Toe ek heelwat jonger was en my eie besigheid bestuur het, was ek nie baie lief vir vakbonde nie. Wanneer mens egter ouer word, en hopelik meer verstand het, maar ook meer lewensondervinding opdoen, raak jy hopelik wyser. Dan sien jy die nodigheid van vakbonde sowel as die rol wat vakbonde kan speel in die opbou van ons land.
Why did my viewpoint change? It’s because you do not allow other people the same that you want to allow yourself. The Bible says that we should do unto others as we want them to do unto us. Therefore there must be someone or something that must look after the rights of other people. With reference to the latter I would like to mention that the law can be a difficult discipline. If a judge should ask him or herself the question before a judgment: “what would a reasonable person have done under reasonable circumstances?” You would get a just pronouncement.
Ek is van mening dat werkers moet staak en baklei om ‘n regverdige deel te kry van wat hulle toekom, nie net verkeerd is nie, maar dit toon ook iets van ons menswees. Verskillende mense beskik oor verskillende talente, Ons is tog elkeen uniek geskape. Daar is wetenskaplikes, handearbeiders, regslui, administrateurs, ingenieurs, information technology mense, bestuurders, ensovoorts. Elkeen van hulle het ‘n bydrae wat hulle kan maak tot die geheel. Maar ongelukkig kry nie elkeen sy regmatige deel van die salariskoek nie. Wat ook al die geval is, geld motiveer mense. Ons kan nie daar verby kom nie. “Money makes the world go round!”
Although certain people say money is the root of all evil, no one can exist without money. My plea today is thus that everyone must be equitably remunerated for the services which they have rendered in any place of work and in our case, at local government.
Ons weet al teen dié tyd daar is altyd ‘n verloorder by elke staking of optog en dié verloor se naam is Suid Afrika. Die regering, die werkgewer en die werknemer speel almal ‘n ewe groot rol in die opbou van ons ekonomie en in die opbou van ons land. Om ryk te wees is nie ‘n skande nie en om die waarheid te sê, ons het meer ryk mense nodig sodat ons vir die armes kan sorg. Wat wel skandalig is, is hoe sommige van ons met geld werk en hoe dit spandeer word. In Suid Afrika woon daar ongeveer 48 miljoen mense. Van hulle betaal agt miljoen belasting en 16 miljoen kry staatspensioene, ens. Hierdie balans is heeltemal verkeerd en ons sal meer mense aan die werk moet kry, anders sal ons ekonomie nie groei nie.
We’ll have to ensure that the gap between rich and poor becomes smaller by means of legislation. The government will unfortunately have to set the example and lead according to the example. Furthermore the government will have to write legislation and determine the gap between the highest salaries and the lowest salaries. Then there won’t have to be any more fighting about salary increases. If the gap between the highest salaries and the lowest salaries was penned down in legislation, the salaries and benefits would also have increased in a just manner.
Dames en here, ek kry die gevoel dat arbeid altyd moet baklei om ‘n regmatige deel te kry. Die werkgewer se verskoning is altyd dat mense onproduktief, onbevoeg, ens. is. Ja, miskien is dit die geval van 10 tot 20 persent van die werknemers, maar wat van die ander 80 tot 90 persent wat wel hulle kant bring? Hoe sê die regering dankie, want “tuned assessment of skills and knowledge” (TASK) is ná sis jaar nog nie afgehandel nie. Dit benadeel elke werker in plaaslike regering en die leë beloftes van wanneer TASK afgehandel sal word, hou nie op nie.
The truth is that you who carry and support service delivery are not treated equitably. First of all tuned assessment of skills and knowledge will have to be completed and secondly the gap between the highest and lowest paid must be determined, then you will be able to get up in the mornings with a smile and go to work as a happy worker.
Almal weet dat bestuurders se salarisse markverwant is, want hulle het ‘n sê in wat markverwant is, maar dis nie die geval met die algemene werkers nie. As ons die gaping wil laat krimp tussen ryk en arm moet ons die gaping deur wetgewing bepaal en vasstel. As ons dit doen kan ek u verseker sal ons nie meer stakings kry tydens salarisonderhandelinge nie.
All of us know that the salaries of managers are market related, because they have an input in their salaries. If, however, we want to decrease the gap, we will have to do so by means of legislation. When this happens, I ensure you we won’t have any more strikes during salary negotiations. In order to successfully run a business or a municipality, you need different people with different talents.
In the recent past the government has been talking about a turnaround strategy to make local government work for all of us. Because it sounds correct, we believe in it. I’ll guarantee you that if we don’t know what we must do before we can “turn around”; we’ll be running around in circles. And in another five years we’ll get another, new turnaround strategy. Despite the latter, some municipalities have experienced success, despite the faults in the current system. I think the answer lies in the following:
- they employ efficient people
- they invest in the training of their people
- they appoint people who are “fit for purpose” and
- they create a stable political environment in which to work.
You have probably heard the expression “growing your own timber”. Let me expand on this. I can assure you today the municipalities that really work are those who have invested in their people. They are the municipalities who have appointed experts. They are municipalities who have created political stability. It’s my viewpoint that we must determine what an ideal municipality looks like, which skills we need, and then we must put the proper training programmes in place in order to give us the skills we need and only then can we determine the strategies.
Daar is elke jaar ‘n kompetisie waar werknemers kan nomineer watter besigheid is die beste om voor te werk. Nog nooit is enige regeringsinstansie genomineer nie. Hoekom nie? Omdat die regering nog nooit besef het dat om dienslewering by ons mense uit te kry moet ons in u belê nie. U moet die nodige opleiding kry, u moet voorsien word van die nodige finansiële, en hulpbron ondersteuning, dan sal dienslewering verbeter.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think the curing of the Western Cape lies in the curing of our hearts. You see, colleagues, if we want to build the Western Cape and South Africa, we’ll have to use all our energy in restoring our hearts.
Therefore:
- mistrust must be replaced by trust
- selfishness with unselfishness and
- hatred with love.
Wanneer ons hart herstel sal daar nie meer ‘n baas en ‘n werkgewer wees nie, daar sal nie meer ‘n boer en ‘n plaasarbeider wees nie, daar sal net vennootskappe wees, want jy het vennootskappe nodig tussen werkgewer en werknemer om ‘n besigheid te laat werk. As ons harte genees is, sal almal se kinders ewe belangrik wees, want dit sal ons kinders wees, Suid Afrika se kinders. ‘n Wit gemeenskap sal nie harder huil wanneer ‘n wit kind gedood word nie en ‘n swart gemeenskap sal nie méér huil as ‘n swart kind gedood word nie.
Wanneer jy verby ‘n dronk persoon op straat loop sal jy nie die persoon veroordeel nie, maar sal jy besef dat dit ‘n mens is in wie se lewe iets verkeerd geloop het. Wanneer ons harte genees is, sal ons almal gun wat ons onsself gun.
Ek dank u.
Enquiries:
Heini Odendal
Cell: 084 510 3258
