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At the Collective Bargaining, Organising and Campaigns (CBOC) conference at Boksburg, in March, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, highlighted some of the challenges unions faced.
In a study ‘You entered through that gate and you will leave through that gate’: The decent work deficit for Gauteng’s farmworkers’, by Edward Webster, Mbuso Nkosi, Debbie Budlender, Lelanie Williams and Mark Orkin, which we published in the October/ November 2013 issue, some of the highlights of
In an investigation of black women’s experiences of domestic work in rural Mpumalanga, Tsidiso Tolla analyses the conditions of employment including low wages and the precarious nature of domestic work.
Why was the African National Congress (ANC) deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and National Planning Commission (NPC) chairperson, Trevor Manuel, disrupted when they spoke at the Great Hall at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). Claire Ceruti and Luke Sinwell explain.
As living and working conditions for farm workers have remained pathetic their demand for wage increases under the current strike are understandable, writes Saliem Patel.
As living and working conditions for farm workers have remained pathetic their demand for wage increases under the current strike are understandable, writes Saliem Patel.
As living and working conditions for farm workers have remained pathetic their demand for wage increases under the current strike are understandable, writes Saliem Patel.
Twenty years after democracy South Africa is experiencing a perfect storm of crises, the product of a number of simultaneous, deep-rooted, structural crises: political, economic, labour and social.
Who benefits from the services of the local government call centres? Is it the citizen/customer or municipal managers who want a public relations outfit to give a brave face to their bungling?
Minimum wages for farm workers are lower than those recommended by the Department of Labour’s sectoral determinations and in some instances workers are given food by employers to supplement their meagre earnings.
Real wages are not easy to define, but are sometimes linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). However, in the case of South Africa and because of apartheid, real wages should be linked to social protection, social benefits and the social wage, writes Trenton Elsley.
A paid universal parental leave of 18 weeks recently won in Australia is a development that South Africa might want to emulate. Michael Walker traces how this was won in Australia.
Sactwu’s Andre Kriel who argues that Nattrass’ and Seekings’ views are based on myth not reality. Ilan Strauss adds that any argument for lowering wages in the clothing industry promotes ‘a race to the bottom,’ which threatens gains that have been made on wages.
South Africa’s role in Africa can be described as capitalist, imperialist, expansionist and opportunistic. This makes it impossible to build cross-class alliances against global imperialism, writes Shawn Hattingh.
There is need to analyse the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa)’s proposal on a Movement for Socialism (made at its special national congress (SNC) in December 2013) using Trotsky’s concept of the united front, argues Ayanda ‘Nyerere’ Madyibi.
Zweli Mtsolongo is a modern-day imbongi or praise poet who writes and recites poems in praise of political leadership, including that of trade unions. Elijah Chiwota talks to him about his work in one of Africa’s oldest professions that cut across historical periods.
Youth development policies in South Africa need to take a broad approach that addresses problems such as youth unemployment instead of looking only at single issues as proposed by programmes such as youth wage subsidies, write Siphelo Ngcwangu and Andile Ndevu.
The youth wage subsidy (YWS) proposal by the National Treasury that is supported by the Democratic Alliance (DA) does not address the causes of the triple crisis of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
The recent Tips conference highlighted some of the unforeseen consequences of various policy choices. Renee Grawitzky examines whether the poor are gambling away their right to access basic services
Briefings/Documents: By South African Labour Bulletin.