Cape Town – Marchers and union officials on the Cosatu Western Cape protest in Cape Town this morning (Thursday) were disappointed when they were denied the opportunity to hand over their memorandum of grievances to Community Safety and Police Oversight MEC Reagen Allen.
Allen, who was expected to show up to receive the memorandum at the picket was nowhere in sight and did not appear even as the union officials gave him an extra 10 minutes to appear.
He eventually arrived outside the building at 11.55am after the marchers made an about turn to head to Parliament in Plein Street.
However, in a statement he put out after the marchers left for their next stop, the national Parliament, Allen said the marchers left before their previously agreed time of noon. The marchers arrived in Wale Street at 11.10am.
Allen said: “It is unfortunate that the small group who chose to form part of the Cosatu march today, departed from the Provincial Legislature before the scheduled time at midday when they were due to hand the memorandum over to me.
“I urge Cosatu to send their memorandum to our office, as at this stage we have not received a copy of their requests.
“As a provincial government, we are open to engaging all entities, should they have the best interest of the people at heart.”
Speaking outside Wale House after Allen’s non-appearance, Cosatu provincial secretary Malvern de Bruyn said: “You have wasted our time, but we’ll be back in bigger numbers next time. We are not going to beg the Province to accept our memorandum.”
He said it was clear from the fact that nobody came to receive the memorandum, “that the provincial government has no respect for workers.”
The marchers who danced, sang and carried banners and signs demanding better pay and greater prevention of crime then took their protest to the gates of Parliament.
The march was part of the federation’s national day of action to demand among other things, prevention of crime and corruption, an interest rate reduction and a halt to privatisation, which they say leads to job losses.
On Wednesday De Bruyn said: “We are of the view that neither the MEC nor the premier are doing enough to fight crime in areas like Khayelitsha, Manenberg, Gugulethu, Langa, Elsies River, etc.”
Outside Parliament the protesters, who were demanding among other things the immediate implementation of the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, better known as the Zondo Commission were met by an official from the Speaker’s office who accepted the memorandum.
Meanwhile, Cosatu affiliate union,the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) has come out in full support of the national action.
Eleanor Roberts, Provincial Chairperson of DENOSA, says, as much as nursing is female-dominated, males in this profession are being unfairly treated.
— Bushradionews (@Bushradionews) July 6, 2023
"Male nurses are not recognised. They are discriminated against things that they are suppose to be doing."
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Denosa spokesperson Sibongiseni Delihlazo said they were joining the action to call attention to problems including vacant posts which were not filled due to budget cuts
He said they would also protest against “corruption and the constant cutting of supplies of both water and electricity to homes and government service centres like clinics and hospitals”.
However it would appear that the strike does not have universal appeal among unions.
The Motor Industry Staff Association (Misa) said its members could not afford to go without pay.
Misa’s operations chief executive Martlé Keyter said: “We share the demands of Cosatu over the dire state of our economy and Government failure to address numerous issues, but we don't believe a strike will help.
"It is only those workers who embark on the strike and sacrifice the day's pay, that will suffer. The rule of no work, no pay, will apply. The broader public will be inconvenienced and irritated, but the strike will have no impact on the government.”
The National Employers' Association of South Africa (Neasa) has told its members that the protest action having been approved by the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) the principle of no-work-no-pay would apply to any employees who joined the strike.