04 October 2020
EUSA DOES NOT SUPPORT THE OCTOBER 7 SELLOUTS’ STRIKE BY A UNION FEDERATION IN GOVERNMENT BUT CLAIMING TO STRIKE AGAINST GOVERNMENT.
Educators’ Union of South Africa (EUSA), a fast-growing teachers’ union in the country, is not in support of the October 7 strike that is organized by one of the Alliances of the Employer to make a mockery of all betrayed civil servants.
The October 7 strike will not provide any solutions to the problems that the government employees in all departments, are confronted with, instead, they stand to lose their one day’s salary when the Employer applies the no-work-no-pay principle.
More than 27 000 EUSA members, countrywide, refuse to be fooled by the federations that do not fight for the interests of the workers instead of using the frustrations of the workers to campaign and gauge the support of the ruling party in the coming Local Government Elections.
The main question is: Why the organisers of this useless strike are not using their seats in the tripartite alliance to force the government/employer to implement Resolution 1 of 2018 and also to attend to all other issues that are listed in their memorandum?
The planned strike on Wednesday will not bear any fruits for public servants as after the few hours on the streets things will go back to the state they’re in today. The only major impact will be that the employer will apply the no-work-no-pay principle which will affect workers who are already underpaid and without a salary increase.
We further reject the notion that the Treasury cannot afford salary increments for public servants. State funds have been looted during Covid-19 by people who are still in government office even today. The few arrests that we see today are to fight internal political battles and will do South Africans no good. The only real action needed is that all those who have looted state funds must be ordered to pay back the money or face the reality of their assets being auctioned to repay the looted funds. President Ramaphosa should also be firm to even those who are his friends in government. Billions of Rands were looted in basic education and no investigation is being done there.
We are not shaken by the political campaign of those that are in government through the tripartite alliance trying to use this period to the campaign. It is not the first time they are doing this. They have been threatening to leave the Alliance for years, we know they won’t because they are part of the government and it’s so undermining for them to think that South Africans do not know this. We call on all public servants, to go to work on Wednesday, 7th of October 2020, and not be misled by those who are bored of sitting in air-conditioned offices while ignoring worker grievances daily.
The only protest that EUSA will support is one that says, WORKERS SHOULD WITHDRAW THEIR LABOUR UNTIL THEIR DEMANDS ARE MET!!
Otherwise, we will not support any form of one-day crèche arrangement, that will negatively affect all workers.
ISSUED BY THE EDUCATORS UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA (EUSA)