Saftu shows its muscle in first protest
Thousands in action against national minimum wage
The first public showing by the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) may not push the government into scrapping any labour laws, but it has demonstrated that the year-old organisation enjoys significant support. Hundreds of bus drivers holding out in a wage negotiations impasse may have bolstered the strike. On Wednesday major cities across the country were transformed into a sea of red that resembled marches by Cosatu in its glory days. Thousands of workers from different sectors, the majority of whom were members of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), Saftu’s biggest affiliate, joined in the mass action against the newly enacted national minimum wage rate of R20 an hour. They are demanding R12,500 per month. Saftu also opposes the introduction of a strike-balloting provision in the Labour Relations Act, describing it as "suicide" for workers and that it was intended to remove the right to strike. The federation has more than 700,000 members, according to ...
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