Cosatu strike set to be litmus test for Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa is to face his first Cosatu-led national strike since he came to power – a litmus test of the improved political relationship between the federation and the ANC government.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions is scheduled to hold a special central executive committee [CEC] meeting on Monday to discuss preparations for a national strike which, in the past, was always characterised by work stay-aways and street marches nationwide.

The indications are that the national action is inevitable, despite the delicately strengthening relations between Cosatu and the Ramaphosa administration.

It would also come at a time when the components of the Tripartite Alliance – the ANC, Cosatu and the SA Communist Party – had been trying to revive their relationship after years of tension under former president Jacob Zuma.

The ANC appeared to be amenable to Cosatu and SACP’s demand for a reconfigured alliance where all the components would enjoy equal power, instead of the ANC unilaterally deciding policy direction, including cadre deployment.

Cosatu had been complaining about the current job bloodbaths that cut across all sectors, especially in the previously mass employment manufacturing and mining sectors. Manufacturing had been declining for several decades while mining followed with massive retrenchments.

“The strike will be about fighting the ongoing job losses across all the sectors of the economy,” said Sizwe Pamla, Cosatu spokesperson.

“The job summit last year failed to put a moratorium on retrenchments and the federation, ultimately, resolved to go on a national strike on February 13.”

More retrenchments are expected in the coal industry as five coal mines are expected to close in Mpumalanga to give way to the controversial independent power producers (IPPs).

There are fears that the politically connected IPPs will not be able to provide jobs on massive scale.

Prior to the elective ANC national conference held at Nasrec last December, Cosatu endorsed Ramaphosa’s candidacy for the ANC. The federation was desperate to replace Zuma and trusted Ramaphosa as a former trade unionist.

Since he assumed power in February last year, Ramaphosa had been working hard to lure investors into the country and had been wary of anything that would disturb his efforts to boost the economy – least of all strikes.

Economists had mentioned regular workers’ strikes as one of the factors that would impede investment.

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