Government doesn’t have an answer to ‘jobs bloodbath’: Vavi

The South African Federation of Trade Union (Saftu) President Zwelinzima Vavi says workers are facing a job-loss “bloodbath” in the face of the current retrenchments across different sectors in the country.

Vavi says to address the issue of job losses, the federation will establish a Central Task Team that will convene a 10-a-side meeting with civic allies to prepare a working-class summit.

This year various sectors across the country are faced with a decision to cut jobs. These include the automobile, mining and manufacturing sectors.

Recently, Coca Cola Beverages South Africa announced that it is undergoing a restructuring process, that could see over 680 jobs cuts.

Saftu says there are too many job cuts in a country that is faced with a high unemployment rate.

“In South Africa, we are now sitting with 43% unemployment rate, eight of the nine provinces of South Africa have an unemployment rate of above 40%. This is a national catastrophe, it’s a pandemic on its own and this government doesn’t seem to have an answer, the government of national unity in particular, as we have warned. So, that’s what we are facing now that’s the extent of the crisis, the statement of self. To hear pains, a crisis upon a crisis,” says Vavi.

Saftu urges workers, unions and communities to unite in a fight against job losses, hunger, water, housing and health crisis. It says unity is the only way to help confront the crises faced by the working class.

“Only a united working class broader than the trade union movement have a potential, and the possibility of shaking the system. Only when we can unite the workplace struggles with the community struggles and make them a single working-class response to austerity, crisis of capitalism and the current carnage of job losses, healthcare crisis, water crisis, cancer crisis, criminality, you name them all. The crisis we’re facing. So that’s why we building afresh and hopefully our members will believe in this unity that has become so critical for us to survive,” Vavi adds.

Meanwhile, a union affiliated to Saftu, Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union (YNITU) says it has been put under administration following financial misconduct by its former leader, Lerato Mthunzi.

YNITU says measures have since been put in place to ensure this occurrence does not repeat itself in the future. It also declared that once funds are recovered, Mthunzi will be facing criminal charges.

“The measures in place to curb the financial mismanagement. Firstly, it’s the administration itself so that it the administrator come up with reforms on financial flows within the organisation, but also the rebuilding of the organisation to ensure that even in the future, the next leadership that’s fall into the same type of mismanaging fund and soliciting funds from the organization to their personal gains,” says Smanga Thongo, YNITU leader.