Therefore all staff members will have the opportunity to further their skills and. education supported by the Union. 1.1. The primary objective is to ensure that the aims and objectives of the union are achieved through an efficient,effective and excellent staff; 1.2. In addition,the union believes that individual staff members should have the opportunity to realise their full potential; Therefore,in implementing a Staff Development policy a balance will be achieved between organisational needs,which are primary,and personal needs of staff members.
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- Date Issued: 1995
Staffing committee meeting report
- Authors: Chemical Workers Industrial Union (CWIU)
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/170205 , vital:41868
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- Date Issued: 1995
Centralised bargaining - Where to CWIU
- Authors: Chemical Workers Industrial Union (CWIU)
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/170148 , vital:41862
- Description: Since the late 1980's, there has been a serious realisation on the part of Cosatu and CWIU leadership, of the need for Centralised Bargaining. Two broad areas of concern which pressurised us in this direction were: 1) The low level of class consciousness on the part of the majority of members during this period especially with regard to the complete lack of solidarity around wage struggles. 2) The organisational incapacity of the unions to cope with the excessive demands of plant based bargaining. This wasted resources and undermined the quality of work and achievement of annual wage bargaining. Faced by this reality, achieving consensus on the need for a campaign to achieve centralised bargaining at leadership level was relatively easy. Unions in other sectors eg. metal, mining, clothing, textile and the public sector, regularly set examples of what could be achieved by well run centralised bargaining. Numsa's experience illustrated the strengths and pitfalls of centralised bargaining - ie. Numsa's mandating and report back processes, the Mercedes Benz strike by opponents to the "one bite at the cherry".
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- Date Issued: 1994
CWIU Congress resolutions 1993 - Draft
- Authors: Chemical Workers Industrial Union (CWIU)
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/170159 , vital:41863
- Description: The CWIU recognises the need to develop a long term organisational vision, develop and implement creative and effective strategies, prioritise campaigns/activities in order to be able to sustain these, adapt and change by a process of restructuring, deal effectively with political and economic issues. Development of a long term Vision Congress reaffirms our objective of a socialist future Our programmes must therefore reflect this vision. The trade union movement as a working class organisation has a major role in any socialist programme. The labour movement must remain independent. This independence must not be compromised. Overall strategy for trade union movement The current direction of Cosatu towards so called "Strategic Unionism" must be thoroughly discussed. A progamme of discussion on this must be implemented in the Union. We confirm our belief in the following principles and any strategy must be based on these: worker control, accountability of leadership a combination of negotiations,mass action and struggle as the means to achieve our goals/demands.
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- Date Issued: 1993