YCLSA ON DA's ABSURD PROPOSED AMENDMENT OF LRA FOR UNION STRIKES
The Young Communist League of South Africa (uFasimba) is appalled but not shocked by the ignorance demonstrated by the DA in their proposal to parliament to amend the Labour Relations Act. The proposed amendments are to ensure that Unions who embark on a strike will be held liable for any property damaged during strikes. The amendment further demands that Unions put in place measures to prevent violence, injury and damage to property; this insinuates that all property damaged and violence during strikes is caused by workers.
These proposals unfortunately expose the ignorance and blatant misconception of what a strike is according to the DA and equally the objectives of a strike. A strike unfortunately is not a spontaneous event which is a result of a caucus of a few individuals who have nothing better to do with their time. A strike culminates from a strenuous exercise of negotiations and bargaining with stakeholders involved. It is a last resort which Unions only embark on when deemed necessary. Further to that, no Union has ever encouraged violence and hooliganism whenever unions take to the streets.
The violence that DA's supposedly sees is as a result of the intransigent attitude demonstrated by Employers or Management who undermine the right of workers to strike and resort to utilising police brutality and violence to avoid proper negotiations and giving workers what they rightfully demand, in their cause to emancipate themselves from perpetual exploitation and harsh working conditions. When police shoot randomly and go on a rampage against workers, there is little reprimanding as such maliciousness is viewed by the likes of the DA as the restoration of Law and order.
The DA should perhaps consider mobilising its elite constituency which mainly consists predominantly of the culprits that refuse to meet worker demands, to abolish Labour broking, give workers a decent living wage and probably leave their well-furnished, air-conditioned offices to see some of the harsh conditions they subject workers to.
As the YCLSA we are well aware that it's the inherent nature and character of the DA to take such distorted and antagonistic postures when it comes to worker issues. We advise that the DA starts a process of conscientizing its members about worker struggles in our country and propose progressive amendments which will expose Employers of this country and hold them accountable for exploitation and further more join us in the call to Ban Labour brokers within the very same LRA they want to amend.
Unions are a dire necessity given the state of our private and public sector. Despite progressive laws in place within the LRA, employers continue to find ways to deviate from them and this creates the patterns of resistance and ultimately workers taking to the streets to fight these socio-economic injustices. The proposed amendment by the DA is another way to suppress and undermine workers rights to strike, as the YCLSA we call for the proposal to be shelved as it has no place in our democracy.
Statement issued by YCLSA Head office, October 5 2010
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