NEHAWU NEC STATEMENT
The National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) convened its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on the 15-16th of April 2011, which was followed by a Special Central Executive Committee meeting (CEC) on the 17th April 2011 in Johannesburg. These highest constitutional meetings of the union discussed the current political and socioeconomic situation in the country and internationally as well as our organisational challenges in organising workers and servicing our members. The NEC came to the following conclusions:
Political situation
The present COSATU strategic political position to support and defend the elected collective leadership of the ANC and the progressive resolutions of the Polokwane conference remains relevant and correct. We resolved to escalate our programme of swelling-the-ranks of the ANC as part of building working class hegemony and to fight for organisational renewal and the restoration of the historical revolutionary morality of the organisation.
That the ANC's National General Council (NGC) was indeed a turning point as it built on advances made in Polokwane and directed government to urgently initiate steps towards the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) and in its endorsement of the move towards a new development strategy in terms of the released New Growth Path document. Equally important, the NGC called for decisive leadership in the ANC and discipline amongst members in the fight against the emergence of alien practices of patronage and ill-discipline within the organisation.
That the leadership of COSATU and SACP must urgently convene a bilateral meeting in order to deal with the prevailing confusion around the perceived deterioration of the relations between the organisations. In this regard, we resolved to call on our members and all members of COSATU and SACP to fight against attempts to instigate divisions between the two organisations and to ensure unity and cohesion between the two working class organisations.
We assure all our members and those of COSATU and SACP, that neither our General Secretary, Cde Fikile Majola nor other leaders of COSATU affiliates are involved in any alleged divisions in the COSATU CEC. We condemn all the manufactured and baseless claims of divisions amongst the members of the COSATU CEC.
To support the ANC's local government election manifesto. In this regard, we resolved to mobilise and strengthen our organisational machinery to ensure that the ANC secures an overwhelming victory in all municipalities and all provinces.
Our campaign will include a special focus in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, North West and Gauteng to ensure a wall-to-wall victory across all municipalities. Thus, the NEC directs our Western Cape provinces to step up its mobilisation programme as part of the Alliance campaign to win back the city of Cape Town.
NEHAWU calls on all its members to support all the candidates on the ANC's election list.
International situation
We welcome and support all the democratic struggles of the freedom loving people of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. We pledge solidarity with the organised working-class formations that are fighting for socioeconomic and political transformation in the region. However, we condemn in the strongest terms the NATO invasion of Libya under the pretext of enforcing a so-called no-fly zone. The NEC will be conducting a comprehensive analysis of the situation and unfolding events in the region for further discussions in our union structures.
We welcome the formation of the new BRICS block of countries which includes South Africa. As a union we commit ourselves to forge stronger links with unions and progressive organisations in these countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China.
As an active member of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), NEHAWU is encouraged that more and more unions around the world are joining this class-oriented and anti-imperialist international trade union. The NEC also welcomes the fact that our President Cde Mzwandile Makwayiba and the former First Deputy President of NEHAWU, Cde Lulamile Sotaka, have been elected to the Presidential Council of the WFTU. Thus, the NEC resolved to continue to support the efforts to set up the WFTU office (for Southern Africa) in SA, to encourage more COSATU affiliates to join the WFTU and to work towards uniting trade unions in Africa under the banner of the WFTU.
At the same time, the NEC resolved that NEHAWU will continue to play an active role in the Public Service International[PSI], as part of our challenge to forge a radical working class perspective in the organisation and to unite all public service workers across the world.
We joined the Cuban people and progressive people around the world in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the defeat of the Bay of Pigs invasion by the CIA-sponsored bandit group. Hence, we pledge to intensify our solidarity work in support of the Cuban revolution, including in our fight against the criminal US blockade and the illegal incarceration of the Cuban Five. Thus, NEHAWU will be visiting Cuba to celebrate the May Day and to consolidate our exchange programme.
In line with the resolutions of our 9th Congress, the NEC resolved to continue to support the people of Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Palestine Western Sahara and all other oppressed people of the world who are involved struggles for liberation and democracy. In this regard, we condemn the recent brutal suppression of the democratic forces and freedom loving people of Swaziland. Thus, we reiterate our call that the South African government in particular and SADC in general must take decisive measures against Mswati despotism.
Socioeconomic challenges
Corruption: The NEC resolved to intensify our efforts in fighting corruption and nepotism in the public service and society at large. Hence, we reiterate our call on all our members to join in this fight and to refrain from any corrupt activities. In this connection, we call on government to investigate and prosecute all those accused of involvement in wasteful and fruitless use of public resources at all levels of government and State Owned Enterprises.
Nationalisation: We reaffirm our support for the nationalization of commanding heights of the economy in line with the Freedom Charter. In this regard, we welcome the launch of a state-owned mining company and the move towards the establishment of a state owned bank. The union shall convene a seminar to consider research work on the need for a state owned pharmaceutical company and a pharmaceutical sector strategy to create decent jobs.
Privatisation: We pledge to continue our work in engaging government on the restructuring of the state as part of our commitment to help build a developmental state. Thus, in line with the resolution of the May 2008 Alliance Summit which called for an end to privatization, outsourcing and Public-Private-Partnerships in the public service, our structures in the provinces are going to launch campaigns to mobilise our members and all progressive formations to oppose this Neoliberal restructuring of the state.
Health and NHI: We welcome the commitment made by the NGC on the implementation of the NHI from 2012 and we will fight for the NHI that is based on principles of the right to health care, social solidarity, universal coverage and a single public administration. In this regard, we reiterate our opposition to the proposed increase of VAT to fund the NHI as more resources could be obtained from the rich through taxation and we commit ourselves to continue fighting against private-public-partnerships in the process of the introduction of the NHI.
The union supports the outcomes of the Nursing Summit and commits itself to play a prominent and constructive role in the implementation and monitoring of these outcomes in order to improve service standards in the health sector and to rehabilitate the reputation of the nursing profession.
The NEC called for the reintroduction of the employee status for nursing students and the abolition of the current bursary system. In this connection, we also reiterate our call for the finalisation of engagements on the minimum service level agreement.
Higher Education: The NEC reiterated its full support to the National Skills Development Strategy III (NSDSIII) and commits the union to work with all the stakeholders to realise our shared vision of the skills revolution to produce a "skilled and capable workforce that contributes to the benefits and opportunities of economic expansion and an inclusive growth path." By the same token the NEC condemns the statements and actions of the suspended Services SETA CEO Mr Ivor Blumenthal and his supporters who have abused resources in hiring a legal firm in a futile exercise to frustrate the efforts of the Minister of Higher Education Dr Blade Nzimande. Thus, NEHAWU calls on the new board of the Services SETA to dismiss Mr Ivor Blumenthal.
The NEC expressed concern about the poor state of Further Education and Training Colleges (FETCs) and calls on the Department of Higher Education and Training to resolve the problems facing the FETCs before they turn into a crisis.
Statement issued by: Fikile Majola NEHAWU General Secretary, April 18 2011
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