Workers Day messages pour in

The leader of the Democratic Alliance, Tony Leon, says in his Workers’ Day message that the ongoing security guard strike, and the conduct of members of the SA Trade and Allied workers' Union in particular, are stark reminders of the damage that can be done when unions behave in a reckless and irresponsible fashion. He says the strike has led to nine people being murdered. It has also led to large-scale destruction of both private and public property. In order to prevent a repeat of such mass anarchy in future, the lawshould be amended to hold trades unions responsible for the unlawful and criminal actions of their members.

The trade union Solidarity says in its message that it is to ask independent experts to conduct an investigation into the salaries of technical staff in the economy’s key industries. Flip Buys, general secretary of Solidarity, says that the poor salaries paid in most of the technical occupations are partly responsible for the skills crisis in South Africa. If the salaries were better, more young people would want to obtain technical qualifications, he said. Buys says the union finds it strange that artisans and technicians have to be imported to assist with South African projects while there has not been any major increase in the salaries of local technical staff. He points out that the salaries of technical staff show much slower increases than those of top management and even those of unskilled workers.

Cosatu has encouraged people to attend the many May Day rallies organised across the country. The trade union federation says next month will see strikes in the public sector, manufacturing, mining, construction and the service sector. Spokesperson Patrick Craven says the strikes form part of the Jobs and Poverty Campaign. Cosatu's message for Workers Day stresses that almost two out of three Africans under the age of 30 are unable to find work. It lashes out at political leaders, saying the people's representatives, in particular those in Parliament and in the trade union movement, must choose between being people's representatives or business people.