Sections of the bourgeoisie media, with their analyst and academics have again missed the point and are trying by all means necessary to vilify COSATU for trying to do its job, which is to represent workers. Their arguments are too silly for a serious response, so here I won’t respond to them but it is important to put the actions of COSATU into context.
COSATU and its affiliated unions are calling for an urgent implementation of the Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD), more especially the outstanding aspects of the Resolution 1 of the 2007 agreement in the public service. Apparently both of these are outstanding matters which evolved out of the 2007 progressive public service strike.
In actual reality the public service workers were not just patient, but did not want to paint a bad image of the ANC as it was campaigning to be brought back into power. By this the workers were not compromising their struggle, but were investing into what appears to be a good manifesto and as you know workers bargain.
I personally admire the strength, resilience and discipline of public service workers of this land, as organised by COSATU, who in their numbers voted for the Jacob Zuma led ANC government as they knew that it will address, if not so, pay attention to their needs, demands and aspirations. Nothing prevented these workers from going on strike before the elections, but their discipline. Even thought their employer, they had confidence in the ANC government, especially under President Jacob Zuma.
Leaders of all COSATU affiliates who went department to department, clinic to hospital, school to university campaigning for the ANC heard their grievances and noted their urgency. They promised to be patient but soon after elections, wild-cat strikes began to erupt, the doctors’ strike is by far one example.
The current call by COSATU should be interpreted in this manner, as it is this way. Analysts should stop trying to find inner or deeper meanings when the meaning is out there in the open. The public service workers are demanding nothing but urgency and decisiveness and are saying if this does not happen they will resort to their only form of power which mass action.
So capitalist sponsored analyst, must please stop coming with faulty analysis, didn’t they learn from their faulty analysis of the election results. COSATU explains this clear when it says its action is informed by a ground analysis which indicates that any further delay is bound to escalate the already persistent anger and frustration the public service workers have.
By:Luzuko Buku
No comments:
Post a Comment