CWAO IN THE NEWS

*It will now protest outside NEDLAC (14a Jellicoe Road, Rosebank, Jozi) on 22 July from 10am - 12:30pm.*

Reason for the protest:
1. NEDLAC has overseen secret talks to downgrade the country's labour laws, and bring back apartheid style dismissals. These are where bosses are allowed to call workers into their offices and fire them without any procedurally fair disciplinary hearings taking place.

2. The parties in NEDLAC agreed to four proposed amendment bills that propose 47 amendments to the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (LRA), 13 amendments to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 (BCEA), two amendments to the National Minimum Wage Act, 2018 (NMWA) and three amendments to the Employment Equity Act, 1998 (EEA).

3. Almost all of these are disadvantageous to workers, especially the most vulnerable workers - women, youth, migrant workers and workers on probation.

4. Our main objections to the proposed labour law amendments are:
* The law will end formal disciplinary hearings. Workers who are accused of something at work won't have the opportunity to defend themselves, nor call their union, nor call witnesses nor cross-examine company witnesses. Bosses can merely have a conversation with the worker before firing them. :
* Small businesses will be able to fire workers without even having a conversation. :
* New workers and workers on probation can be fired in the first three months for no reason, with no conversation, let alone a hearing. This will create a massive new additional layer of unlawfully casualised workers who are hired permanently, then fired while on probation and replaced with new workers - an escape clause from section 198 of the LRA that says all workers are deemed to be permanent after 3 months. This will particularly affect women and youth workers in factories, farmworkers, domestic workers, security guards, and labourers. :
* Probation can be extended without the bosses providing reasons. :
* It will become legal for bosses to fire workers they don't like, even if they are doing their job well, on the vague and spurious grounds of "unsuitability and incompatibility".:
* Workers will no longer be allowed to declare an unfair labour practice over nepotism in the workplace, unfair promotions, demotions and unfair provision of benefits. This will increase corruption that is already so rampant. :
* Businesses with fewer than 50 workers no longer have to pay the wages and conditions established by the Bargaining Councils. We anticipate that many companies will downsize and outsource to get their staff complement below 50 so that they can pay low wages. :
* The practice of zero-hour work (which has been done away with in countries like New Zealand) effectively continues - workers will still have to sign contracts promising to be available for a maximum and minimum number of hours a week, but that could be one hour. Zero-hour contract workers will only get one day's paid sick leave if they work for a company that employs more than 10 people. :
* Retrenched workers will now get 2 weeks’ severance per year worked (up from 1 year) but this only applies from the date the amendment becomes law, disadvantaging workers who already have many years’ service.

These organisations are part of the Campaign to Scrap the Labour Law Amendment Bills:
* Academic and Professional Staff Association (APSA)
* African Revival Foundation (ARF)
* Are Aganeng Barulaganyi Women's and Children Empowerment
* Association for Rural Advancement (AFRA)
* Basadi Foundation
* Casual Workers Advice Office (CWAO)
* Central Karoo Farm Community Association (CKFCA)
* Climate and Agroecology Movement (CAM)
* Democratic Municipal and Allied Workers' Union of South Africa (DEMAWUSA)
* Du Noon Community Advice Office
* Foundation for Human Rights (FHR)
* General Industrial Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA)
* Housing Assembly (HA)
* Indigenous Art Creative (IAC)
* IZWI Domestic Workers Alliance (IZWI)
* Khanya College (KC)
* Kwakwatsi Community Advice Office (KWACOA)
* Labour Community Media Forum (LCMF)
* Landless People's Movement (LPM)
* Maokeng Advice & Resource Centre (MARC)
* Masiphakameni Local Development Agency (MLDA)
* Metal, Mining and Allied Workers Union of South Africa (MMAWUSA)
* Metsimoholo Community Advice Office (MCAO)
* Middleburg Development & Advice Office (MDAO)
* Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA)
* Monametse-Mokgotho Community Affected Forum (MMCEF)
* Movement For Change And Social Justice (MCSJ)
* National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (NUPSAW)
* Nhlokomelele Ngwana Mosadi CBO
* Orange Farm Human Rights Advice Centre (OFHRAC)
* PAC of Occupied Azania
* People’s Health Movement (PHM)
* Sedibeng Advice Legal Centre (SALC)
* Simunye Workers Forum (SWF)
* Simunye-Dukathole Youth Forum (SDYF)
* Siyanqoba Rural Transformation Forum
* South African Care Workers Forum (SACWF)
* South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU)
* Sundays River Valley Farmworkers Forum (SRV Farm Workers Forum)
* Surplus People's Project (SPP)
* The International Labour Research and Information Group (ILRIG)
* Tlholong Legal Advice Centre (TLAC)
* Transport, Retail and General Workers Union (THORN)
* Valley FM
* Witwatersrand Area Research Management (WiARM)
* Witzenberg Justice Coalition (WJC)
* Women on Farm Project (WFP)
* Women Waste Pickers (WWP)
* Workers and Socialist Party (WASP)
* Workers World Media Production (WWMP)

The Campaign is also planning public meetings as part of the mobilisation. On the 9th August, National Women’s Day, various activities will be organised focusing on the impact of the amendments on women.

For interviews, please phone these representatives from the member organisations:
Patrick Mlaba (073 377 9249) Lebohang Phanyeko (076 387 8607)
Maggie Mthombeni (078 154 1827)

Category: PRESS RELEASE | SCRAP THE LABOUR AMENDMENT BILLS