By Obakeng Maje
The Congress of South African Trade Unions and its affiliates congratulate the ANC on a victory for winning 2014 elections.

Cosatu North West secretary-general Solly Phetoe said it is a clear that workers of this province have gone out in numbers to make sure that the ANC retains its political power in government.

“We want to thank all our members, including in particular all workers who had to endure difficult times in the platinum belt, the farm workers and those who had to insist on their right to go out and vote during working hours” Phetoe said.

Cosatu said they are happy that the police, and the conduct of all workers and the community of the platinum belt, allowed the voting to take place in peace. “We are requesting that we all maintain the spirit of peace in the platinum belt” he said.

Cosatu said they will now call all their affiliates to start doing real work of defending their members against exploitation and dealing with those who gave their members warnings for attending May Day celebration and those farmers who refused to let workers to go out and celebrate workers’ day.

“We must also thank those farmers who made it possible for farm workers to vote including arranging transport for those farm workers.
We are back at our offices. We are now taking our campaign to the streets, in particular against e-tolling, the most expensive toll gate in the RSA, the labour brokers, the campaign for improving our membership service, the fight against union bashing and the fight against gender-based violence” said gaudy Phetoe.

He also call on all members to be positive, unite the federation, fight against the labour brokers and improve the conditions of service for all workers in the North West.

Phetoe call on our government and political party to make sure they do not forget their mandate and make sure that all the outstanding issues of service delivery and the current state of economy is discussed with leaders of the alliance and other stake-holders.

The state of the mines in the province demand a joint discussions with all stake-holders including the role of the trade unions in making sure that lives of workers are improved, says Phetoe.

According to Cosatu, the state must intervene in the current situation and stabilize the mining industry.

“We call on our government to take our issues seriously. We have been marching against the expensive toll gate; we have presented memos to both national and provincial government since 2011; we now want action; the toll gate must be reduced.”

“Labour brokers in government must go; the exploitation of workers at our international resort, Sun City, must come to an end, farmers must stop evicting workers during election time; our poor children in farming communities must be treated like those who are in town” Cosatu said.

Cosatu is now back to the fighting mode of defending its workers at all levels.

“We are meeting with the Department of Transport on the 13th May 2014 in Pretoria, we hope we will bring something that must prove to the workers and community that we in power as the working class of this province.
We will be back in those farms where our poor farm dwellers are exploited. A domestic worker is being paid with clothes from one racist white woman in Swartruggens; this must be exposed and come to an end” concludes Phetoe.

Workers must celebrate the ANC victory with real action to improve the lives of their families and of communities in our North West.-TDN
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