Cosatu marchers to hand demands to Parliament

Cape Town - Ten thousand Cosatu workers are expected to descend on Cape Town’s city centre today as they embark on a strike to mark International Day for Decent Work.

Cosatu workers are calling for a number of things, including a minimum wage, decent working conditions, adequate public transport and the implementation of the National Health Insurance.

In their demands that they will be handing over to Parliament, the union calls on “the rich” to come forward and take responsibility for funding free education.

“Now is the time for our government to be decisive and introduce policy measures that will affect radical economic transformation, which in our view is a pre-requisite towards the achievement of free education for students from working class and poor backgrounds.”

Cosatu provincial chairman Motlatsi Tsubane said many workers have struggled financially and a minimum wage could help a large number of workers.

“By having a minimum wage we will at least take our people forward so they will be able to maintain their families. We are not saying that it is enough, but it is a start. What some workers are getting now is around R1 200-R1 500 per month and that is not enough to maintain a family, and that is why government must put in place a minimum wage.”

He said one crucially important thing many workers could not afford was medical aid or access to adequate health care.

“This is why we are saying the National Health Insurance is an important process to be sped up because that will include everyone that is excluded to have access to a proper health care system, even to the hospitals that don’t accommodate those without medical aid.”

Tsubane added despite upgrade to roads and some elements of the transport system, the poorest of the poor still struggled with public transport. “A lot of roadworks and such are happening, but the point is it does not help the poor in terms of taking that person from home to work and back. What we mean by a reliable transport system is that it must be accessible to people.”

Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich stressed the strike was a legal one and said they were expecting around 10 000 Cosatu-affiliated workers to participate.

They would be marching to Parliament where they would hand over their demands that “must be addressed urgently”.

yolisa.tswanya@inl.co.za

CAPE ARGUS