Solidarity with South African union strikes

TUC message of solidarity with striking South African workers

TUC General Secretary’s letter to the General Secretary of COSATU - 27 June 2005

Dear Comrade Vavi

I wish to convey to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) the solidarity and best wishes of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) on your strike today and subsequent mass campaign over the growing unemployment situation and the harsh impact of neoliberal policies on South African workers and people.

We share the concerns that COSATU and hundreds of thousands of South African trade unionists are expressing.

Tomorrow, we will be taking part in a global union delegation to see Prime Minister Blair about the G8 summit next week, and calling on him and other G8 leaders to ensure that trade negotiations are accompanied by an ongoing assessment of their employment impact, with international funding and short-term safeguard measures where necessary to address the disarray following, for example, the end of the textile quotas, which we know have hit South Africa and others in the region hard. We will also tell him that quality employment must be at the heart of the agenda to both cut global poverty and reduce economic insecurity for workers whose jobs are threatened by globalisation. At the very least, WTO agreements must not undermine labour standards.

In particular, we endorse your calls on the South African government to:

• urgently review the trade strategy for imports, especially textiles, from China which has led to job losses in South Africa;

• stop the privatisation of basic services; and

• protect vulnerable industries, pursue local procurement and prioritise employment growth.

We wish you a positive outcome in your campaign. Please convey our solidarity and best wishes to all our friends in South Africa.