Johannesburg - The Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) says it will not take part in Cosatu’s national decent work march on Friday.
The union said on Tuesday that, while it supports the need for decent work, it will save its “energy” for its own rolling mass action against the government’s neo-liberal policies.
Fawu, which is not affiliated to Cosatu, has recently spoken out against planned job cuts in the poultry sector, and this was the reason why the union will embark on mass action.
“Given the de-industrialisation we are witnessing, including the decimating of the poultry industry and others in the manufacturing sector and overall job-losses bloodbath in the economy, we should have the necessary energy as organised labour to peruse campaigns against these polices and rising exploitation on the working people,” said Fawu in a statement.
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The union accused poultry companies of taking advantage of the squabbles affecting Fawu by announcing planned job cuts.
Fawu members, excluding its KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape structures, voted to leave the country’s biggest federation, Cosatu, in August.
The union has since pledged its support for a new labour federation led by former Cosatu boss Zwelinzima Vavi and the National Union of Metalworkers SA (Numsa).
This federation is set to be launched next year.
Cosatu said last week that it was mobilising its unions to join its national decent work march on October 7.
The SA Municipal Workers Union pledged its support for Cosatu’s march on Monday.
The union’s general secretary Simon Mathe said on Tuesday that the union’s members will join the march to dispel rumours that the union planned to leave Cosatu.
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