Union officials visit Numsa-organised workplaces all the time. They enter factories to hold meetings, conduct shopsteward elections and to communicate with members. Union access to workplaces is a right that South African workers won many years back. The right is even enshrined in the country’s labour law. Australian workers may cease to enjoy this basic right.
A Bill introduced in the Australian parliament in December 2004, restricts entry for recruitment to twice a year. It bans the inclusion in agreements of provisions that grant union’s access to workplaces. If the Bill goes through parliament, organisers will have to prove a breach, if they want to enter workplace to find out whether companies are honouring agreements made with unions or through awards. This is only if the Industrial Registrar finds the organisers “fit and proper”, when they apply for entry permits.
But it is not only the “right to entry” that John Howard’s National and Liberal coalition government is taking shots at. Since its election victory in October 2004, the coalition has announced a raft of measures to deregulate the labour market. A press statement that the Australian Council of Trade Unions (Actu) issued at the beginning of April, lists the following as the intended changes:
exemption of businesses with 20 employees or less, from unfair dismissal rules
exclusion of casuals with less than 12 months service from unfair dismissal claims
employers with less than 15 employees do not have to pay severance package when they retrench
exemption of small businesses from awards that set minima and conditions of service
exemption of some sections of the public service from health and safety regulations
promotion of individual contracts above industry-wide agreements and awards
dilution of the right to strike by introducing “cooling periods” and an insistence on secret ballots before workers embark on industrial action
extension of a ban on agency shop agreements
A change in setting a minimum floor in wages.
The proposed attacks on workers’ rights have spurred the unions. In March, Numsa’s ally – the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (Amwu) – held shopsteward meetings throughout the country, where government’s proposals were given overwhelming thumbs down. Amwu shopstewards are now going to their employers to pressurise them so that the bosses disassociate themselves from the employer organisation’s onslaught on unions.
“To deal with these attacks is a huge challenge for many unions and officials. It requires a radical break from dependency and yellow unionism”, says Amwu’s organising coordinator Don Sutherland.
At a federation level, a massive media campaign has been launched to educate workers and the public on the dangers of the new labour law amendments. In a recent executive committee meeting, Actu announced a national week of action from 27 June to 03 July. The planned week of action is timed to coincide with the date when the National-Liberal coalition, now the majority in parliament’s lower house, takes over the senate on July 1. Up to now, senate has blocked the plans of Howard’s government. With a senate majority on the horizon, the intention is to move speedily.
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Numsa’s ‘banyana banyanas’
Liesbet Mohutsiwa
On April 9, administrators from Wits Central West (WCW) and Ekurhuleni challenged each other in a soccer game.
The soccer match was to build a strong relationship in the working environment, to know each other better, to respect each other and to build and promote gender equality. The ladies from both regions were there in full force and with the understanding that one of the teams will win.
Ekurhuleni’s team led by coach George Choshane was sure it would win 9-2 but WCW’s team and their coach Oupa Relake, assisted by four organisers, showed their skills in a 3-1 victory.
Indiana Saiah, a shop steward from Jhb South was declared lady of the match with one goal under her belt.
Not to be outdone, the men took each other on with Ekurhuleni defeating WCW 3-1.
WCW is now planning a follow up match against Western Transvaal region.
“Be careful Hlanganani and head office, WCW administrators are in their shorts, vests, socks and cocks,” say the ladies from WCW.
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W Cape celebrates office opening
Vanessa Le Roux
Numsa Western Cape Region, recently opened their new building, Harry Gwala House, with a lavish function with fireworks for shop stewards and members. The function was preceded by a regional congress which also elected the new regional chairperson – the first woman regional chairperson ever in the region! This is a challenge to other regions to match it!
The new Regional Office Bearers are:- Christine Olivier – Chairperson, Michael Futshane – Vice-Chairperson, Phillip Sapud – Treasurer.
Regional secretary, Karl Cloete, took comrades down memory lane when he introduced ex-regional secretaries who were invited to the function: Joe Foster, Adrian Sayers, Percy Thomas and Fred Petersen, all of whom played a major role in the struggle of our union.