VZCZCXRO7063
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHJO #0323/01 3341623
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301623Z NOV 07
FM AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6046
INFO RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUCNSAD/SADC COLLECTIVE
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 2799

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JOHANNESBURG 000323 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB ECON EMIN SF
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA: NOVEMBER LABOR NOTES 
 
JOHANNESBU 00000323  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Construction workers revamping the Moses Mabhida 
Stadium in Durban went on strike the beginning of November last 
week, over low wages and safety issues.  The National Union of 
Mineworkers (NUM) chose to get involved on behalf of the 
construction workers, and reached an agreement with employers on 
November 19.  Meanwhile, trade union federation COSATU has 
called for an investigation and change of regulations to protect 
farm workers after 16 farm workers died over a five day period 
in two separate transport accidents, while the Food and Allied 
Workers Union (FAWU) organized a series of rural protest marches 
on Saturday, November 17 to protest against poor working 
conditions including safety issues. 
 
¶2.   Trade Union Federations NACTU and FEDUSA joined in 
confederation SACOTU which claims 900,000 members, still 
substantially less than COSATU's 1.8 million.  The Department of 
Labor is undergoing staff changes including the departure of 
Director General Vanguard Mkosana.   The National Union of 
Mineworkers has called a nation-wide strike over safety issues 
for December 4, and said all of its 240,000 members are likely 
to take part.  COSATU's Central Executive Committee called for 
an investigation into its President Willie Madisha, in a 
controversy over allegedly missing donated to the South African 
Communist Party.   End Summary. 
 
Strike at 2010 Stadium in Durban 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.   A 12-day strike at Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium ended on 
Monday, November 19 with an agreement by employers by pay 
additional project bonuses, employ additional health and safety 
staff, and a promise to assist in enforcing a minimum wage on 
subcontractors.    NUM, the National Union of Mineworkers, 
negotiating on behalf of construction workers, had demanded 
monthly bonuses, better health and safety standards, and tying 
the hiring of subcontractors to their compliance with a sectoral 
determination which sets a minimum wage.   NUM claimed that some 
workers employed by subcontractors were earning just R6 (or less 
than one dollar) an hour.  The agreement reached means that a 
secondary strike at other 2010 sites will not proceed 
immediately, though the press has speculated that the 
concessions made in Durban will incite strikes at other 2010 
stadia. 
 
Farm Worker Protests 
-------------------------- 
 
¶4.  The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has 
called for an investigation and crackdown on the use of open 
trucks to transport workers to and from their workplaces after 
16 farm workers died in two separate incidents within a five day 
period.   Ten farm workers did on November 9 after truck they 
were riding in went off the road near Piketberg.  Another 6 
died, and 40 were injured in a highway accident on November 14. 
 
 
¶5.  One of COSATU's affiliates, the Food and Allied Worker 
Union, organized a strike by farm workers on Saturday, November 
¶17.  While the union claimed that thousands of farm workers in a 
variety of rural towns would strike over poor working and living 
conditions, lack of concern about their safety, and the impact 
of food price inflation (currently running at 17 percent at the 
retail and 24 percent at the producer level) , press reports 
indicate that turnout was in the hundreds.  The press also 
indicated that the South African Communist Party reinforced the 
numbers of farm workers marching. 
 
Comment 
------------- 
 
¶6.   Comment:  Both construction and farm work have relatively 
low rates of unionization, and both of the trade unions taking 
action - NUM and FAWA - have a majority membership that is not 
in the trades that are striking.   Trade union federation COSATU 
is encouraging its affiliates to have a minimum membership of 
100,000 and therefore some consolidation is occurring with 
smaller trade unions being absorbed by larger ones.  Bread and 
butter issues, especially food price inflation, led to South 
Africa's very substantial strike season this year,  with the 
South African Reserve Bank estimating that real wages declined 
by 2.6 percent over the first quarter of 2007 from the same 
period in 2006.    While there are economic reasons for both 
FAWA and NUM to have taken strike actions, a trade union contact 
told us the NUM strike was at least partly political.   An 
official involved in 2010 preparations thought NUM's actions 
were entirely political, aimed at influencing the ANC's 
Polokwane conference.    Press attention on low wages and poor 
working conditions is meant to highlight the limitations of 
President Mbeki's otherwise strong economic performance.   End 
Comment. 
 
Staff Changes at Department of Labor 
 
JOHANNESBU 00000323  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶7.  Vanguard Mkosana, Director General at the Department of 
Labor, will leave that position on November 30 at the expiration 
of his contract.  The Department of Labor has a series of 
qualified audits form the auditor general over the past three 
years.   In addition, staff turnover, especially among labor 
inspectors, and continuing vacancies have hampered the 
effectiveness of the department.   Press reports indicate that 
Deputy Director General Masodi Xaba and chief Financial Officer 
Chris van der Merwe are also leaving after Minister Mdladlana 
accepted their resignations.  Les Kettledas, a veteran 
bureaucrat, will be the Department's acting Director General. 
 
Two Trade Union Federations Merge - More or Less 
--------------------------------------------- -------------------- 
 
¶8.  In an event attended by Labor Minister Mdladlana that 
nevertheless received very little press play, trade union 
federations FEDUSA (Federation of Trade Unions of South Africa) 
and NACTU (National Council of Trade Unions) formed a 
confederation to be known as the South African Confederation of 
Trade Unions (SACOTU) on November 9, 2007.   FEDUSA and NACTU 
announced their plans to merge in September 2006, but, in the 
event, disparities in management style limited their 
amalgamation to a confederation.    While both federations were 
apolitical, FEDUSA had run its trade union like a business, with 
regular financial and membership audits, whereas NACTU brought 
its political influence to the table.   SACOTU's claims to have 
membership of around 900,000 trade unionists.  It proposed to be 
an independent and non-political trade union. (Comment:  The ANC 
government has dealt preferentially with both NACTU and FEDUSA 
in the past, partly because of COSATU's political engagement and 
willingness to publicly criticize President Mbeki's government 
whenever the opportunity offered.   The government encouraged 
both federations to unite, in order to create a greater working 
class voice beyond COSATU.  End Comment.   COSATU said it had 
written to SACOTU to propose a meeting to discuss COSATU's 
proposal for a single united trade union federation, a proposal 
unlikely to find favor with apolitical SACOTU. 
 
Mineworkers to Strike on Safety Issues on December 4 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
-------- 
 
¶9.  The National Union of Mineworkers set December 4 as the date 
for a one-day nationwide strike on safety issues.   According to 
NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka, gold mines including Harmony, 
AngloGold Ashanti, and Gold Fields will be struck as well as 
platinum producers Impala Platinum and Anglo Platinum.   Diamond 
producer DeBeers and coal miner Exxaro will also be targeted 
during the strike, which the union claims will involve all of 
its 240,000 members.  Another four miners died in four separate 
incidents over the three day period from November 22-24.   NUM 
has described the spate of mining deaths as "genocide." 
According to Chamber of Mines statistics, mining fatalities 
stand at 182 deaths this year.  (Comment:   A large of number of 
miners are using workers sourced through labor brokers - one 
estimate says a third of the mining workforce is now sourced 
through labor brokers -- and these workers may chose not to 
participate in the strike.   Nevertheless production is likely 
to be affected. End Comment.) 
 
COSATU to Investigate its President 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶10.  COSATU's Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting of 
November 13-15 voted to conduct a commission of inquiry into the 
conduct of its President Willie Madisha.   Madisha, who is also 
the President of the South African Democratic Teachers Union, 
has been embroiled in a controversy over R500,000 allegedly 
donated by a businessman to the South African Communist Party 
and allegedly delivered to its General Secretary, Blade 
Nzimande.  Madisha was involved in the transport and delivery of 
these funds, which were never recorded nor apparently reached 
the SACP treasurer.    He was not charged but made a statement 
to the police.  The CEC voted to authorize a commission of 
inquiry to examine whether the conduct of Madisha brought COSATU 
into disrepute or have led to a deterioration of trust between 
national office bearers. 
COFFMAN