National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Triennial National Congress
24 May 2006
Programme Director,
President and your Executive Committee
Leaders from Provincial structures
Leaders and delegates from other Affiliates of the Federation
Workers
Comrades
Ladies and gentleman;
During the weeks in the run-up to the local government elections we observed
a plethora of posters that were put up in support of political partyâs
campaigns. The primary and common message in many of these posters was service
delivery. This sentiment is indicative of the importance that political parties
place around this issue.
In the same vein, I am sure that service to delivery to your members is
given the same standing as is reflected in the National Union of Mineworkers
(NUM) slogan Members First, Today and Forever.
It is indeed an honour and privilege to address this important event. The
issue of quality of service to NUM members in view of labour market challenges
such as flexibility and deregulation has gained currency recently due to the
ebb and flow nature of the discourse on labour market flexibility. As we
celebrate the 60th anniversary of the historic mineworkers strike that took
place in 1946, we should salute and pay tribute to those heroic comrades of the
African Mine Workers Unions such as the late comrade JB Marks and JJ Mojoro who
struggled for a decent living wage, recognition of their union and the removal
of the tribal division of the workforce.
In her book, "South Africa Belongs to Us-A History of the ANC," Francis Meli
quotes Michael Harmel who states âThe courage and class consciousness of the
miners inspired and awakened tens of thousands of oppressed African workers;
the miners of '46 were the forerunners of protest strikers of May Day and the
26th of June, the defiance volunteers, the brave men and women who have stood
by the Congress movement through the grim days of Nationalist repression.â
This illustration of the heroism of these workers depicts their courage,
sacrifice, commitment and determination to a just cause. Similarly, it takes a
rare breed of leader imbued with these qualities to render an effective and
quality service to members. Members are the epicentre of the existence of the
union and should be afforded service guaranteeing unwavering quality.
A report commissioned by this organisation on memberâs satisfaction with
service suggests that quality service is very important. The report conducted
by the Sociology of Work Unit, makes the following pertinent findings:
* Members do not know the leadership and are ignorant of their
activities.
* 61% of our members are not satisfied with and are critical of union service,
and only 4% see resigning as an option
* Our members perceive our stewards as always on the move, away from the
branch, unable to defend members and being corrupt.
However, on the positive side the report highlights that members are happy
with the collective bargaining process and the unionâs ability to represent
workers in disciplinary cases.
Notwithstanding, this finding on collective bargaining, we should remain
vigilant of our capacity and representivity in respect of collective bargaining
in the age of globalisation. I would want to say that the fact your union has
made this attempt to gauge the feelings and opinions of its members should be
seen in a positive light and attests to its commitment and concern of rendering
a quality service to members. In fact your union is not passive because it has
dealt with corruption in its ranks previously proving that it is willing to
restore its image and credibility amongst members.
The major challenge facing the union movement and all of us today is the
re-emergence of the debate on labour market flexibility which seems to have the
potential to dilute water down or even reverse the hard won gains made by the
union movement since 1994. This debate started at the dawn of our young
democracy in 1994 just as South Africa re-entered the international arena.
In 1995, The Comprehensive Labour Market Commission (CLMC)was established to
investigate the development of a comprehensive labour market policy.
The CLMC report recommended that labour market policy should be governed and
informed by the principle of regulated flexibility. This principle has remained
the resilient and overarching principle governing South Africaâs post apartheid
labour market and it poignantly attests to the strength of the labour movement
to reach a steadfast compromise.
Through our approach of regulated flexibility, we have managed to promulgate
and implement various legislation that for the first time gave workers rights
to organise, rights to strike and collective bargaining. These rights were not
going to be possible without your fruitful and vigorous engagement in
institutions like National Economic Development and Labour Council
(NEDLAC).
The debate about the labour market is ideological. Unfortunately ours is
informed by our vision of a prosperous, equitable stable democratic non-sexist
and non-racial society. In order for this vision to succeed we need a strong
unitary developmental state. If I were to select just two areas in this vision,
in other words, stability and democracy, I can safely say these can only be
achieved if in a country there is freedom of association and collective
bargaining. Our labour law does cover these two areas. We can call these civic
rights therefore part of civil liberties and democracy.
It is freedom of association and collective bargaining that irritates
employers. It is these rights that trigger the debate about the labour market
in particular what popular known is as labour costs. I do not deny that where
the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining is strong, worker
rights are protected. Yes of course there will be high labour costs. Debate
likeâ the labour cost do affect competitivenessâ begin to emerge. It is this
argument about labour costs that motivates the debate about the labour market
flexibility. The problem with this debate is that it focuses less on non-labour
costs. The fact is Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining lead to
greater economic and social stability.
There is enough empirical evidence that:
i. democracies yield long run growth rates that are more predictable
ii. democracies produce greater stability in economic performance
iii. democracies handle adverse shocks much better
So strong democracy, Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining rights
are associated with lower country credit risks that of course facilitate
economic performance and trade competitiveness. Foreign direct investments will
increase in a country that has political and social stability. Social and
Political stability is more important than labour costs. At any rate in South
Africa, labour costs include salaries of both top and middle management who are
paid very high salaries.
Stability does not come from heaven like the âmannaâ during the time of
Moses. That our democracy is maturing or is matured is not a miracle. That our
economic environment is sound and our country is peaceful and stable is not
because of performance or wisdom of some individual but because of labour
market and the workers of this country, the majority of which abide by the
labour law. So we should be grateful to the majority of the workers of this
country for the way they conduct and conducted themselves.
At the African National Congressâ National General Council (NGC) at the end
of June last year, the debate on labour market deregulation resurfaced.
A discussion paper entitled, âDevelopment and Underdevelopment Overcoming the
Two Economy Divideâ was developed and circulated for discussion. The thrust of
the paper centres on a controversial proposal for a dual labour market to
create more jobs, but which would negatively affect young people. The dual
labour market as envisaged in the document will effectively entitle young
people to less pay coupled with being subjected to quicker and easier
dismissals.
The NGC rejected the proposals to create a dual labour market and decided
that further research be conducted to look into the impact of the labour market
framework on job creation. This decision should be seen as a victory for the
labour movement who were unequivocal and vociferous in their opposition to the
proposed labour market reforms.
Comrades, South Africa is not immune to this challenge of labour market
flexibility and deregulation. It is a universal phenomenon that has gripped
various countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and France most
recently.
The implementation of a dual labour market in Argentina and Mexico has had a
debilitating effect on the working class and poor in those countries. However,
the attempt at deregulation in France that would have made it easier to hire
and fire young workers in order to ease the high youth unemployment was
defeated.
The courage, determination and profound commitment of young people in France
were the key ingredients in the successful rejection of the attempt at labour
market reforms. The mass mobilisation and the spirit of the protest by young
people in France should be internalised by workers the world over, it lends
credence to the adage; workers of the world unite against the scourge of
flexibility. As David managed to defeat Goliath, workers with the requisite
qualities should be able to defeat labour market flexibility.
The challenge is clear, unions need to use their primary assets- their
members- for the battle against labour market flexibility. A unionâs strength
is derived from its membership. Officials need to sensitise and educate their
members so that they are equipped with the required knowledge in order to
counter the threat posed by labour market deregulation. Members will only be
capacitated through improved service from elected leadership such as shop
stewards.
A strong, democratic, member controlled union is in far better position to
engage on issues that are perceived as an attack on the hard won gains of the
union movement.
Thank you!
Issued by: Department of Labour
24 May 2006
