Waarskuwing: Munisipale werkers staak ook; vermy stadsgebied, vra polisie - Stormfront
Waarskuwing: Munisipale werkers staak ook; vermy stadsgebied, vra polisie
Munisipale werkers staak ook; vermy stadsgebied, vra polisie
Munisipale dienslewering kan vandag tot stilstand knars wanneer die Suid-Afrikaanse Munisipale Werkersunie (Samwu) sy gewig "met oorgawe" agter die staatsdiensstaking ingooi.
Werkers van Samwu, die grootste vakbond op plaaslike regeringsvlak, mag by die landwye staking inval nadat die Suid-Afrikaanse vereniging van plaaslike owerhede (Salga) se dringende aansoek daarteen in die Johannesburgse arbeidshof verslaan is.
Salga se verweer dat Samwu se kennisgewing van sy voorneme om die staking te ondersteun, sekere "prosedure-gebreke" het, is gister in dié hof met koste van die hand gewys.
Mnr. Mthandeki Nhlapo, hoofsekretaris van Samwu, het ná die uitspraak gesê ongeveer 80% van hul meer as 120 000 lede het in al nege provinsies aangedui hulle is gretig om aan die dag lange staking deel te neem.
"Dit gaan uiteraard munisipale dienslewering erg belemmer, maar dit sal na verwagting nie heeltemal tot stilstand kom nie. Werkers wat noodsaaklike dienste behartig, sal nie staak nie.
"Dit is egter ons voorneme om met oorgawe by die stakers aan te sluit," het hy gewaarsku.
Regeringsverteenwoordigers het gistermiddag ure lank beraadslaag om 'n nuwe aanbod voor te berei om die staatsdiensstaking te probeer beëindig.
Onderhandelinge het gisteraand om 19:00 by die kantoor van die Staatsdiensbedingingsraad in Centurion hervat, maar teen 22:00 het dit onverrigter sake verdaag.
Staatsonderhandelaars het die 7,25%-kompromisvoorstel van die bemiddelaars aanvaar, maar die vakbonde was nie hiervoor te vinde nie.
Ondanks die hoër aanbod van 7,25% het die totale geldwaarde van die staat se aanbod nie gestyg nie. Die bykomende 1,25% is verkry deur ander voordele soos behuisingsubsidies en mediese voordele te verminder.
Waarnemers by die onderhandelinge is nie bekommerd oor vandag se simpatiestaking van munisipale werkers nie, maar meen die protesoptogte wat môre en Vrydag gehou word, kan maklik op geweld uitloop.
Die Johannesburgse metropolisie het Woensdagoggend 'n beroep op mense wat nie in die gebied hóéf te wees nie gedoen om die sentrale stadsgebied van 10:00 af vandag te vermy.
Sapa berig ook dat die metropolisie eienaars van besighede langs die roete wat die stakers gaan volg, aangeraai het om hul deure tussen 10:00 en 16:00 te sluit.
06-13-2007, 05:52 AM #2
Re: Waarskuwing: Munisipale werkers staak ook; vermy stadsgebied, vra polisie
Betogers ruk landwyd op
DERDUISENDE lede van staatsdiensvakbonde asook lede van ander vakbonde wat hulle steun, sal vanoggend die strate van die Vrystaat en Noord-Kaap se hoofstede en ander sentra en dorpe invaar in die landwye werkerstaking oor salarisverhogings in die staatsdiens.
Mnr. Sam Mashinini, sekretaris van Cosatu in die Vrystaat en Noord-Kaap, het gistermiddag gesê ’n optog en betoging met tot 10 000 mense word in Bloemfontein verwag. In Kimberley kan tot 6 000 betogers opruk.
Mashinini se boodskap aan die twee provinsies se mense was: “Maak julle reg vir ’n totale stilstand by staatsinstellings en munisipaliteite. Munisipale werkers staak uit meegevoel saam. Mense moenie diens verwag nie. Hulle moenie eens die moeite doen om hul asblikke uit te sit nie.
“Mynwerkers sal ook uit meegevoel by die Goudveldse myne betoog.”
Mashinini het gesê benewens die groot optogte in die hoofstede, is groot optogte en betogings ook in Qwaqwa en op Bethlehem, Ficksburg, Senekal, Upington en De Aar beplan. “In al die ander dorpe sal kleiner betogings by alle staatsinstellings wees.”
Die polisie in Bloemfontein het gister gesê hy maak hom wel reg vir tot 10 000 betogers in die stad.
Reserviste is saam met polisiebeamptes in die provinsie ontplooi en die polisie het gewaarsku dat hy geen oortredings, geweld en intimidasie sal duld nie.
Die optog in Bloemfontein begin om 10:00 by die Pax Nova-gebou in Batho. Die roete na die Lebohang-gebou, hoofkantoor van die provinsiale regering, is Mkhuhlanestraat, Dr. Belcherweg, Mc Gregorstraat, die Maselspoortpad (N8), Nelson Mandelarylaan, Markgraaffstraat en St. Andrewstraat.
Teen omstreeks 13:00 sal die betogers met St. Andrewstraat, Harveyweg en Fort Harestraat na Batho terugkeer.
Die polisie het inwoners en motoriste gevra om alternatiewe roetes te gebruik.
In Kimberley gaan betogers van die ope-arena in Galeshewe tot by die Kimberley-hospitaal stap.
By die Nasionale Hospitaal in Bloemfontein het die polisie gister ’n wakende oog gehou oor stakende werkers wat betoog het. Eergister is 30 betogers by die Pelonomi-hospitaal in hegtenis geneem weens beweerde betreding.
By die betoging gister was slegs twee ligte skermutselings tussen polisiebeamptes en betogers toe betogers, strydig met ’n ooreenkoms, die hospitaal ingestorm het. Die betogers is al voor 14:00 uiteen “om vir vandag se optog voor te berei”.
Mnr. Jabulani Kumalo, streeksekretaris van Nehawu, en nog 29 betogers wat Maandag by die Pelonomi-hospitaal in hegtenis geneem is, het gister vlugtig weens beweerde betreding in die landdroshof verskyn. Hulle is op waarskuwing vrygelaat en moet weer op 20 Julie in die hof verskyn. Die direkteur van openbare vervolging (DOV) sal beslis of hulle verder vervolg gaan word.
06-13-2007, 05:56 AM #3
CT prepares for big march
Cape Town - A huge number of public service strikers would march to Parliament on Wednesday, the Congress of South African Trade Unions said.
Western Cape Cosatu secretary Tony Ehrenreich said he expected about 25 000 people to join the march, including members of the South African Municipal Workers Union who would hold a sympathy strike in Cape Town.
Ehrenreich said Samwu members would first march to the Civic Centre in central Cape Town and public service strikers would hold pickets at their workplaces.
At 12:30 all these groups would march to Parliament, Ehrenreich said.
He said he hoped this intensified action would "impress upon government [the need] to respond" and the "unhappiness" strikers felt towards government at the moment.
Ehrenreich said he did not expect police to interfere with the strikers because they too were affected by the strike and thus were mostly "co-operative".
He said he expected strikers to be disciplined throughout Wednesday's proceedings.
Ehrenreich said a march on Tuesday night of army officials to parliament indicated that defence and police officials might be moving closer to strike action.
Johannesburg metro police have advised people to avoid the CBD on Wednesday due to a march by public service workers.
"We advise people who don't need to be there to avoid the CBD especially from 10:00... they will start marching from noon," said metro police spokesperson Inspector Edna Mamonyane.
Traffic in the CBD would be affected, she said.
She said a large number of people were expected to gather at the corner of Nugget and Marshall streets at around 10:00. The group would march up Commissioner Street and turn into Simmonds Street where they would hand over a memorandum at the offices of Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa.
06-13-2007, 06:19 AM #4
Labour seeks show of force in strike
13 June 2007 08:58
South Africa's civil-service strike broadened on Wednesday as other union workers walked out, piling more pressure on the government in a dispute stoking political tensions in Africa's largest economy.
Union leaders have vowed to shut the country down in sympathy with civil servants, whose two-week-old strike has already caused chaos in hospitals, schools and public offices around the country.
"My heart bleeds over what is going to happen ... government must come in and resolve this problem," Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Willie Madisha told reporters.
Early reports indicated a moderate turn-out for the sympathy strike but union leaders said it would intensify during the day.
'Government hasn't accelerated'
A huge number strikers would march to Parliament on Wednesday, Cosatu said.
Western Cape Cosatu secretary Tony Ehrenreich said he expected about 25 000 people to join the march, including members of the South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) who would hold a sympathy strike in Cape Town.
Ehrenreich said Samwu members would first march to the Civic Centre in central Cape Town and public-service strikers would hold pickets at their workplaces.
At 12.30pm all these groups would march to Parliament, Ehrenreich said.
Ehrenreich said he did not expect police offciers to interfere with the strikers because they too were affected by the strike and thus were mostly "cooperative".
National Education Health and Allied Workers Union provincial secretary Suraya Jawoodeen said she could not say if the mass rally would ensure a more rapid response from government on union demands.
This was because, she said, throughout the strike, "government hasn't accelerated its response on anything".
About a dozen protestors were gathered outside Groote Schuur hospital just before 7am, watched over by police officers.
Protesters stood outside the entrance to the hospital but allowed other workers in.
One protester said she had been a cleaner at the hospital for 30 years and was earning R1 700.
Protest action sweeps the country
In the Eastern Cape, marches were to be held in Grahamstown, East London, Port Elizabeth, Queenstown and Mthatha, said Cosatu provincial secretary Xola Phakathi.
"We expect a high turnout, given that it's a strike across all sectors."
Union leaders would ensure the marches remained peaceful.
In KwaZulu-Natal at least a dozen marches were planned, including in Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Ladysmith, said South African Democratic Teachers Union provincial organiser Samora Nene.
He said 20 000 marchers were expected in Durban.
In the Free State marches were expected in Bloemfontein, Ficksburg, QwaQwa and Bethlehem.
Key marches would be held in Kimberly, Upington and De Aar in the Northern Cape.
In Limpopo a march would be held in Polokwane with pickets and demonstrations scheduled to take place in Makhado, Bela Bela, Groblersdal, Mokopane and Naboomspruit.
Mpumalanga would see demonstrations in Thembisile, Witbank, Mbombela, Nkomazi, Lydenburg, Bushbuckridge, Ermelo, Standerton, Secunda and Elukwatini.
Political analysts say the public-service strike, which began on June 1, has turned into a demonstration of labour power as the ruling African National Congress (ANC) prepares for a key leadership congress later this year.
Durban was all but shut down as busses and taxis stopped operating but transport was still normal in Johannesburg and a number of other cities.
"We are going to continue to deploy members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), who will be assisted by units of the South African National Defence Force ... to deal with protection of all workers who want to go to work," Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said.
Public-service unions are demanding a 10% wage hike while the government has countered with a 6,5% increase, although it has suggested it may go as high as 7,25%.
Workers in essential services such as the police, healthcare and emergency services personnel are barred by law from joining the strike.
Some Cosatu unions, including the powerful National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), have said they will not join the boycott because they have not had enough time to inform their members as required by law.
But many other union groups said they were ready to turn out to support the civil servants, whose job boycott has already forced the government to call in army medics to help staff public hospitals.
Unions have been pushing for a turn to the left when a new president takes office in 2009 -- reflecting criticism that President Thabo Mbeki's market-friendly policies have not done enough to help the impoverished black majority.
"This is the one strike aimed at Mbeki and his supporters," Star newspaper commentator Jovial Rantao said on Wednesday.
"Once the strike is over, the unions would have demonstrated that they can, if they want to, bring the government and indeed the rest of the country to its knees."
Avoid Jo'burg CBD
Johannesburg metro police have advised people to avoid the CBD on Wednesday.
"We advise people who don't need to be there to avoid the CBD especially from 10am ... they will start marching from noon," said metro police spokesperson Inspector Edna Mamonyane.
Mamonyane told the Mail & Guardian Online on Wednesday morning that she was not expecting the strike to become violent, "but it is possible that people are going to misbehave and loot shops".
She said a large number of people were expected to gather at the corner of Nugget and Marshall streets at around 10am. The group would march up Commissioner street and turn into Simmonds street where they would hand over a memorandum at the offices of Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa.
They would then proceed into Market street and return to the corner of Nugget and Marshall streets.
Mamonyane said metro police and the SAPS would be in the area to ensure that the march proceeded peacefully.
"We also advise businesses along the route to try to close from 10am to 4pm," she said.
06-13-2007, 09:40 AM #5
Pupils stay home as strike peaks
SEVERAL schools in Port Elizabeth have sent out warnings to pupils to stay at home for their own safety today, when the ongoing strike by public servants peaks as solidarity action from other sectors kicks in.
Thousands of municipal workers are among those set to down tools in a sympathy strike with public sector workers like nurses and teachers.
The SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) has also condemned acts of victimisation on non-striking teachers.
“This is the pinnacle, the peak of the action,” Cosatu president Willie Madisha said yesterday. “It will be a complete shutdown with the advantage that other non-public service unions would join the action.”
Unions are set to march in provincial centres countrywide, mostly from 10am, with picketing and stayaways also taking place.
Schools, hospitals, municipalities, border posts, airports and administrative staff would be affected, Madisha said.
Most schools in Port Elizabeth’s western suburbs sent out circulars and SMS messages about the public sector shutdown today, asking pupils to stay home.
A secretary at Clarendon Primary said the school would not be closed, but parents had been advised to keep their children at home in the interests of safety.
Pupils at Collegiate School for Girls who live in township areas have been receiving threats over attending school, and have been encouraged to wear casual clothing. Pupils at the school will be off from today until Monday because of the strike.
Most former model C schools were closed only on Friday, June 1, the first day of the strike.
In Grahamstown, security has been stepped up after a tense standoff with striking teachers and other government employees at Settlers Hospital yesterday.
Settlers Hospital executive officer Irene Solomons faced a crowd of more than 60 singing, chanting and whistle-blowing teachers who had managed to get in through the front boom gate and gathered in the parking circle at the hospital’s front entrance.
“I asked to speak to their team leaders and informed them that they were not allowed to picket on the premises and that the police were aware of their action,” she said. The crowd dispersed peacefully.
Kingswood College acting head Roger Nock said security had been beefed up ahead of today’s general strike just to be on the safe side, but “I don’t believe we are in any danger”.
Sadtu regional secretary Mpakamisi Hlekani, speaking outside Livingstone Hospital where nurses, teachers and administration workers were gathered, said those responsible for intimidating teachers were “faceless agents” who aimed at sowing discontent.
The motorcade began at Nangoza Jebe Hall (Centenary Hall) and proceeded to the Dora Nginza and Livingstone hospitals, the northern areas and Wolfson Stadium, where dozens of teachers had converged.
Teachers from Gelvandale, Malabar and Parkside primary schools, among others, who were at school, closed the premises in solidarity with the motorcade.
At Livingstone Hospital, soldiers armed with R5 rifles were on guard at the gates during the protest.
A major disruption of municipal services in Nelson Mandela Bay and several other Eastern Cape municipalities is anticipated following yesterday’s Labour Court ruling in favour of municipal workers joining the national strike.
Municipal spokesman Lourens Schoeman said: “The council’s policy of no work, no pay will be implemented and no leave for participation in the strike will be allowed. Acts of misconduct, particularly vandalism and intimidation, will be dealt with severely.”
He said essential services workers were prohibited from taking part in the strike.
Unions are demanding a 12% wage increase and are willing to revise it to 10%, while the government put a revised offer of 7,25% on the table, which they rejected.
SA Police Union (Sapu) national spokesman Barres Machakela, whose union represents about 64 000 employees in the SAPS, said only members on leave or sick leave would be part of the strike.
About 13 000 municipal workers affiliated to Samwu in the Eastern Cape and more than 3 000 in Nelson Mandela Bay, excluding traffic officers, ambulance, fire and other emergency services workers, are expected to stay away from work.
National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) spokesman Mziwakhe Hlangani said only those members in the steel, engineering, tyre and automobile industry on afternoon and night shift would join protest marches and demonstrations. Others would engage in lunch-hour pickets and demonstrations at their places of work.
Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA (Hospersa) provincial spokesman Reggie Daniel said the union’s members, most of whom are essential services workers, would join today’s nationwide strike on a voluntary basis.
Cosatu provincial secretary Xola Phakathi said support for the stayaway would come from the SA Council of Churches, mass democratic movement formations and unions that were not affiliated to Cosatu.
06-13-2007, 10:00 AM #6
Buses stoned in Durban
I am not prepared to put the lives of the drivers and the passengers at risk
Durban’s main bus operator withdrew its services early this morning after reports that a number of its buses had been stoned.
Paul Rush, the operations manager for Remant Alton, said he withdrew the company’s buses from service shortly before 8am after he had received reports that buses had been stoned in Ntuzuma, Umlazi and Clairwood.
Rush said one bus driver had been stopped in Besters, near Durban’s Ntuzuma area and robbed of his takings.
Remant Alton is a private bus operator contracted by the eThekwini municipality to run the city’s public bus service.
Taxi operators announced yesterday that they would be joining the strike today.
Durban’s city centre was devoid of taxis and buses and the usual rush hour appeared to be almost non-existent.
There were reports of large numbers of people queuing in vain at bus stops.
Several marches are expected to take place throughout KwaZulu-Natal.
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