South African local government bargaining council
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/173941 , vital:42423
- Description: The headings of the clauses in this agreement are for the purpose of convenience and reference only and shall not be used in the interpretation of nor modify nor amplify the terms of this agreement for any clause hereof.
- Full Text:
- Authors: SAMWU
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/173941 , vital:42423
- Description: The headings of the clauses in this agreement are for the purpose of convenience and reference only and shall not be used in the interpretation of nor modify nor amplify the terms of this agreement for any clause hereof.
- Full Text:
SAMWU's Anti-Privatisation campaign 1997-1999
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: 1999
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/111213 , vital:33414
- Description: Last week, SAMWU held lunchtime demonstrations around the country to protest against the privatisation of municipal services. The demonstrations were well attended with reports from the regions indicating that thousands of workers turned out. SAMWU has received an overwhelming show of solidarity from the international community. The General Secretary of UNISON, Britain’s largest public sector union with over 1 million members, wrote that “The UK experience of water privatisation has been huge windfall profits for the companies, record dividends for their shareholders, and massive pay rises for those at the top of these companies. At the same time, employees have suffered job losses, while consumers have had massive price rises. Drought restrictions are widespread and almost one third of all water leaks from old pipes.” The Community and Public Sector Union is Australia wrote that “the Victorian government has pursued similar policies since its election in 1992, and this has resulted in the loss of over 30 000 jobs. Despite the massive effort at privatisation, the state remains the highest taxed state in the nation!” The President of the Public Services Association in Trinidad and Tobago wrote “Our own experience is that Severn Trent of the UK has been granted a loan facility by our government to cover all operational losses for the three year period, thereby taking no risks and collecting management fees of millions of dollars. Water is the most essential commodity for humans and it should never be handed over to the private sector profiteers.” The Executive Committee of Algemene Onderwijsbond, Netherlands wrote: “the evil of privatisation of public holdings is a worldwide problem.. .be convinced of our solidarity and support with your struggle.” SINTAP, the Portuguese Union representing public administration personnel wrote: “We hope the Ministry of Constitutional Development will be able to accept your pilot projects for public sector alternatives to privatisation of water and waste services.” The International Secretary of the 1.3 million member AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) wrote: “given its central importance to sustaining life, water must remain in public hands. We applaud your actions to ensure working conditions for those employed in these critical public services and your leadership in educating the community of the danges associated with privatisation.” The President of the Lithuanian Trade Union Federation of Public Services faxed SAMWU’s President a message saying that “in Lithuania, the capital city of Vilnius has been fighting French multinational Lyonnaise Des Eaux for four years. They want to buy our city’s water system for 5 million US dollars and get 30% of the shares, which is valued at 660 000 US dollars. Its profit the company will get from our citizens pockets.”
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1999
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: 1999
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/111213 , vital:33414
- Description: Last week, SAMWU held lunchtime demonstrations around the country to protest against the privatisation of municipal services. The demonstrations were well attended with reports from the regions indicating that thousands of workers turned out. SAMWU has received an overwhelming show of solidarity from the international community. The General Secretary of UNISON, Britain’s largest public sector union with over 1 million members, wrote that “The UK experience of water privatisation has been huge windfall profits for the companies, record dividends for their shareholders, and massive pay rises for those at the top of these companies. At the same time, employees have suffered job losses, while consumers have had massive price rises. Drought restrictions are widespread and almost one third of all water leaks from old pipes.” The Community and Public Sector Union is Australia wrote that “the Victorian government has pursued similar policies since its election in 1992, and this has resulted in the loss of over 30 000 jobs. Despite the massive effort at privatisation, the state remains the highest taxed state in the nation!” The President of the Public Services Association in Trinidad and Tobago wrote “Our own experience is that Severn Trent of the UK has been granted a loan facility by our government to cover all operational losses for the three year period, thereby taking no risks and collecting management fees of millions of dollars. Water is the most essential commodity for humans and it should never be handed over to the private sector profiteers.” The Executive Committee of Algemene Onderwijsbond, Netherlands wrote: “the evil of privatisation of public holdings is a worldwide problem.. .be convinced of our solidarity and support with your struggle.” SINTAP, the Portuguese Union representing public administration personnel wrote: “We hope the Ministry of Constitutional Development will be able to accept your pilot projects for public sector alternatives to privatisation of water and waste services.” The International Secretary of the 1.3 million member AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) wrote: “given its central importance to sustaining life, water must remain in public hands. We applaud your actions to ensure working conditions for those employed in these critical public services and your leadership in educating the community of the danges associated with privatisation.” The President of the Lithuanian Trade Union Federation of Public Services faxed SAMWU’s President a message saying that “in Lithuania, the capital city of Vilnius has been fighting French multinational Lyonnaise Des Eaux for four years. They want to buy our city’s water system for 5 million US dollars and get 30% of the shares, which is valued at 660 000 US dollars. Its profit the company will get from our citizens pockets.”
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1999
Restructuring the municipal sector to deliver on the RDP
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Oct 1996
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/118076 , vital:34593
- Description: One of the biggest threats to RDP delivery in the municipal sector is that of privatisation. The Conference re-affirmed the long standing anti-privatisation position of SAMWU. In order to advance this position, the following proposals are made: That the Union develops a clear campaign to promote our opposition to privatisation and our support for the retention of basic services under public control and ownership through the “turning around” of local government services. That Regions discuss the elements of this campaign and that this is finalised in the next NEC. That for the campaign to succeed, it must be mass based. We should focus on getting worker and community support for our fight to retain services in public hands. An essential element of the campaign would be to ensure implementation of the last COSATU CEC resolution which calls for basic services like water, electricity, housing etc. to remain under public ownership and control. This includes identifying those services which should be brought under public ownership and control(nationalisation). Another important feature of the campaign should be the integration of the research findings(the joint ILRIG/SAMWU Research Project) into the programme. The research should both illustrate international and national consequences of past privatisation experiments as well as illustrating public sector superiority in the delivery of basic services(democratic alternatives to privatisation).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Oct 1996
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Oct 1996
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/118076 , vital:34593
- Description: One of the biggest threats to RDP delivery in the municipal sector is that of privatisation. The Conference re-affirmed the long standing anti-privatisation position of SAMWU. In order to advance this position, the following proposals are made: That the Union develops a clear campaign to promote our opposition to privatisation and our support for the retention of basic services under public control and ownership through the “turning around” of local government services. That Regions discuss the elements of this campaign and that this is finalised in the next NEC. That for the campaign to succeed, it must be mass based. We should focus on getting worker and community support for our fight to retain services in public hands. An essential element of the campaign would be to ensure implementation of the last COSATU CEC resolution which calls for basic services like water, electricity, housing etc. to remain under public ownership and control. This includes identifying those services which should be brought under public ownership and control(nationalisation). Another important feature of the campaign should be the integration of the research findings(the joint ILRIG/SAMWU Research Project) into the programme. The research should both illustrate international and national consequences of past privatisation experiments as well as illustrating public sector superiority in the delivery of basic services(democratic alternatives to privatisation).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Oct 1996
Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Mar 1996
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/111085 , vital:33376
- Description: We enclose our preliminary response to the report. This serves as our contribution to the agenda for the meeting currently scheduled for 22 March 1996 in Cape Town. Intended to commence early and continue until lunch time - if not beyond. We record that we have discussed the representation of different departments which need to be present from Governments side -including yourselves, Constitutional Development, Water Affairs, Finance, and Labour. We would further note that the participants need to understand that we are not impressed in general when we arrange meetings only to have details change at the last moment. From our side you can expect a delegation of between 12-14 persons including representatives of our 9 regions and national office bearers. SAMWU first became aware of the MIIF during the Portfolio Committee Public Hearing on local government legislation held in November 1995. A copy of the full document was received by our office in mid-January 1996. A covering letter indicated that a key issue in the MIIF was the " nature and extent of private sector involvement in extending service delivery". A meeting was held, on 21 February 1996, between the Minister without Portfolio, the Director General in the RDP Office and a delegation from SAMWU. It is necessary to note that this first formal contact was very belated and does not serve to engender trust in any process. We do not accept that any serious attempt was made to involve the union prior to the document being made public. It is our view that the attitude to unions , as reflected in the document, was one of “unions will have to be accommodated “ (our Italics). Implying more of a necessary evil than any concern for a partnership. “ Partnerships” being reserved for business, small entrepreneurs and big capital. We have been assured that the document remain a consultative document and that we can still make our input. The fact is that it is already taken to represent government policy and is being acted upon in such terms. A case in point being the planning already being done by the DBS A in respect to water and sanitation (Municipal Engineer - Jan 96 ). It is necessary that Government correct this impression if further consultation is to be taken seriously. It is our view that in its current form the document is being used as a means of mounting an attack on the direct provision of services by local government.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Mar 1996
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Mar 1996
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/111085 , vital:33376
- Description: We enclose our preliminary response to the report. This serves as our contribution to the agenda for the meeting currently scheduled for 22 March 1996 in Cape Town. Intended to commence early and continue until lunch time - if not beyond. We record that we have discussed the representation of different departments which need to be present from Governments side -including yourselves, Constitutional Development, Water Affairs, Finance, and Labour. We would further note that the participants need to understand that we are not impressed in general when we arrange meetings only to have details change at the last moment. From our side you can expect a delegation of between 12-14 persons including representatives of our 9 regions and national office bearers. SAMWU first became aware of the MIIF during the Portfolio Committee Public Hearing on local government legislation held in November 1995. A copy of the full document was received by our office in mid-January 1996. A covering letter indicated that a key issue in the MIIF was the " nature and extent of private sector involvement in extending service delivery". A meeting was held, on 21 February 1996, between the Minister without Portfolio, the Director General in the RDP Office and a delegation from SAMWU. It is necessary to note that this first formal contact was very belated and does not serve to engender trust in any process. We do not accept that any serious attempt was made to involve the union prior to the document being made public. It is our view that the attitude to unions , as reflected in the document, was one of “unions will have to be accommodated “ (our Italics). Implying more of a necessary evil than any concern for a partnership. “ Partnerships” being reserved for business, small entrepreneurs and big capital. We have been assured that the document remain a consultative document and that we can still make our input. The fact is that it is already taken to represent government policy and is being acted upon in such terms. A case in point being the planning already being done by the DBS A in respect to water and sanitation (Municipal Engineer - Jan 96 ). It is necessary that Government correct this impression if further consultation is to be taken seriously. It is our view that in its current form the document is being used as a means of mounting an attack on the direct provision of services by local government.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Mar 1996
Workers News - Cape Town report backs
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Jun 1999
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Zulu, Sotho and Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113313 , vital:33744
- Description: I want to look at the most critical challenges we have to face as SAMWU in the coming period. Firstly, the wage campaign continues to serve as a unifying tool to all those who have to sell their labour in order to earn a living. This makes it possible for us to continue to champion the cause of millions of working people and more specifically thousands of municipal workers who still receive starvation wages. It must be seen as an appropriate springboard for the advancement of the broader objectives for social upliftment, the fight against poverty, homelessness and the realisation of our socialist goals. We have made victories such as agreement on minimum entry level. We hope the central issue of the huge wage differentials will now be addressed. A linked issue is that we must finalise Minimum Service Level agreements on essential services with all local authorities. The absence of these agreements impacts on our ability to exercise the right to strike. The need for us as leaders and members to ensure proper report backs are done and mandates given remains an area of work we need to strengthen. Secondly, the process of local government democratisation has to be pursued vigorously. As a union we face the most challenging period yet with various initiatives currently unfolding in many local authorities, such as the Igoli 2002 proposals for Greater Johannesburg, which are occupying centre stage. The framework agreement between Cosatu and Saiga is an important document that all leadership must understand. We must however take note that although the framework agreement does not specifically talk about waging anti-privatisation campaign, it does lay basis for engagement in furtherance of our public sector delivery option. We can therefore argue that it is anti privatisation in character. Although we have had setbacks at Nelspruit and Dolphin Coast, the fight is not yet over as we continue to pursue matter at the sectoral forum. There are important lessons we have to learn from these setbacks. The first is importance of building strong shopfloor structures. The second is that of maximising the collective strength of our members, organised labour and communities faced by effects of privatisation. The signing of the agreement does not mean a need to shift the emphasis in our campaign. We must strengthen our campaign and promote the public sector delivery option. Thirdly, the main challenge right now is ensuring a decisive ANC victory. The union has made resources available for the strengthening of the Alliance elections machinery through contribution to the fund controlled by the Federation; and seconding officials to work on elections fulltime. This will not be enough unless we all support programmes aimed at getting workers to vote for the ANC. These elections must not be viewed in isolation from our overall objectives of building a strong Samwu, Cosatu, SACP and ANC. The integration of election work in our daily programmes in this period leading to June 02 is very important. We must also prepare for post election challenges. The Cosatu Special Congress and programme to build the federation; the consolidation of Alliance's transformation agenda; the fight against job losses and retrenchments; HlV/Aids, defending the peoples manifesto etc. In SAMWU, the organisational strategic planning session in July is the platform we hope to utilise in strengthening internal organisation. A series of workshops will be convened before this national session. These would include Local Government Restructuring, Financial Administration etc. It will not look at campaigns or broad policy, but at how the organisation can be developed and how our structures are working. The main focus will be on how we strengthen our organisation and make it a better tool to implement policy. The above represents some of the important issues the union has to deal with. We must above all ensure that all union work serves to strengthen our organisation, build the federation and Alliance structures and raise working class consciousness around issues faced by us and the workers of the world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Jun 1999
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Jun 1999
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Zulu, Sotho and Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113313 , vital:33744
- Description: I want to look at the most critical challenges we have to face as SAMWU in the coming period. Firstly, the wage campaign continues to serve as a unifying tool to all those who have to sell their labour in order to earn a living. This makes it possible for us to continue to champion the cause of millions of working people and more specifically thousands of municipal workers who still receive starvation wages. It must be seen as an appropriate springboard for the advancement of the broader objectives for social upliftment, the fight against poverty, homelessness and the realisation of our socialist goals. We have made victories such as agreement on minimum entry level. We hope the central issue of the huge wage differentials will now be addressed. A linked issue is that we must finalise Minimum Service Level agreements on essential services with all local authorities. The absence of these agreements impacts on our ability to exercise the right to strike. The need for us as leaders and members to ensure proper report backs are done and mandates given remains an area of work we need to strengthen. Secondly, the process of local government democratisation has to be pursued vigorously. As a union we face the most challenging period yet with various initiatives currently unfolding in many local authorities, such as the Igoli 2002 proposals for Greater Johannesburg, which are occupying centre stage. The framework agreement between Cosatu and Saiga is an important document that all leadership must understand. We must however take note that although the framework agreement does not specifically talk about waging anti-privatisation campaign, it does lay basis for engagement in furtherance of our public sector delivery option. We can therefore argue that it is anti privatisation in character. Although we have had setbacks at Nelspruit and Dolphin Coast, the fight is not yet over as we continue to pursue matter at the sectoral forum. There are important lessons we have to learn from these setbacks. The first is importance of building strong shopfloor structures. The second is that of maximising the collective strength of our members, organised labour and communities faced by effects of privatisation. The signing of the agreement does not mean a need to shift the emphasis in our campaign. We must strengthen our campaign and promote the public sector delivery option. Thirdly, the main challenge right now is ensuring a decisive ANC victory. The union has made resources available for the strengthening of the Alliance elections machinery through contribution to the fund controlled by the Federation; and seconding officials to work on elections fulltime. This will not be enough unless we all support programmes aimed at getting workers to vote for the ANC. These elections must not be viewed in isolation from our overall objectives of building a strong Samwu, Cosatu, SACP and ANC. The integration of election work in our daily programmes in this period leading to June 02 is very important. We must also prepare for post election challenges. The Cosatu Special Congress and programme to build the federation; the consolidation of Alliance's transformation agenda; the fight against job losses and retrenchments; HlV/Aids, defending the peoples manifesto etc. In SAMWU, the organisational strategic planning session in July is the platform we hope to utilise in strengthening internal organisation. A series of workshops will be convened before this national session. These would include Local Government Restructuring, Financial Administration etc. It will not look at campaigns or broad policy, but at how the organisation can be developed and how our structures are working. The main focus will be on how we strengthen our organisation and make it a better tool to implement policy. The above represents some of the important issues the union has to deal with. We must above all ensure that all union work serves to strengthen our organisation, build the federation and Alliance structures and raise working class consciousness around issues faced by us and the workers of the world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Jun 1999
Campaigns Bulletin : The government is starving us to death!
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: May 2001
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Zulu, Swati, Xhosa, sePedi, seSotho and Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113537 , vital:33799
- Description: The wage talks are resuming on May 8th 2001. At the time of going to print, all provinces were holding marches all over the country to highlight our demands for a living wage. Currently on the table is a proposal by the conciliator that all parties should agree to accept an 8% across the board increase, and an increase in the minimum wage to R1900. Firstly this proposal has not yet been accepted by the employer. At the conciliation, the employer stuck to 5% only. Secondly this falls short of our demand. It means we will not get the R300 across the board. Any worker earning below R3800 per month is going to get an increase of less than R300. The hardest hit will be workers earning from R1700 - R3000 who will only get R136 - R240. There is nothing more we can get from conciliation or negotiations. It is now up to YOU the workers to decide if you will accept the 8% offer put on the table by the conciliator!
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: May 2001
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: May 2001
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Zulu, Swati, Xhosa, sePedi, seSotho and Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113537 , vital:33799
- Description: The wage talks are resuming on May 8th 2001. At the time of going to print, all provinces were holding marches all over the country to highlight our demands for a living wage. Currently on the table is a proposal by the conciliator that all parties should agree to accept an 8% across the board increase, and an increase in the minimum wage to R1900. Firstly this proposal has not yet been accepted by the employer. At the conciliation, the employer stuck to 5% only. Secondly this falls short of our demand. It means we will not get the R300 across the board. Any worker earning below R3800 per month is going to get an increase of less than R300. The hardest hit will be workers earning from R1700 - R3000 who will only get R136 - R240. There is nothing more we can get from conciliation or negotiations. It is now up to YOU the workers to decide if you will accept the 8% offer put on the table by the conciliator!
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: May 2001
Workers News - Special tenth anniversary edition
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Nov 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Zulu, Sotho and Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113358 , vital:33752
- Description: It brought change in Local Government. Although this strike was a success for the organisation, we suffered losses. Many workers were dismissed and many workers suffered injuries at the hands of the security forces. This strike forced the employers to take us seriously. Another strike took place in 1995. Here again we had casualties. Workers were shot and beaten by police in places like Pietersburg, Kuruman, Bethlehem. We have workers in Groblersdal who were dismissed during that strike who have not been re-instated to this day. We have tried our best, and will continue to try. A funny incident during my term was when Cdes Tom Ngobeni, Mike Mthembu, Themba Khumalo and I called a march in Pretoria. The police station commander asked us how many workers would be marching, and Cde Tom replied "40 thousand!" When it came to the day of the march, the army lined a long street. The soldiers were heavily armed and barricaded both sides of the street. But when the march started, we were only 150! So the soldiers were far more than the marchers! The police said that they were going to sue SAMWU, but they ended up doing nothing. Now every time we want to march in Pretoria, this station commander still remembers this incident. As President of SAMWU, I feel great about the members. SAMWU members like their organisation. Wherever you go they are proud about their trade union. Even in areas where service to members is weak, those members are still proud of their union. The Union came in as a saviour to many workers, taking into account the conditions we used to work under. I always believe that if you are elected by people they should not be afraid to talk to you. I don't like it when a President is above the workers, and the workers are not permitted to say anything about their President. You have to be open to criticism, and that is the only way you can be built by others. I enjoy being a trade unionist first and foremost, but it is not an easy job to be a President. You miss your family because you never spend time with your family. My children have grown but they have never spent much time with me, except at night when I arrive home late. I think SAMWU will grow more and more. We have grown since our launch by over 100 thousand members. One of the reasons for this huge growth is that we always have a target at every Congress. During this period we didn't have a target, and that is why we did not grow so much. We need now to say that by the next Congress we should be at least 150-180 thousand in SAMWU, and make sure that we work hard to target that number. We also need public sector unity to make sure there is proper restructuring of Local Government and also to rid the public sector of corruption. Although corruption is not a new thing - it has been there for years but we need to come together to make sure that we instill that discipline within all workers in the public sector, even those that are not our members. We must make sure that all corruption in Local Government is rooted out, especially those workers in traffic departments. There are corrupt elements in every traffic department in this country. We need to build an image that will gain us respect from those communities that we are supposed to serve. Most of our members understand that SAMWU is opposed to privatisation. Once the state assets are in the hands of the private sector, government will be dependent on business. As SAMWU we say that we need a strong state to lead us, instead of the private sector leading. This will be one of our biggest challenges in the next few years. I have an important message to all municipal workers on our tenth anniversary. I would like to say that we need to improve our service delivery and make sure that we are closer to our communities. Communities must understand our problems and we must also understand their problems. We need to make sure that we democratise our union. Where there are weaknesses, members must make sure that those weaknesses are addressed. If we don't do things correctly, workers should correct us.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Nov 1997
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Nov 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Zulu, Sotho and Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113358 , vital:33752
- Description: It brought change in Local Government. Although this strike was a success for the organisation, we suffered losses. Many workers were dismissed and many workers suffered injuries at the hands of the security forces. This strike forced the employers to take us seriously. Another strike took place in 1995. Here again we had casualties. Workers were shot and beaten by police in places like Pietersburg, Kuruman, Bethlehem. We have workers in Groblersdal who were dismissed during that strike who have not been re-instated to this day. We have tried our best, and will continue to try. A funny incident during my term was when Cdes Tom Ngobeni, Mike Mthembu, Themba Khumalo and I called a march in Pretoria. The police station commander asked us how many workers would be marching, and Cde Tom replied "40 thousand!" When it came to the day of the march, the army lined a long street. The soldiers were heavily armed and barricaded both sides of the street. But when the march started, we were only 150! So the soldiers were far more than the marchers! The police said that they were going to sue SAMWU, but they ended up doing nothing. Now every time we want to march in Pretoria, this station commander still remembers this incident. As President of SAMWU, I feel great about the members. SAMWU members like their organisation. Wherever you go they are proud about their trade union. Even in areas where service to members is weak, those members are still proud of their union. The Union came in as a saviour to many workers, taking into account the conditions we used to work under. I always believe that if you are elected by people they should not be afraid to talk to you. I don't like it when a President is above the workers, and the workers are not permitted to say anything about their President. You have to be open to criticism, and that is the only way you can be built by others. I enjoy being a trade unionist first and foremost, but it is not an easy job to be a President. You miss your family because you never spend time with your family. My children have grown but they have never spent much time with me, except at night when I arrive home late. I think SAMWU will grow more and more. We have grown since our launch by over 100 thousand members. One of the reasons for this huge growth is that we always have a target at every Congress. During this period we didn't have a target, and that is why we did not grow so much. We need now to say that by the next Congress we should be at least 150-180 thousand in SAMWU, and make sure that we work hard to target that number. We also need public sector unity to make sure there is proper restructuring of Local Government and also to rid the public sector of corruption. Although corruption is not a new thing - it has been there for years but we need to come together to make sure that we instill that discipline within all workers in the public sector, even those that are not our members. We must make sure that all corruption in Local Government is rooted out, especially those workers in traffic departments. There are corrupt elements in every traffic department in this country. We need to build an image that will gain us respect from those communities that we are supposed to serve. Most of our members understand that SAMWU is opposed to privatisation. Once the state assets are in the hands of the private sector, government will be dependent on business. As SAMWU we say that we need a strong state to lead us, instead of the private sector leading. This will be one of our biggest challenges in the next few years. I have an important message to all municipal workers on our tenth anniversary. I would like to say that we need to improve our service delivery and make sure that we are closer to our communities. Communities must understand our problems and we must also understand their problems. We need to make sure that we democratise our union. Where there are weaknesses, members must make sure that those weaknesses are addressed. If we don't do things correctly, workers should correct us.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Nov 1997
Workers News Nov 1997 - Special tenth anniversary edition
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Nov 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/137959 , vital:37577
- Description: I started with the municipality in 1970 as a plumber with the technical section of the JCC. There were no unions then that organised Black workers - we were not allowed to belong to any union at that time. We were first given help by the Industrial Aid Society, then the FOSATU Workers Project, and then I became one of the first shopstewards in TGWU in 1980. It was difficult in the early days of TGWU - other workers would be afraid even to sit next to you in case they were victimised by the employer. In those days there were no wage negotiations - we used to get a 20c increase. The process in launching SAMWU was a very difficult one. We started the merger talks even before COSATU was launched in 1985. But when COSATU launched, that Congress took a decision that organiations in the municipal sector should merge. It was not an easy process but because we were all for unity in the end we achieved what we set out to do. My first main challenge as SAMWU President was to unite Local Government workers. In our history Local Government workers had no national union, whereas workers in other sectors had national unions. But in many ways, after SAMWU's first Congress, things became easier for municipal workers. We had established a solid base from which to challenge the employers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Nov 1997
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Nov 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/137959 , vital:37577
- Description: I started with the municipality in 1970 as a plumber with the technical section of the JCC. There were no unions then that organised Black workers - we were not allowed to belong to any union at that time. We were first given help by the Industrial Aid Society, then the FOSATU Workers Project, and then I became one of the first shopstewards in TGWU in 1980. It was difficult in the early days of TGWU - other workers would be afraid even to sit next to you in case they were victimised by the employer. In those days there were no wage negotiations - we used to get a 20c increase. The process in launching SAMWU was a very difficult one. We started the merger talks even before COSATU was launched in 1985. But when COSATU launched, that Congress took a decision that organiations in the municipal sector should merge. It was not an easy process but because we were all for unity in the end we achieved what we set out to do. My first main challenge as SAMWU President was to unite Local Government workers. In our history Local Government workers had no national union, whereas workers in other sectors had national unions. But in many ways, after SAMWU's first Congress, things became easier for municipal workers. We had established a solid base from which to challenge the employers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Nov 1997
Workers News - The war against privatisation 1997
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: June 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113667 , vital:33818
- Description: SAMWU continues to fight against the privatisation of more and more services. Even’ region is facing different struggles, but let’s not forget that we are all fighting against one thing: the notion that services should be provided for profit and not to meet needs. Let’s learn about each other’s struggles so that we can prepare for united mass action! Local Authorities here are proposing to privatise the security departments of Duiwelskloof and Potgiet- ersrus TLC. In Naboom- spruit, it has been proposed that meter reading services be contracted out to private companies. Council has also spoken of putting out tenders for the maintenance of the Tzaneen cemetry. So comrades can see that we are fighting privatisation on many fronts! In Queenstown, council is attempting to privatise the refuse collection service. IMATU has joined SAMWU in rejecting this. At the moment we are trying to arrange a meeting with community structures in order to put our position forward to them. Umtata municipality proposed privatisation of the ambulance and fire departments, but noting union opposition, scheduled a meeting with SAMWU and IMATU to discuss this further. Our Aberdeen comrades are to be congratulated! We have heard that they have gone from door to door in their communities educating others about the dangers of privatisation!
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: June 1997
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: June 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113667 , vital:33818
- Description: SAMWU continues to fight against the privatisation of more and more services. Even’ region is facing different struggles, but let’s not forget that we are all fighting against one thing: the notion that services should be provided for profit and not to meet needs. Let’s learn about each other’s struggles so that we can prepare for united mass action! Local Authorities here are proposing to privatise the security departments of Duiwelskloof and Potgiet- ersrus TLC. In Naboom- spruit, it has been proposed that meter reading services be contracted out to private companies. Council has also spoken of putting out tenders for the maintenance of the Tzaneen cemetry. So comrades can see that we are fighting privatisation on many fronts! In Queenstown, council is attempting to privatise the refuse collection service. IMATU has joined SAMWU in rejecting this. At the moment we are trying to arrange a meeting with community structures in order to put our position forward to them. Umtata municipality proposed privatisation of the ambulance and fire departments, but noting union opposition, scheduled a meeting with SAMWU and IMATU to discuss this further. Our Aberdeen comrades are to be congratulated! We have heard that they have gone from door to door in their communities educating others about the dangers of privatisation!
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: June 1997
Workers News - SAMWU Women Lead
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Sep 1999
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Zulu, Sotho and Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113325 , vital:33747
- Description: Heyta comrades, heyta! I greet you all as we move towards the end of another year in the history of SAMWU. There have been many important developments since the last edition of Workers' News. The union held a strategic planning workshop in July. This workshop came up with organisations systems to meet challenges facing SAMWU. Please ask for a copy of the proposals at your branch office. The final Central Executive Committee meeting for the year will meet from 6th-8th October. You should ask for a copy of the Secretariat Report from your branch, and get reportbacks from your office bearers after the meeting. This CEC will be finalising many of the recommendations made by the union this year. SAMWU needs your input! There has been a change in the Secretariat.Cde Roger Ronnie, General Secretary of SAMWU since 1995, has been redeployed to the Legal Unit following his resignation and the departure of the Legal Officer. Cde Mncedisi Nontsele, Deputy General Secretary will act as General Secretary until the CEC and the Provincial Secretary of the North West, Cde Tom Ngobeni will act as Deputy General Secretary. The CEC will finalise where the three comrades can be placed so that they are of maximum use to the organisation. The CEC will develop a programme of action leading up to SAMWU’s 6th National Congress next year. This includes looking at resolutions that will be adopted at the first women's conference in September, which will guide SAMWU on how to combat probems facing women. We need to develop a clear programme to fight upaid labour by women. We also need to address problems women are facing because of the globalisation of the world economy. Labour standards have dropped, collective bargaining rights have been removed and women are more open to exploitation with even female children working on short contracts. SAMWU will continue to provide childcare at meetings so that women comrades can participate fully in union activities. This is vital if we are to seriously build women leaders in preparation for next year's general electionof shopstewards, and the Congress where at least 30% of elected comrades MUST be women. The Quota System does not mean that women cdes are elected as tokens or just to concentrate on womens issues - women leaders must play a central political role in the union at all times. We face the challenge of building our organisation. But we cannot enter into benefits schemes to attract members if the same schemes such as loans will only mean that members pay such high interest that they get further into debt. For this reason, sAMWU is investigating a way to nationalise the current savings scheme so that it becomes a foundation for members to get free of loan sharks. All members can join the retirement fund that gives you the best benefits for your contributions. I am pleased to announce that the worker- controlled SAMWU National Provident Fund is now the fastest growing pension scheme in the country! Well done, cdes! SAMWU is not an island. We also face challenges as part of COSATU. Please read about the COSATU Congress on page 17. Comrades may have read about the recent wage dispute inthe public sector. The government's implementation of a wage increase not agreed upon is an attack on collective bargaining rights. We need to close ranks with comrades in NEHAWU, SADTU, POPCRU. The employer in Joburg has already followed the government's bad example by implementing privatisation plans while still pretending to be negotiating. This is an overall attack on all public sector workers! As SAMWU members, we need to take seriously the resolutions on job losses. Our sector has been lucky so far - as part of the public sector we enjoy the largest number of employed workers in the country. But we could face job losses in the future - already when workers retire or get dismissed they are not replaced. The Job Creation Fund and the October Recruitment Campaign are key COSATU campaigns. Cdes, we must deposit our one day's salary into the Job Creation Fund if we have not already done so. This will assist our comrades who have lost their jobs. SAMWU has set aside resources for all branches to participate in the recruitment campaign - unionised workers are less likely to lose their jobs! If the union participates fully in all these activities, we will be in a good position to assess whether SAMWU has implemented the 3 year programme and also lay the foundation for a productive and revolutionary Congress in the year 2000!
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Sep 1999
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Sep 1999
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Zulu, Sotho and Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113325 , vital:33747
- Description: Heyta comrades, heyta! I greet you all as we move towards the end of another year in the history of SAMWU. There have been many important developments since the last edition of Workers' News. The union held a strategic planning workshop in July. This workshop came up with organisations systems to meet challenges facing SAMWU. Please ask for a copy of the proposals at your branch office. The final Central Executive Committee meeting for the year will meet from 6th-8th October. You should ask for a copy of the Secretariat Report from your branch, and get reportbacks from your office bearers after the meeting. This CEC will be finalising many of the recommendations made by the union this year. SAMWU needs your input! There has been a change in the Secretariat.Cde Roger Ronnie, General Secretary of SAMWU since 1995, has been redeployed to the Legal Unit following his resignation and the departure of the Legal Officer. Cde Mncedisi Nontsele, Deputy General Secretary will act as General Secretary until the CEC and the Provincial Secretary of the North West, Cde Tom Ngobeni will act as Deputy General Secretary. The CEC will finalise where the three comrades can be placed so that they are of maximum use to the organisation. The CEC will develop a programme of action leading up to SAMWU’s 6th National Congress next year. This includes looking at resolutions that will be adopted at the first women's conference in September, which will guide SAMWU on how to combat probems facing women. We need to develop a clear programme to fight upaid labour by women. We also need to address problems women are facing because of the globalisation of the world economy. Labour standards have dropped, collective bargaining rights have been removed and women are more open to exploitation with even female children working on short contracts. SAMWU will continue to provide childcare at meetings so that women comrades can participate fully in union activities. This is vital if we are to seriously build women leaders in preparation for next year's general electionof shopstewards, and the Congress where at least 30% of elected comrades MUST be women. The Quota System does not mean that women cdes are elected as tokens or just to concentrate on womens issues - women leaders must play a central political role in the union at all times. We face the challenge of building our organisation. But we cannot enter into benefits schemes to attract members if the same schemes such as loans will only mean that members pay such high interest that they get further into debt. For this reason, sAMWU is investigating a way to nationalise the current savings scheme so that it becomes a foundation for members to get free of loan sharks. All members can join the retirement fund that gives you the best benefits for your contributions. I am pleased to announce that the worker- controlled SAMWU National Provident Fund is now the fastest growing pension scheme in the country! Well done, cdes! SAMWU is not an island. We also face challenges as part of COSATU. Please read about the COSATU Congress on page 17. Comrades may have read about the recent wage dispute inthe public sector. The government's implementation of a wage increase not agreed upon is an attack on collective bargaining rights. We need to close ranks with comrades in NEHAWU, SADTU, POPCRU. The employer in Joburg has already followed the government's bad example by implementing privatisation plans while still pretending to be negotiating. This is an overall attack on all public sector workers! As SAMWU members, we need to take seriously the resolutions on job losses. Our sector has been lucky so far - as part of the public sector we enjoy the largest number of employed workers in the country. But we could face job losses in the future - already when workers retire or get dismissed they are not replaced. The Job Creation Fund and the October Recruitment Campaign are key COSATU campaigns. Cdes, we must deposit our one day's salary into the Job Creation Fund if we have not already done so. This will assist our comrades who have lost their jobs. SAMWU has set aside resources for all branches to participate in the recruitment campaign - unionised workers are less likely to lose their jobs! If the union participates fully in all these activities, we will be in a good position to assess whether SAMWU has implemented the 3 year programme and also lay the foundation for a productive and revolutionary Congress in the year 2000!
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Sep 1999
Transforming Local Government to meet the needs of the people
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Oct 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/111074 , vital:33370
- Description: The implementation of our previous resolutions on socialism has always created misunderstanding amongst our members. Believing that an effective, achievable education programme for our members will ensure understanding amongst our members. SAMWU’s continued commitment to socialism requires that it develops a counter to the ideological war against socialism. Socialism is the only system which can solve the social and economic problems of working people across the globe and any attempts to reform capitalism will merely lead to greater levels of poverty, unemployment, homelessness, disease, starvation, crime and civil war. Resolves that SAMWU, with COSATU, shall mount a counter-offensive campaign against ' capitalism aimed at proving the superiority of socialism by: Engaging in relentless public criticism of capitalism By conducting, throughout the Federation, ongoing education on the fundamental ideas of socialism and nurturing a working class consciousness and outlook. Fostering a climate of free and fraternal debate on how socialism is to be achieved. SAMWU should forge links with other working class formations internationally as part of the international fight against neo-liberal globalisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Oct 1997
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Oct 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/111074 , vital:33370
- Description: The implementation of our previous resolutions on socialism has always created misunderstanding amongst our members. Believing that an effective, achievable education programme for our members will ensure understanding amongst our members. SAMWU’s continued commitment to socialism requires that it develops a counter to the ideological war against socialism. Socialism is the only system which can solve the social and economic problems of working people across the globe and any attempts to reform capitalism will merely lead to greater levels of poverty, unemployment, homelessness, disease, starvation, crime and civil war. Resolves that SAMWU, with COSATU, shall mount a counter-offensive campaign against ' capitalism aimed at proving the superiority of socialism by: Engaging in relentless public criticism of capitalism By conducting, throughout the Federation, ongoing education on the fundamental ideas of socialism and nurturing a working class consciousness and outlook. Fostering a climate of free and fraternal debate on how socialism is to be achieved. SAMWU should forge links with other working class formations internationally as part of the international fight against neo-liberal globalisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Oct 1997
Progress report on the merger
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Aug 1995
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/110611 , vital:33313
- Description: It has been agreed that SAMWU will register under the PSLRA to allow the new union to be able to be registered under the Public and the Private sectors.This is called a piggy bag model. The NEC will be composed of the newly elected NOB’s and Heads Of Departments together with one delegate from the. respective regions'..The NOB's will go around launching the regions after the merger congress.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Aug 1995
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Aug 1995
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/110611 , vital:33313
- Description: It has been agreed that SAMWU will register under the PSLRA to allow the new union to be able to be registered under the Public and the Private sectors.This is called a piggy bag model. The NEC will be composed of the newly elected NOB’s and Heads Of Departments together with one delegate from the. respective regions'..The NOB's will go around launching the regions after the merger congress.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Aug 1995
Workers News - 1998 A fighting year for SAMWU
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Nov 1998
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Zulu, Sotho and Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113347 , vital:33751
- Description: You will all remember that in past editions of this magazine we have touched on the anti-privatisation campaign which all comrades have been active in. I must say it is a great pleasure for me to write this message, to thank all the NGO’s, international labour movement, individuals, COSATU and community organisations for all their support. The process of implementing the antiprivatisation campaign has not been an easy one. Just after we started with the campaign, the union was attacked and claims were made that SAMWU was counter-revolutionary. The attacks were clearly intended to shift the focus from the campaign to mud- slinging. They could not match us when it came to knowing the facts of privatisation and it’s terrible effects on the community, and the role politicians play once services are in the hands of the private sector. Despite these attacks, SAMWU still feels that the resolution we adopted to oppose privatisation was the correct one and we hope it will be the correct position for years to come. For a very long time we have campaigned against privatisation alone. Recently ESKOM was intending to privatise electricity. This led to the whole matter of privatisation being discussed at the first COSATU Central Committee meeting in August this year. A resolution was adopted to oppose the ESKOM move and also to oppose the privatisation of any municipal services. COSATU took this matter to NEDLAC, where it was clear that government was going ahead with the process of privatisation regardless of our concerns. A deadlock was reached after days of negotiations. COSATU was forced to call a national strike after realising that government was adamant about implementing their programme of privatisation - comrades might remember that this strike was scheduled for September 23rd, 1998. COSATU and SAMWU were again under attack and individuals within our ranks became labelled by those who are "pro-privatisation." This was a difficult time, but we kept our cool as a union and stuck to our position of anti-privatisation. COSATU stuck to their position that there should be strike action, because again the attack was to shift us to a different terrain of struggle contrary to the one we had prepared ourselves for.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Nov 1998
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Nov 1998
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Zulu, Sotho and Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113347 , vital:33751
- Description: You will all remember that in past editions of this magazine we have touched on the anti-privatisation campaign which all comrades have been active in. I must say it is a great pleasure for me to write this message, to thank all the NGO’s, international labour movement, individuals, COSATU and community organisations for all their support. The process of implementing the antiprivatisation campaign has not been an easy one. Just after we started with the campaign, the union was attacked and claims were made that SAMWU was counter-revolutionary. The attacks were clearly intended to shift the focus from the campaign to mud- slinging. They could not match us when it came to knowing the facts of privatisation and it’s terrible effects on the community, and the role politicians play once services are in the hands of the private sector. Despite these attacks, SAMWU still feels that the resolution we adopted to oppose privatisation was the correct one and we hope it will be the correct position for years to come. For a very long time we have campaigned against privatisation alone. Recently ESKOM was intending to privatise electricity. This led to the whole matter of privatisation being discussed at the first COSATU Central Committee meeting in August this year. A resolution was adopted to oppose the ESKOM move and also to oppose the privatisation of any municipal services. COSATU took this matter to NEDLAC, where it was clear that government was going ahead with the process of privatisation regardless of our concerns. A deadlock was reached after days of negotiations. COSATU was forced to call a national strike after realising that government was adamant about implementing their programme of privatisation - comrades might remember that this strike was scheduled for September 23rd, 1998. COSATU and SAMWU were again under attack and individuals within our ranks became labelled by those who are "pro-privatisation." This was a difficult time, but we kept our cool as a union and stuck to our position of anti-privatisation. COSATU stuck to their position that there should be strike action, because again the attack was to shift us to a different terrain of struggle contrary to the one we had prepared ourselves for.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Nov 1998
Workers News - Life in the rural areas
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Mar 1998
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113292 , vital:33742
- Description: Privatisation is the challenge and we need to campaign strongly against it. We seem to lose sight of the fact that the loyal servants of apartheid are still feeding our elected comrade councillors with false information. These officials hide their incompetence in managing Local Government by proposing that privatisation is the route to alleviate poor services in Local Government. During the apartheid era, Local Government in advantaged areas rendered the best service! What is stopping democracy from rendering the best services now in the disadvantaged areas?We must be vigilant and be prepared to go a little further in providing services to the disadvantaged community. The 30th July agreement at the National Bargaining Council developed guidelines which say that the preferred option to providing services is the public sector. We need as workers to use the guidelines and agreement to our advantage. We must also use SAMWU's Emergency Plan. It is important to read page 11 for more information about this Plan. We need to start implementing our resolution on Socialism to its fullest. We need to actively build the SACP which the congress identified as the main vehicle to achieve our resolution.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Mar 1998
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Mar 1998
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113292 , vital:33742
- Description: Privatisation is the challenge and we need to campaign strongly against it. We seem to lose sight of the fact that the loyal servants of apartheid are still feeding our elected comrade councillors with false information. These officials hide their incompetence in managing Local Government by proposing that privatisation is the route to alleviate poor services in Local Government. During the apartheid era, Local Government in advantaged areas rendered the best service! What is stopping democracy from rendering the best services now in the disadvantaged areas?We must be vigilant and be prepared to go a little further in providing services to the disadvantaged community. The 30th July agreement at the National Bargaining Council developed guidelines which say that the preferred option to providing services is the public sector. We need as workers to use the guidelines and agreement to our advantage. We must also use SAMWU's Emergency Plan. It is important to read page 11 for more information about this Plan. We need to start implementing our resolution on Socialism to its fullest. We need to actively build the SACP which the congress identified as the main vehicle to achieve our resolution.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Mar 1998
SAMWU Workers News - June 1997
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: June 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/137754 , vital:37556
- Description: Welcome to SAMWU’s first magazine. This is the magazine for all comrades so do not take it home and hide it under your pillow - carry it around and share it with other comrades and your family and community. There are many challenges facing SAMWU members and officials at the present time. Our jobs are at risk from privatisation. Our communities are at risk because big business wants to take away the little services we have now. It is our job to politicise communities to take our antiprivatisation campaign forward. Comrades, we must guard against corruption. Multinational companies are prepared to pay a lot of money to get what they want. We are also having a problem with our comrades in SANCO who are bidding for a 30 year contract for Nelspruit’s water and waste services. We don’t want to end up like Britain where people are buying water in bottles from shops because the water from the taps is undrinkable. We don't want to be forced to buy bottled water that is more expensive than beer.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: June 1997
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: June 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/137754 , vital:37556
- Description: Welcome to SAMWU’s first magazine. This is the magazine for all comrades so do not take it home and hide it under your pillow - carry it around and share it with other comrades and your family and community. There are many challenges facing SAMWU members and officials at the present time. Our jobs are at risk from privatisation. Our communities are at risk because big business wants to take away the little services we have now. It is our job to politicise communities to take our antiprivatisation campaign forward. Comrades, we must guard against corruption. Multinational companies are prepared to pay a lot of money to get what they want. We are also having a problem with our comrades in SANCO who are bidding for a 30 year contract for Nelspruit’s water and waste services. We don’t want to end up like Britain where people are buying water in bottles from shops because the water from the taps is undrinkable. We don't want to be forced to buy bottled water that is more expensive than beer.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: June 1997
SAMWU NEWS Volume 1 - Rebuild and Unite
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Sep 1995
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113303 , vital:33743
- Description: As a democratic Union and driven by its members, it is imperative for us to bring about the transformation within the Cape Town Branch and the City Council. The Shopstewards, our elected representatives, cannot do it by themselves and therefore need the support and input from their members they represent. We need to: develope new leadership and build capacity within the organisation, seriously address workplace democracy and joint decision-making address gender equality at the workplace, develope the skills and competencies of workers, vigorously implement education, training and development programmes through Affirmative Action for those previously disadvantaged. WHAT IS YOUR ROLE ? We should also dissuade other SAMWU members from crossing over to other Unions for material benefits but that they look closely at the history of these Unions and whether they can adequately protect the rights of workers and whether they have the interest of workers at heart. We have seen how other Unions are recruiting members by offering them all kinds of elaborate schemes, but not addressing the fundamental issues of workers’ rights, protection of job security, the right to strike and the question of narrowing the discriminate wage gap. We need to protect and fight against these policies of differentiation between workers. As we can see from the above, many challenges and work are lying ahead of us to build and unite the strong union. Now is the time - let us face the challenges together to build strong union and worker leadership.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Sep 1995
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Sep 1995
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113303 , vital:33743
- Description: As a democratic Union and driven by its members, it is imperative for us to bring about the transformation within the Cape Town Branch and the City Council. The Shopstewards, our elected representatives, cannot do it by themselves and therefore need the support and input from their members they represent. We need to: develope new leadership and build capacity within the organisation, seriously address workplace democracy and joint decision-making address gender equality at the workplace, develope the skills and competencies of workers, vigorously implement education, training and development programmes through Affirmative Action for those previously disadvantaged. WHAT IS YOUR ROLE ? We should also dissuade other SAMWU members from crossing over to other Unions for material benefits but that they look closely at the history of these Unions and whether they can adequately protect the rights of workers and whether they have the interest of workers at heart. We have seen how other Unions are recruiting members by offering them all kinds of elaborate schemes, but not addressing the fundamental issues of workers’ rights, protection of job security, the right to strike and the question of narrowing the discriminate wage gap. We need to protect and fight against these policies of differentiation between workers. As we can see from the above, many challenges and work are lying ahead of us to build and unite the strong union. Now is the time - let us face the challenges together to build strong union and worker leadership.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Sep 1995
Workers News - 15 000 comrades out on strike against privatisation
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Sep 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113336 , vital:33749
- Description: The servicing of the members is a very important instrument that has to be sharpened every day if need be. In essence it is absolutely necessary to service the members, for the capacity building on policy of worker control of the organisation; building confidence, defending, developing and advancing the programmes of the organisation. We need to also build organisational skills based not on reckless or appetite militancy, but on radical concrete co-ordinated militancy. The correct flow of information is the key on empowering of the members, so that they can be able to contribute in solving the problems and take an appropriate decisions on organisational issues.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Sep 1997
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Sep 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113336 , vital:33749
- Description: The servicing of the members is a very important instrument that has to be sharpened every day if need be. In essence it is absolutely necessary to service the members, for the capacity building on policy of worker control of the organisation; building confidence, defending, developing and advancing the programmes of the organisation. We need to also build organisational skills based not on reckless or appetite militancy, but on radical concrete co-ordinated militancy. The correct flow of information is the key on empowering of the members, so that they can be able to contribute in solving the problems and take an appropriate decisions on organisational issues.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Sep 1997
Campaigns Bulletin : The government is starving us to death!
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: May 2001
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Zulu, Swati, Xhosa, sePedi, seSotho and Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113438 , vital:33775
- Description: The wage talks are resuming on May 8th 2001. At the time of going to print, all provinces were holding marches all over the country to highlight our demands for a living wage. Currently on the table is a proposal by the conciliator that all parties should agree to accept an 8% across the board increase, and an increase in the minimum wage to R1900. Firstly this proposal has not yet been accepted by the employer. At the conciliation, the employer stuck to 5% only. Secondly this falls short of our demand. It means we will not get the R300 across the board. Any worker earning below R3800 per month is going to get an increase of less than R300. The hardest hit will be workers earning from R1700 - R3000 who will only get R136 - R240. There is nothing more we can get from conciliation or negotiations. It is now up to YOU the workers to decide if you will accept the 8% offer put on the table by the conciliator!
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: May 2001
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: May 2001
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English, Zulu, Swati, Xhosa, sePedi, seSotho and Afrikaans
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113438 , vital:33775
- Description: The wage talks are resuming on May 8th 2001. At the time of going to print, all provinces were holding marches all over the country to highlight our demands for a living wage. Currently on the table is a proposal by the conciliator that all parties should agree to accept an 8% across the board increase, and an increase in the minimum wage to R1900. Firstly this proposal has not yet been accepted by the employer. At the conciliation, the employer stuck to 5% only. Secondly this falls short of our demand. It means we will not get the R300 across the board. Any worker earning below R3800 per month is going to get an increase of less than R300. The hardest hit will be workers earning from R1700 - R3000 who will only get R136 - R240. There is nothing more we can get from conciliation or negotiations. It is now up to YOU the workers to decide if you will accept the 8% offer put on the table by the conciliator!
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: May 2001
South African Municipal Worker's Union Constitution
- SAMWU
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Mar 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/111096 , vital:33377
- Description: The name of the union shall be the SOUTH AFRICAN MUNICIPAL WORKERS UNION. The union shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession capable of entering into contractual and other relations and of suing and being sued in its own name and shall be an organisation not for gain. It shall hold property separate from its members. The liability of members shall be limited to the amount of subscriptions or other monies due to the union at any time in terms of this constitution.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Mar 1997
- Authors: SAMWU
- Date: Mar 1997
- Subjects: SAMWU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/111096 , vital:33377
- Description: The name of the union shall be the SOUTH AFRICAN MUNICIPAL WORKERS UNION. The union shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession capable of entering into contractual and other relations and of suing and being sued in its own name and shall be an organisation not for gain. It shall hold property separate from its members. The liability of members shall be limited to the amount of subscriptions or other monies due to the union at any time in terms of this constitution.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Mar 1997