S. Africa's largest union marches to protest new labour law

South Africa's 340,000-strong NUMSA union marched to protest a new labour law it says will increase unemployment and poverty, amid a tense stand-off with the ruling ANC weeks before polls. Duration: 00:50

Published

12 months ago

Categories

World

Topics

Labor Rights, Africa, Human Rights

Places

South Africa, Africa, Johannesburg, Durban

Transcript

SHOTLIST JOHANNESBURG, 19 MARCH 2014, SOURCE: AFPTV SOUNDBITE 1- Patience Mmethi (woman), Striking worker (English, 11 sec) : "You cannot live on this salary. It's totally unacceptable and we feel our government is not listening, hence we are here with NUMSA and we're saying enough with the abuse that we get from uhulumeni (government), enough." SOUNDBITE 2 - Patience Mmethi (woman), Striking worker (English, 5 sec): "We're just saying that our needs have to be listened to." SOUNDBITE 3 - Percy Nhapo (man), Striking worker (English, 12 sec): "The message is that we want the government to provide real jobs, and they should not give workers false solutions in the form of an incentive act." VAR images showing: - members of NUMSA gathered at rally /// --------------------------------------------------------- AFP TEXT STORY S.Africa's largest union marches for youth jobs / Johannesburg (South Africa) - 19 March 2014 17:01 - AFP South Africa's 340,000-strong NUMSA union marched Wednesday to protest a new labour law it says will increase unemployment and poverty, amid a tense stand-off with the ruling ANC weeks before polls. Thousands of people striked and marched across the country in support of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, the largest worker organisation in the country, to demand more policies to fight poverty. NUMSA, which largely represents workers in the auto and metal sectors, is at odds with the African National Congress government over how to tackle youth joblessness. It takes exception especially to a law signed in December that provides tax incentives for companies to employ more young people, which the union says will discriminate against older workers. Around 3,000 people wearing the union's trademark red t-shirts and berets marched in Johannesburg's Rosebank business centre. "This incentive is causing division between workers," said Leepile Khumalo, an artisan and union representative. "It's not an incentive for employers to employ," he told AFP. Petrol attendant Patience Modisakeng accused authorities of failing to support struggling workers. "We want the government to improve conditions, so that more jobs are available," she said. At a march in Durban, union leader Zwelinzima Vavi said the new laws would not reduce unemployment. "Employers will employ more young workers, line their pockets with the generous subsidy, while retrenching an equal or greater number of older workers," said Vavi, who was recently suspended as leader of the umbrella federation Cosatu which Numsa belongs to. NUMSA currently has frosty relations with the ANC-Cosatu ruling alliance, accusing them of betraying their socialist roots. The union supports Vavi, who is fighting a suspension for an alleged affair with an employee -- a charge his backers slammed as trumped-up because of his vocal criticism of President Jacob Zuma. Millions of South Africans are growing restless with growing inequality between rich and poor and almost 24 percent unemployment two decades into democracy. Every year, disgruntled South Africans stage hundreds of often-violent protests in Africa's wealthiest economy against poor public services and joblessness. Dissatisfaction with Nelson Mandela's ANC may lead to a reduced majority at general elections on May 7, putting pressure on the government to implement more populist policies. jcm/arp