JOHANNESBURG, April (ANA) - The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) said on Monday that it would embark on a general strike on all major cities in the country against the introduction of the national minimum wage and certain amendments to the labour laws.
In November, the government approved the national minimum wage of R20 per hour, or R3,500 a month, to be implemented on May 1, but the policy has been troubled after the Department of Labour said that it could be delayed by one or two months.
Saftu general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, said that the affiliates of the federation and its allies in civil society will be on the streets protesting against "the biggest attacks on working-class people, the trade unions and the poor majority of South Africans since the end of apartheid".
"South Africa is the most unequal country in the world, in which 10 percent of the population earn more than 50 percent of the household incomes while 20 percent earn less than 1.5 percent," Vavi said during a media briefing in Johannesburg.
"Yet these grossly overpaid tycoons, together with their new champion in the Union Buildings, multi-billionaire President Cyril Ramaphosa, want workers and their families to survive on just R20 an hour, something they would never dream of accepting for themselves."
Vavi also said that the laws before the parliamentary portfolio committee on labour for amendments already force workers and unions to jump through many procedural hoops to attain a certificate to allow a protected strike.
"The amendments will now force unions to navigate even more obstacles before they can go on strike, including strict rules on balloting of members, picket regulations which will prevent strikers engaging with other workers and extending conciliation procedures, even after negotiations have deadlocked," Vavi said.
Saftu members are expected to take to the streets in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Polokwane, Durban, and East London, marching to the Department of Labour on Wednesday morning.
- African News Agency (ANA)
