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.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1997
Centralised bargaining now!
- Authors: CWIU
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/119104 , vital:34701
- Description: Keynote addresses were delivered by the Acting General Secretary, Cde Muzi Buthelezi, Cde Jay Naidoo COSATU General Secretary and CWIU President, Cde Don Gumede. Cde Gumede outlined the purposes of the conference “to assess progress and problems, to plan our path in order to provide a clear programme towards centralised bargaining as a result of proper analysis”, He urged delegates “to push employers into joint employers forums to negotiate on proper wages, job creation and an end to retrenchments”. Cde Jay Naidoo addressed the conference on the burning issues of the day. He spoke about VAT, the National Economic Negotiating Forum, trade union unity and CODESA. Cde Naidoo stressed that future economic and political policies must be formulated on the basis of daily and immediate issues facing the working people. Acting General Secretary, Cde Muzi Buthelezi outlined the progress made in the struggle for centralised bargaining. “We have to note” he said, “that the chemical bosses are very tough on this question. They do not want to negotiate, meet or do anything as an industry. They want to keep all activities at a plant or company level”. The remainder of the conference was given the task of redefining the sectors within the chemical industry, developing core demands and outlining a programme of action. Delegates broke into their different sectors to discuss these issues before returning to plenary to thrash out the major steps to be taken by the union in the coming months.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
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.
- Full Text:
- 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
- Full Text:
- 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".
- Full Text:
- 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.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
Union restructuring
- Authors: CWIU
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178882 , vital:43007
- Description: The idea to restructure the union is not a new one. Political changes in our country compelled almost all the unions to consider the possibilities of restructuring the union and the industry in general. New approaches to Collective Bargaining Strategies came to the fore. The good example of these Bargaining strategies was the NUMSA THREE YEAR BARGAINING STRATEGY (1993). Later in the same year, CWIU also introduced its Bargaining Strategy in the form of five pillars. The common thing about Numsa and CWIU bargaining strategies is that they both failed to deliver and the process of setting up working groups are more complex than expected. The main cause of the tap problem in my view is that the existing union structures are a big deterent to the development and implementation of new bargaining strategies. Our Centralised Bargaining victory and the new LRA will demand major union restructuring if we want to utilise the openings created by these new developments. In this discussion paper, I will focus on how we should restructure our union. In this paper, I am suggesting that the union (CWIU) must be made up of four semi-autonomous departments.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
Centralised bargaining now! - CWIU NBC OUTLINES PROGRAMME OF ACTION
- Authors: CWIU
- Date: May 1992
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/110172 , vital:33239
- Description: Over 150 delegates from different sectors and branches of CWIU met at Wits University on 4/ 5 April to plot the way forward within the industry. This was the unions second National Bargaining Conference. The key issue at the conference was how to fight for centralised bargaining. Keynote addresses were delivered by the Acting General Secretary, Cde Muzi Buthelezi, Cde Jay Naidoo COSATU General Secretary and CWIU President, Cde Don Gumede. Cde Gumede outlined the purposes of the conference “to assess progress and problems, to plan our path in order to provide a clear programme towards centralised bargaining as a result of proper analysis”, He urged delegates “to push employers into joint employers forums to negotiate on proper wages, job creation and an end to retrenchments”. Cde Jay Naidoo addressed the conference on the burning issues of the day. He spoke about VAT, the National Economic Negotiating Forum, trade union unity and CODESA. Cde Naidoo stressed that future economic and political policies must be formulated on the basis of daily and immediate issues facing the working people.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: May 1992
Intermediate shop steward training manual
- Authors: CWIU
- Date: Apr 1992
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/135509 , vital:37272
- Description: Dismissal is managements main weapon against workers. The union strives for JOB SECURITY for all workers; companies try to create INSECURITY amongst workers. Fighting against dismissals is therefore one of the biggest jobs a shop steward faces. A shop steward must be able to handle individual dismissal cases, without having to call in the organiser. In the old days, foremen / managers could fire workers for any small reason, and get away with it. Since 1973 workers have rebuilt unions to fight for their rights. One of the rights workers have fought for is the right to challenge dismissals. Workers have fought for this right in the factories and in the Industrial Court. Through such struggles, progress has been made, and certain rules have developed about what is " fair " and what is " unfair Management and the government are always trying to find ways to make dismissals easier. For instance the Labour Relations Act was changed in 1988. In the new Act, it was made easier for management to dismiss workers. However, the Unions fought and struggled to take out these changes to the Act. On May 1 1991 the Labour Relations Act was once again changed - this time more in favour of workers. Now, dismissals have to follow certain strict rules.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Apr 1992
Winning strikes - A guide to strike action
- Authors: CWIU
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/155901 , vital:39929
- Description: In recent years, CWIU has been amongst the top six unions involved in strike activity in South Africa. The militancy of our members dates back to the early seventies when it was often impossible to get union recognition without strike action. Over and above plant strikes, the membership of CWIU have a rich history of participating in political mass actions such as the stayaway in the Transvaal in November 1984 against conditions in the schools and townships, and against the LRA Amendments in the late 1980's, and in 1990 and 1991 against VAT. Today, when the bosses are talking about retrenchment, rationalisation, inflation, privatisation, deregulation and productivity, the strike remains one of the most powerful and favoured weapons of the organised labour movement. But not all strikes have been successful. A number of heroic battles fought by workers were defeated. At times workers go on strikes without properly preparing. At other times the issue that they are fighting can be bettter resolved through other avenues of struggle. This booklet is a manual for strike action. We hope that it will assist workers in taking effective and planned action to avoid some of the pitfalls of the past. The booklet outlines some of the key questions that workers should answer before going on strike. It also discusses the most important elements of strike organisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
Women workers
- Authors: CWIU
- Date: 1991
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178894 , vital:43009
- Description: In South Africa the majority of women workers are oppressed and exploited as workers,blacks and as women. Our resolution says that one of the key ways women can take up their rightful place as active members and leaders of our society is through active policies of affirmative action at the workplace and within our own organisations. The resolution calls on employers to work towards ending discrimination at the workplace as quickly as possible and for an end to discrimination within our own organisations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1991
ICEF Energy conference
- Authors: CWIU
- Date: 1990
- Subjects: CWIU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/152450 , vital:39279
- Description: The decline in world energy consumption caused by the twin oil price hikes of 1973 and 1979 checked development in the major market economies and triggered the process of industrial restructuring that has so profoundly affected all sectors and all regions. ore efficient use of more expensive energy and strategic policy changes have made major contributions to easing the historical reliance upon energy inputs - especially in the case of oil. As a result the ratio between energy consumption and growth of gross world production has diminished by nearly 25 % over the past fifteen years. It has been estimated that full use of available energy-efficient technologies could cut per capita energy use by as much as 50% without impeding economic growth. The extent to which these gains are realized will depend upon a wide variety of economic and developmental factors, among which the price management of fuels is a very important one. here has also been a change in the industrial mix of the major OECD economies with the decline of old industries using high energy imputs and the rise of high technology sectors with different and lower energy requirements. The shift of much basic manufacturing to new locations in the developing world and to the hitherto centrally planned economies is likely to precipitate a further important change in energy requirements. emand for energy is forecast to continue to grow at only about half the rate of general economic growth over the short to medium term. Consumption is very uneven on a world scale, however. In 1988 the world consumed energy equivalent to some 8 billion tonnes of oil (Tonnes Oil Equivalent, or TOE) - an average of 1.3 tonnes for every man, woman and child on Earth. While citizens of the USA will consume an average of 8 TOE per capita, however, the average for both Japan and Western Europe is around 3 TOE, while people in the Third World still rely on fuelwood and dried animal dung as important energy resources, consuming only a small fraction of a TOE each in many cases.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1990