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COSATU

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Site Tax Campaign Manual

Authors: COSATU
Date: 1994
Subjects: COSATU
Language: English
Type: text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/137159 , vital:37493
Description: Since 1989 most workers in South Africa have had their wages taxed under the Site Tax system. SITE stands for Standard Income Tax on Employees. Under the Site Tax system, the employer is responsible for making sure that workers pay the correct, amount of tax. This is different from the old Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system where the Receiver of Revenue had to make sure that the amount of tax paid was correct. Now the employer works out how much tax has to be paid from the personal information, such as number of children, given to them by each worker. But COSATU has seen that many workers have been taxed too much by their employers. This is mostly because no-one has explained to workers how the Site Tax system works and what tax reductions they are entitled to.
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COSATU 6th National Congress

Authors: COSATU
Date: Sep 1997
Subjects: COSATU
Language: English
Type: text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/109662 , vital:33165
Description: Cosatu's Sixth National Congress held over four days from 1 6-1 9 September was on the surface a fairly well run operation in which Cosatu, with the involvement of the SACP, effectively drew the battle-lines with respect to its ANC alliance partner on the question of its Growth, Employment and Redistribution macro-economic policy - GEAR. The Congress also laid the groundwork in preparation for the ANC's upcoming December National Conference where socialists are expected to make a determined push in getting elected onto the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC), as well as influence ANC strategy and tactics to counter the emergent Africanist grouping which threatens to dilute the ANC's working class bias. The Congress further saw Cosatu clearly attempt to reassert its socialist vision. Using its recently released September Commission Report as a basis for policy formulation, a decision was made that Cosatu should play an active part in the economy and the development of the country. This included Cosatu's involvement in areas such as industrial development strategy, changing investment patterns and new forms of management. The Congress, however, also witnessed the humiliating defeat of carefully crafted motions and much unfinished business concerning the finalisation of critical resolutions and debates raised from the floor. Cosatu's senior leaders including John Gomomo (President), Sam Shilowa (General Secretary) and Zwelinzima Vavi (Deputy General Secretary), were often caught wrong-footed by debates from the floor which countermanded positions thought out prior to the conference by the executive committee. The most embarrassing moment came for Cosatu's leadership when a recommendation to implement a gender quota was rejected by most affiliates, including women delegates themselves. Prior to the Congress, it had been recommended by the September Commission that the federation and its affiliates should adopt a quota system for women. A target had been set of 50 percent representation in all structures by the year 2 000. Mindful of the implications this held for the national affirmative action debate, Cosatu's leadership tried to side- track the issue for a later resolution but were rebuffed by the delegates. Similarly, the debate around globalisation took up a considerable amount of time, which led to Gomomo attempting to bring the debate to a speedy resolution. That in turn resulted in his censure from the floor. Earlier, Shilowa had embarrassed himself when he inadvertently seemed to state that he supported globalisation only to be reminded by the delegates that that was not Cosatu's position
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COSATU Resolutions

Authors: COSATU
Date: Feb 1986
Subjects: COSATU
Language: English
Type: text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/135007 , vital:37226
Description: South Africa is going through its severest economic crisis ever with millions unemployed, retrenched and without any jobs and with no social security or benefits; the cost of which is measured in the loss of lives, through poverty and starvation, and massive degradation and demoralisation of the workers and all the oppressed people in SA. The economic crisis is part and parcel of a political crisis. The state is incapable of meeting even the minimum democratic demands of the people and has to instead resort to violent measures to stifle all opposition. The present state of emergency with its accompanying arrests of thousands of people, the killing of hundreds and banning of democratic organisations such as COSAS also affects workers.
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Insurance Second Amendment Act and the Demutualisation Levy Bill

Authors: COSATU
Date: Aug 1998
Subjects: COSATU
Language: English
Type: text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/109835 , vital:33194
Description: COSATU has for many years been campaigning for the democratisation of the Mutuals in order to see to it that their considerable resources could be used more effectively in promoting economic development. In our 1996 Social Equity and Job Creation document COSATU, together with the other major trade union federations, argued that: "Mutual insurance companies such as Old Mutual and Sanlam are nominally controlled by policy-holders, but in practice are controlled by their managers. These companies control and manage large sums of provident fund contributions from workers yet grant no real ownership rights to workers". On this basis we proposed that: "Organised labour and other representatives of policy holders, be given immediate representation on the governing structures of the mutual companies, and that these companies be requested to commence negotiation through Nedlac on this proposal. Thereafter, appropriate legislative changes should be introduced through parliament."
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Recruiters Guidelines

Authors: COSATU
Date: 2001
Subjects: COSATU
Language: English
Type: text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/109753 , vital:33186
Description: The purpose of this booklet is to touch in number of areas, which are important at this point for the recruitment campaign of the federation. It is not meant even by implication to provide details of how to handle the campaign what it does is to highlight issues and areas that we must think in the preparation for this campaign. More importantly is the fact that COSATU remains the biggest federation in South Africa and fastest growing international. Beside a loss of membership from + 2 million to + 1.8 million members. The decrease in membership is mostly because of retrenchments. The well known fact is that only about 40% of the workforce that is unionized. The aim of the recruitment drive is to access this 60% that is not unionized. The mistake must not be committed to think that the 40%, which is unionized, belong to COSATU. There are two other federations plus number of non-affiliated unions. Our commitment to One Country One Federation does not stop us to recruit from other unions as long as we remain under different bodies. This October campaign coincides with Red October campaign of the SACP and Health and Safety month of the federation this must be seen as strength than lack of co-ordination. One area that is link to recruitment is the servicing of membership. It is useless to recruit and fail to service membership because every campaign that we will take around recruitment we may find ourselves had to fight with disgruntled members and obviously it will be difficult to attract new members. This must say to us that members come first.
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Political Economy - South Africa in crisis

Authors: COSATU
Date: July 1987
Subjects: COSATU
Language: English
Type: text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/117195 , vital:34487
Description: THE Central Executive Committee of COSATU took a decision in 1986 that active discussion and study of the South African economy was a priority. This decision was prompted by the very serious problems of unemployment, retrenchment, inflation and poverty that we now face. It was also prompted by an understanding that organised workers must be able to propose and fight for solutions to these problems. In addition sanctions are now becoming a reality. The need to thoroughly understand the economy is even more urgent. One of the biggest problems for any person trying to understand the South African economy is the question: Through whose eyes do we study it? We can look at the economy through the eyes of the capitalists or we can look at it through the eyes of workers. Depending on which set of eyes we use, we’ll see a very different picture. The newspapers, radio, TV and education system all look at the economy through the eyes of the capitalist. They talk of economic laws* which are efficient and benefit everyone. And when the economy goes into a recession* or into a crisis* they argue that the economic laws are being interfered with. They want people to think that the economy is something controlled by laws that workers cannot change. In this booklet on the South African economy we will look at the economy through the eyes of workers. We will see how politics and economics have combined to the benefit of the capitalists. In doing this we will undertake a study of the political economy * of South Africa. The aim of this booklet is to provide a starting point for a study of the South African political economy. We will be looking back into our history to understand the very close link between politics and economics. The purpose of such a political economy study is to allow us to better understand just how serious the present crisis is. Being clearer on this will also allow us to begin discussing the real and effective solutions to the crisis. This is important because many of the solutions being proposed at present will benefit capitalism but will lead to small changes for the mass of the people.
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Statement on employment Equity Bill and the Apartheid Wage gap

Authors: COSATU
Date: Aug 1998
Subjects: COSATU
Language: English
Type: text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/109791 , vital:33189
Description: The Portfolio Committee on Labour considered amendments to the Employment Equity Bill which were tabled in parliament by the Department of Labour today. Amongst these were amendments in response to COSATU's proposals for closing the apartheid wage gap. COSATU has serious reservations, however, about the tabled amendments on this issue, and believes that the amendments proposed today by the ANC should be supported as they address these defects. Finalisation of the clauses relating to the wage gap has been postponed to next week, when the Bill will be voted on by the Committee. COSATU has consistently maintained the view, both in our submissions to the committee last month, and at NEDLAC, that the Employment Equity Bill must address the issue of the apartheid wage gap, if it is to have meaning for the millions of ordinary workers, who are the worst victims of apartheid discrimination, and who will not be able to reach the upper echelons of the workforce, despite the affirmative action provisions of the legislation. We have supported the philosophy of the legislation that employment equity must benefit everybody, and not just an elite few. We have taken the view that the legislation must address the critical legacy of massive income inequalities, which was a deliberate policy under apartheid, in order to make this philosophical approach a reality, and that in this respect the Draft Bill was seriously defective. We proposed a series of concrete amendments to remedy this defect, within the broad philosophical approach and architecture of the Bill. We also proposed an integrated strategy to address these differentials, which combines measures in the Employment Equity legislation with other legislation and processes. A number of organisations have supported us in this view. Further a concept document tabled by the Department of Labour in the parliamentary committee broadly endorsed this approach.
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Namibian workers organise

Authors: COSATU
Date: 2000
Subjects: COSATU
Language: English
Type: text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/139645 , vital:37762
Description: In 1987, long before Namibian independence was even on the agenda, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) decided to produce a joint book on the Namibian trade union movement. At that stage the Namibian trade unions had just begun to assert themselves. The idea of the book was to provide information useful for both Namibian and South African workers on the history of the working class struggle in Namibia. It was hoped that this would help to build a powerful working class solidarity between South African and Namibian workers. The International Labour Research and Information Group (ILRIG) - a research and educational service organisation specialising in working class struggles internationally — was commissioned by COSATU and NUNW to research, write and produce the book. Work on the book started in 1988. Between then and May 1989, two ILRIG workers visited Namibia a number of times - once with comrades from COSATU - and gathered a vast amount of information on the struggle in Namibia. Information came from workers, from trade unionists, from SWAPO, from documents and from observation. At all times in the process of writing the book, material was referred back to COSATU and NUNW for discussion and approval. The final chapter on solidarity was done at the end of August 1989, when a delegation of COSATU leaders visited Namibia to discuss setting up a permanent Working Committee with the NUNW. The book is coming at a time when Namibia is about to achieve her independence from South African colonial occupation under UN Resolution 435. The Namibian workers’ struggle for a living wage, for the right to strike, for decent houses, for jobs for all and against privatisation will not end with independence. The need for strengthening and extending trade union organisation in Namibia will not end with independence. The necessity for building solidarity between the Namibian and South African working class will not end with independence.
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Focus on the labour realtions bill and Nedlac

Authors: COSATU
Date: Feb 1995
Subjects: COSATU
Language: English
Type: text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/136452 , vital:37380
Description: The year has hardly begun but there are already exciting developments for workers. On 2 February, the Minister of Labour, Tito Mboweni, unveiled a new draft Labour Relations Bill and on 18 February President Nelson Mandela launched the new National Economic, Development and Labour Council, called NEDLAC. The draft Labour Relations Act is a culmination of struggles by workers over the years against apartheid’s labour dispensation. Many of our demands from the Workers Charter and Platform of Worker Rights are included in the proposed law. The strike wave by Pick ’n Pay workers and others last year sent a clear message to the new government: “Our labour law is out of date and inappropriate for a democratic country.” In August 1994, the Minister of Labour appointed a team of lawyers to draft a new law.
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