Cape Town – The South African Communist Party (SACP) on Tuesday declared its support for striking Comair workers, calling on its members to boycott the airline’s flights.
“The SACP is calling on all its members and leaders not to use Kulula and British Airways as that will amount to crossing the picket line and will act against the workers’ struggle to fight exploitation,” said SACP spokesperson Alex Mashilo.
Some 400 Comair workers, represented by the trade union United Association of South Africa (UASA), embarked on industrial action on Wednesday after a deadlock in wage negotiations for a multi-year collective bargaining agreement.
After workers laid down tools and rejected a revised offer, Comair responded with a “lock-out”. A meeting between Comair and UASA – along with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) – is scheduled for Tuesday.
“Collective bargaining is an important instrument to fight for a better redistribution of income, the wealth produced by workers at work, improve their working conditions and support all other decent work objectives,” said Mashilo.
“This is basically why, as the SACP, we support workers generally in their genuine collective bargaining struggles.”
Mashilo said that collective bargaining alone would not improve workers’ conditions and decrease inequality.
“It is therefore equally important for all workers to go beyond collective bargaining struggles and join the broader struggle for socialism, the most sustainable solution,” he said.
African News Agency
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