National strike warning for next week

Union federation Cosatu is mobilising for a national strike on Monday, 7 October, where it aims to march against high levels of unemployment in the country, “rampant retrenchment” in the public and private sectors, the rising cost of living, and crime.
The group is also making a list of demands, including that the government drop “privatisation” strategies and stop budget cuts, or what it calls “austerity measures”.
It plans to strike nationally and ultimately hand over a memorandum of demands to the Department of Labour.
Businesses have hit back at the union’s plans, calling it misguided.
Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) expresses concern over the strike, saying that it does not believe the shutdown will address any of the challenges raised by Cosatu.
“We respect the right to strike or protest, within the dictates of the law, but believe the issues raised by Cosatu are structural in nature and can be addressed through the various bilateral and multilateral processes, engagements, and partnerships underway.
Cas Coovadia, BUSA CEO, said that the economy is under severe strain, and the planned action will only add further pressure to the detriment of South Africa’s economic recovery.
“These actions also hinder our collective efforts to grow the economy at a rate that can address unemployment, inequality, and poverty. We need to prioritise stability and collaboration to foster long term economic growth, rather than resorting to measures that negatively impact both business and citizens,” he said.
BUSA said that has long advocated for reform to Section 77 of the Labour Relations Act to curb the misuse of strikes.
“These recurring protests, using outdated Nedlac certificates, place undue strain on businesses and the economy as a whole. To our knowledge, the issues being relied upon by Cosatu in the proposed strike were last discussed in NEDLAC in 2017.
“No effort has been made to engage the government or business in Nedlac since then on these issues.”
BUSA said the importance of labour rights should not come at the cost of economic stability, adding that businesses are open to engaging on Cosatu’s concerns while prioritising the economy.