ANC Youth League secretary general Sindiso Magaqa (R) speaks while his leader Julius Malema looks on during a news briefing in Johannesburg on Monday, 5 March 2012 where ANCYL leaders commented on the disciplinary process against the league.Malema was expelled from the ANC last week for bringing the party into disrepute and sowing divisions. He will appeal against the expulsion.Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA ANC Youth League secretary general Sindiso Magaqa (R) speaks while his leader Julius Malema looks on during a news briefing in Johannesburg on Monday, 5 March 2012 where ANCYL leaders commented on the disciplinary process against the league.Malema was expelled from the ANC last week for bringing the party into disrepute and sowing divisions. He will appeal against the expulsion.Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA
The ANC Youth League will be joining Wednesday's nationwide strike, Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Tuesday.
He said youth league leader Julius Malema was in solidarity with the action and would march with protesters.
Malema was still the league's representative as he was appealing his expulsion from the party, Vavi told reporters in Pretoria.
The strike is in protest against e-tolling and labour broking.
Vavi said Cosatu respected the ANC disciplinary committee's decision to expel Malema, adding that Malema's plans to take part in Wednesday's protest put Cosatu in a “tight corner”.
However, everybody could participate in the march, including other political parties.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ANCYL called on its members and supporters to join the mass action.
The Youth League said it was”disappointed that the ANC government and parliament have been indecisive on the question of banning labour brokers, despite a public commitment to ban labour brokers”.
“This issue must not be negotiated, because labour brokering is slavery which does not and must never have a place in a new South Africa,” the statement said.
On e-tolling, it said it was “vehemently” opposed to “any system that will lead to paying for daily usage of roads by road users”.
“Roads should be paid for by the State, not daily users,” the statement said.
“The government of the ANC cannot and should not complain about lack of money, because South Africa is a wealthy nation with minerals resources that be used fruitfully to generate additional revenue for public goods and services.
“Our call for nationalisation of mines is amongst other things meant at resolving the question of the State not having money to pay for public services and goods,” the ANCYL said.
The Public Servants Association and the Food and Allied Workers Union said they would be joining the protest.
“E-tolling... should be condemned as it represents yet another tax on all the citizens of this country,” PSA deputy general manager Manie de Clercq said in a letter to the Cosatu.
“The rationale for the e-tolling system is unclear in that all motorists are paying a fuel levy which can be efficiently utilised in upgrading and maintaining our public roads.”
Fawu said it would join the protest to highlight the barbaric practice of labour brokers.
“This labour broker practice has seen in some workplaces up to 70 percent of the workforce being workers supplied by fat-cats called labour brokers and earning as little as 30 percent of what employees on the payroll of manufacturers earn and with huge fees paid to these fat-cats,” said general secretary Katishi Masemola.
He said workers were doing permanent work and reporting for duty daily but earned far less than their fellow workers on the payroll and were working without benefits in many cases.
De Clercq said trade unions were “important vehicles” in improving the socio-economic status of their members through opposition to labour brokers.
“A united voice should speak out against labour broking, which violates workers' right to dignity.”
Cosatu's protest is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, with 34 marches were expected to be held across the country.
Cosatu's Gauteng secretary Dumisani Dakile said on Monday that workers could not be dismissed for taking part in the protest.
“The strike is protected... and we have complied with the legal requirements,” he said.
“We are even calling on employers to join the march and not threaten workers.” - Sapa