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Rebuilding the workers’ movement for counter-power, justice and self-m... May 28 19 [South Africa] Stop the repression of casualised/contract workers in E... Sep 29 18 South Africa: Minimum wages can’t end suffering when the rich abuse th... May 12 18 CSAAWU South Africa: Plea for assistance southern africa |
workplace struggles |
appeal / petition
 Wednesday November 19, 2014 04:03 by Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front - ZACF zacf at riseup dot net
 Help keep CSAAWU's doors open – An injury to one is an injury to all! We are writing to you out of solidarity for CSAAWU, a union based amongst farmworkers in South Africa with which we have relations. In 2012/3 South African farmworkers rebelled against the deplorable conditions in the sector – for which hundreds were dismissed and victimized. CSAAWU is one of the few unions that organises in this difficult and under-represented industry. In the aftermath of the rebellion it took a decision to take up the struggle, including by defending close to 100 workers in the labour court. Dear Comrades, We are writing to you out of solidarity for CSAAWU, a union based amongst farmworkers in South Africa with which we have relations. In 2012/3 South African farmworkers rebelled against the deplorable conditions in the sector – for which hundreds were dismissed and victimized. CSAAWU is one of the few unions that organises in this difficult and under-represented industry. In the aftermath of the rebellion it took a decision to take up the struggle, including by defending close to 100 workers in the labour court. Unfortunately the union lost two of the cases and has been issued with cost orders in excess of R600 000 (US$ 53 500 or EUR 43 000). This is a very high amount in South Africa, one that is potentially fatally crippling for a smaller union like CSAAWU. (Anyone needing more information can have a look at this article) We are therefore forwarding you their plea (see below) and hope that you will consider supporting their request for help. Please also considering forwarding this to sympathetic organisations and/or publishing it widely. Red and Black regards, The ZACF Original message: Dear Friends and Comrades In the coming months CSAAWU may be forced to close its doors. It will be a devastating defeat for CSAAWU members and farmworkers in South Africa for many years to come if CSAAWU can’t be saved! We need many hands (bodies and hearts) on board to keep CSAAWU doors open! CSAAWU made a decision to defend all farmworkers who were dismissed or victimized in the aftermath of the 2012/3 farmworker rebellion. Amongst CSAAWU members alone, there were close to 100 dismissal cases. CSAAWU went as far as to take dismissal cases to the Labour Court. This was the first time since 1994 that farmworkers were heard in the Labour Court. The Labour Court issued devastating judgements against the dismissed workers and CSAAWU. CSAAWU lost two of the cases and cost orders were awarded against the union. The judgement rebuked individual union officials for supporting the strike, deeming this reckless and irresponsible behaviour. CSAAWU paid a high price for its position to support the struggle of farmworkers. CSAAWU believes that it can never be wrong for a union to support the strike action workers, especially the most vulnerable workers, when they stand up against their exploitative conditions. The cost orders of R600,000 against the union could force the union to close its doors unless we all build solidarity and support for CSAAWU! CSAAWU is developing a fundraising website. We are collecting testimonials of our members for the website and would also like to publicise statements from organizations/individuals in support of keeping CSAAWU doors open! Please email us your words of support, encouraging others to stand in solidarity with CSAAWU! Feel free to contact us if you need more information. The fundraising campaign and website will be launched in the coming weeks. Watch out for it!
KEEP CSAAWU DOORS OPEN!“CSAAWU means everything to me. CSAAWU taught me to believe in myself and showed us how important we are farmworkers are. CSAAWU’s doors can’t be closed because it will break the workers confidence. Long live CSAAWU!” (Mercia Plaatjies, Koo).
Follow CSAAWU on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vivacsaawu |
HauptseiteSupport Sudanese anarchists in exile Joint Statement of European Anarchist Organizations International anarchist call for solidarity: Earthquake in Turkey, Syria and Kurdistan Elements of Anarchist Theory and Strategy 19 de Julio: Cuando el pueblo se levanta, escribe la historia International anarchist solidarity against Turkish state repression Declaración Anarquista Internacional por el Primero de Mayo, 2022 Le vieux monde opprime les femmes et les minorités de genre. Leur force le détruira ! Against Militarism and War: For self-organised struggle and social revolution Declaração anarquista internacional sobre a pandemia da Covid-19 Anarchist Theory and History in Global Perspective Capitalism, Anti-Capitalism and Popular Organisation [Booklet] Reflexiones sobre la situación de Afganistán South Africa: Historic rupture or warring brothers again? Death or Renewal: Is the Climate Crisis the Final Crisis? Gleichheit und Freiheit stehen nicht zur Debatte! Contre la guerre au Kurdistan irakien, contre la traîtrise du PDK Meurtre de Clément Méric : l’enjeu politique du procès en appel Southern Africa | Workplace struggles | en Fri 19 Apr, 19:27
Beginning on Sunday 28 August, Wits students have been littering parts of campus in solidarity with the cleaners’ strike. Cleaners throughout South Africa are demanding a living wage of R4 200 per month: this compares with less than R2 000 paid to cleaners at Wits, who are employed by outsourcing companies such as Supercare. The strike has been undermined, at Wits and elsewhere, by the presence of scab labour; Wits management and the outsourcing companies are striving for “business as usual”. This undermines the entire purpose of the strike, which is to compel exploiter-managers to meet workers’ demands by withdrawing their labour, by preventing the job from getting done – by making sure the campus is not clean.
A Melbourne Anarchist Commounist Group Statement in support of South African public sector strike
The Federation of Anarchists of Greece (OAE) is calling for a further action in terms of unity and organisation.
The Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Federation (southern Africa) supports the public sector strikers, not just in their demand for a wage increase of 12%, which has now been reduced to 10%, but also in their struggle to improve the standard of all public sector services.
The APF will be hosting a May Day Workers Rally in the community of Residensia (Sebokeng – Vaal Triangle) at Tshepo Themba School at 10h00 tomorrow in support of all the working class struggles in the country.
t is common amongst bosses to prefer workers coming from countries that are torn by civil wars or famine. This is because they do away with any responsibilities to cover for workers' health if exposed to health risk scenarios while working. Because these people are not citizens, the country's labour laws do not count for them. That way the bosses don't have to worry about precautionary equipment and measures expected by governmental labour standards
Don't abandon the unions, or take sides in inter-union rivalries. Build a serious, organised, non-sectarian project of democratic reform and political discussion that spans the unions, including a rank-and-file movement that fosters debate, and opens the treasure-chest of union and left history and theory. Recover the politics of disconnecting from the state as raised by, for example, Occupy and the Rojava Revolution. Replace reliance on the state and parties with struggle, and destructive inter-union rivalry with a serious project of working class counter-power.
There has been a lot of talk about the promise of a National Minimum Wage (NMW) in South Africa. This means wages cannot go below a certain level. But capitalists and politicians continue to eat the food of the workers, the poor and unfortunate. Why? In some cases, the NMW is an improvement – but generally, the NMW is not a “living wage,” meaning a wage on which you can live a decent life. Prices keep going up. This society is based on the maximization of profit, this is its logic, and this means wages are not linked to what the workers and poor need, but to what bosses and politicians need. Wages are a system of exploitation. We live a capitalist society of stress and fear and jealousy, rooted in a system of cheap black labour, and power and profits for the bosses and politicians. We need to fight for something more, take back our unions, and lay the groundwork for an anarchists society, with equality based on workers and community councils.
On 17 November 2017, the Minister of Labour announced the state intends to carry out a new round of attacks on workers and their rights. The attacks come in the form of three Labour Bills currently being considered by parliament: the Basic Conditions of Employment Bill, the National Minimum Wage Bill and the Labour Relations Amendment Bill. If passed, the changes to the labour laws these bills propose will be a major attack on workers’ rights, won through decades of struggle, and will further deepen and entrench inequality and roll back important democratic gains.
In these grim times, both globally and locally, it is important to reaffirm the centrality of workers’ education, and the need for a strong working-class movement. Ordinary people have immense potential to change the world, and steer it in a more progressive direction than that promised by capitalists, populists and the political establishment, writes Lucien van der Walt.
In what will no doubt become known as a historic strike, women workers at Robertson Winery have played a key role, both because they form the majority of the striking workers but also as leaders of the strike. more >>
Beginning on Sunday 28 August, Wits students have been littering parts of campus in solidarity with the cleaners’ strike. Cleaners throughout South Africa are demanding a living wage of R4 200 per month: this compares with less than R2 000 paid to cleaners at Wits, who are employed by outsourcing companies such as Supercare. The strike has been undermined, at Wits and elsewhere, by the presence of scab labour; Wits management and the outsourcing companies are striving for “business as usual”. This undermines the entire purpose of the strike, which is to compel exploiter-managers to meet workers’ demands by withdrawing their labour, by preventing the job from getting done – by making sure the campus is not clean.
A Melbourne Anarchist Commounist Group Statement in support of South African public sector strike
The Federation of Anarchists of Greece (OAE) is calling for a further action in terms of unity and organisation.
The Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Federation (southern Africa) supports the public sector strikers, not just in their demand for a wage increase of 12%, which has now been reduced to 10%, but also in their struggle to improve the standard of all public sector services.
The APF will be hosting a May Day Workers Rally in the community of Residensia (Sebokeng – Vaal Triangle) at Tshepo Themba School at 10h00 tomorrow in support of all the working class struggles in the country. more >> |
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Kommentare (6 de 6)
Spring zu Komment: 1 2 3 4 5 6Hi,I translated this article to Japanes and posted to my blog. I hope that was ok?I'll be discussing in my union if we could write a statement.Keep me updated about fundraising campaign page.
In solidarity
M
http://poderpopular.hatenablog.com/entry/2014/11/21/212849
WSA posted this on their FB page. We encourage others to do the same.
"Dear CSAAWU comrades..... The U.S. based Workers Solidarity Alliance (WSA) sends you our warm and heartfelt greetings and solidarity. There's an old U.S. union saying: "Don't let the bastards grind you down!"....Amandla! Forward to victory!"
Thanks absolutely perfect M – thank you! Have you had the discussion with your union yet? If so, what did they say?
If you're bored and looking for something to translate ;) there's also this:
Please be advised that CSAAWU has now set up a bank account for their campaign to keep the union's doors open.
You can find the bank/donation details here: http://csaawu.alwaysdata.net/donate/
Further background information to the farmworkers' strike and subsequent dismissals, legal charges and awarding of costs against the union etc. can be found on the website: http://csaawu.org/
See the ZACF's Shawn Hattingh's Reaping What You Sow: Reflections on the Western Cape Farm Workers Strike for an anarchist communist analysis of the strike.
If any donations are made, either by individuals or organisations, as a result of the ZACF appeal please be sure to send a notification to CSAAWU at csaawutav[at]gmail[dot]com and to copy zacf[at]riseup[dot]net in same.
Help keep CSAAWU's doors open – an injury to one is an injury to all!
Thanks for the update,Jon. I talked about it briefly in our union meeting, they are waiting for a draft of solidarity statement I'm working on. I'd like to translate the article you mentioned for further information.
Hi
Below is the solidarity statement from General Freeter Union
I've emailed Keep CSAAWU Doors Open contact,too.
**********
Satement:We support dismissed farmworkers,Solidarity to the fight to keep its union CSAAWU open!
In South Africa,farm workers facing casualization and racism has been dismissed after going on strike.
The Labour Court called the union irresponsible for supporting the farmworkers' strike,and the judgement was unjust.
CSAAWU,the union which organize the farmworkers is forced to pay R600 000 for cost orders.This financial burden will mean a threat to closure for CSAAWU.
Also,this is is an attempt to minimise the power to protest the empleyors who gain profit from casualization of work.
As an union organizing workers in unstable condition,who may not find unions to fight their cause with easily,this situation concerns us,too.
We support the farmworkers who went on strike by their own decisions.Solidarity with the fight to keep its union open!
General Freeter Union(FZRK:Freeter Zenpan Roudou Kumiai),Tokyo