ANC unanimously rejects Bill seeking to end strike violence
20 May 2015
In today’s Portfolio Committee on Labour, the ANC unanimously rejected the Labour Relations Amendment Bill 2014, which seeks to prevent the high incidence of violent strikes in South Africa. This rejection can only be seen as complete apathy regarding the seriousness of the ever increasing occurrence of strike violence, which continues to affect innocent members of society.
I introduced the Bill to the Speaker of the National Assembly in October last year as an active legislative step to prevent and lower the incidence of strike related violence which has plagued our land.
In a 4 to 2 vote today, with the IFP abstaining, the ANC brushed aside the Bill with indifference and disregard. The chief reason put forward by the ANC was that there is already a provision in law that adequately deals with this matter, namely section 11 of the Regulation of Gatherings Act (ROGA).
However, if the provisions of that Act were truly effective, as the ANC asserts, why is strike related violence on the increase? According to the SAIRR 2013 South African Survey, between 2010 and 2012 strike related fatalities increased from 7 to 60; injuries increased from 31 to 150; and arrests increased from 271 to 643.