COSATU wants peaceful ways to resolve soldiers' grievances

The Congress of South African Trade Unions has noted with concern the violence which accompanied the demonstration by members of the SA National Defence Union and the SA Security Forces Union in Pretoria yesterday.

While acknowledging that the soldiers' march was illegal, COSATU nevertheless believes that the reaction by the police - with stun grenades and rubber bullets - was reckless and excessive, as has been the case in a number of recent workers' protests.

The federation reiterates its call for discussions with the relevant ministers to find better ways for the police to manage demonstrations, by working together with the organisers to find peaceful ways to control marches and rallies.

COSATU also agrees that the soldiers' unions have genuine grievances which need to be resolved through negotiation. We therefore renew our call for the reversal of the ruling by the previous Defence Minister, Mosiuoa Lekota, which banned SANDF unions from affiliating to federations like COSATU. Yesterday's events illustrate why the workers and employers need the federation's help to resolve disputes through negotiation and avoid potentially violent confrontations in the streets.

COSATU is keen to meet the Minister of Defence to discuss how we can take this matter forward and find a solution as quickly as possible.

Statement issued by Patrick Craven, Congress of South African Trade Unions national spokesperson, August 27 2009

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