NEDLAC MEETING TO DISCUSS COSATU NOTICE OF PROTEST
ACTION ON PRIVATISATION
29 June 2001
The Nedlac Standing Committee on Section 77 today met with the
Congress of South African Trade Unions, Cosatu, and representatives
from the Department of Public Enterprises regarding Cosatu's notice
of possible protest action regarding the issue of
privatisation.
Government gave initial feedback to the issues raised in the
notice. However, it indicated that it would be willing to table a
formal written response to Cosatu's notice.
The Nedlac committee recommended that Government be given a
period of 7 days in which to table this written response. Cosatu
also indicated that it could table a document giving practical
examples of the impact of privatisation processes. The committee
recommended that the parties then meet within 14 days to engage on
the issues. The committee felt that it would be important that the
different spheres of government that are mentioned in the Cosatu
notice, national government, local government and the Public
Sector, were included in this meeting. Following this meeting, and
any further meetings that might flow out of it, the parties would
then report back to the Standing Committee. Nedlac would be
available to facilitate the meeting.
The parties accepted this recommendation, and committed to
forwarding the submissions within 7 days.
Background
In the notice, Cosatu refers to the programme the state has
embarked upon to privatise state assets, enterprises, services and
undertakings. It also refers to the restructuring of state
enterprises, undertakings and services carried out by the state and
the state's opening up of industries or sectors in order to provide
for competition. The notice states that Cosatu is not opposed to
restructuring in itself, but it argues that the state's
restructuring process forms part and parcel of the broader
privatisation programme, which it opposes.
Cosatu's notice argues that the state's privatisation programme
detrimentally affects the socio-economic interests of the poor,
which includes workers and the working class in general. It
specifies a number of demands, including that government halt all
privatisation initiatives pending the establishment of a clear
policy and legislation to guide restructuring. The notice says that
the policy must be binding on all state-owned or controlled
entities, and must be negotiated by the parties to Nedlac, and
subsequently tabled as legislation.
In the notice Cosatu says that the protest would include
marches, protest rallies, demonstrations and an initial stayaway of
two days
The notice was tabled in terms of Section 77 of the Labour
Relations Act, which allows registered trade unions or federations
of trade unions to undertake protest action to promote and protect
the social and economic interests of workers, if they follow
certain procedures. Before embarking on protest action, the trade
union concerned is required to serve notice on Nedlac stating the
reasons for the protest action and the intended nature of the
protest action. The Act requires the Nedlac parties to meet with
the trade union and the parties at whom the notice is directed, to
consider the issues raised. Should the issues remain unresolved
after thorough consideration, workers are entitled to participate
in protected protest action 14 days after serving a second notice
on Nedlac of their intention to proceed with the action.
Jennifer Wilson
Communications Coordinator
Nedlac
(011) 482-2511
fax: 482 4650
082 495 1341