Cape Town: The Open CCMA Campaign demonstrated outside the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) offices in Cape Town.
The group, including farm workers from the Matzikama area in the Western Cape, were protesting against the proposed budget cuts at the CCMA and the commission’s prevention of walk-in complaints at their offices.
In a statement the group said: “On 30 March a CCMA statement noted that although R90.1 million has already been deducted from its 2020/21 budget, the projected cuts over a three-year period have been reduced from over R600 million to R301 million. It also confirmed that part-time commissioners would begin to hear cases again, starting from 1 April.”
“None of these changes address our core demands for an immediate reversal of the budget cut; for a significant expansion of the CCMA budget; for the full-reopening of the CCMA’s walk-in facilities; for the permanent employment of all part-time commissioners and for a total transformation of the culture and practices of the institution which have become explicitly anti-worker,” the statement added.
The Open CMMA Campaign has also asked for other groups to show their cause support: “We note that the crisis engulfing the CCMA will not be resolved through ‘stakeholder’ meetings and press briefings. We call on all progressive worker organisations to abandon the politics that drives them to look for a ‘seat at the negotiating table’ instead of joining forces with other worker organisations on the ground.”
On Wednesday morning protesters held up placards outside the CCMA in Cape Town City Centre which read: “The right to CCMA representation for all workers now” and “Open the CCMA now.”
Protests were also planned at CCMA offices in Johannesburg and Welkom.