Johannesburg - Saftu’s national shutdown took to the streets on Wednesday and its long list of demands includes a minimum living wage of R72 per hour and a basic income grant of R1500.
The list of demands also includes a call for the reduction of electricity, regulation of petrol, diesel and paraffin, effective solutions to address the health crisis in the country, filling vacancies in schools, hospitals, and police stations, addressing rising crime levels and the make-over of SOEs amongst many other demands.
The national shutdown was attended by thousands of members from Saftu, Cosatu and their allies across the country. It was aimed at addressing the rising cost of living and the high levels of unemployment, amongst other concerns.
Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, North West, Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation MEC, Tsotso Tlhapi and Limpopo premier Stan Mathabatha were among those who received and signed the memorandums of demands on behalf of government at the different destinations in six provinces.
Labour unions have described their shutdown as a “significant day in the history of South African labour” despite the low attendance at the marches.
Here is the full list of demands by SAFTU as per their memorandum:
1. Jobs for the unemployed.
2. A Basic Income Grant of R1500 to address the levels of poverty amongst the unemployed.
3. Lowering food, fuel, electricity prices and interest rates.
4. Eskom must not be privatised or hollowed out. Eskom’s CEO, Andre de Ruyter, the Board, and the entire government of the ANC must step aside.
5. Reduce the electricity tariffs and make electricity affordable to the poor. Scrap the odious debt owed to the bank by Eskom.
6. The Eskom tariffs must not be increased as a way of attracting and assuring private capitalists in the energy industry of profitability, as this makes electricity more expensive and unaffordable to working class people.
7. A minimum living wage of R72 per hour (R12,500) for workers.
8. End rampant crime and violence. Arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of all violence, including against women and children. Transform the criminal justice system, train, and employ more police to ensure that the country is in a better position to fight crime.
9. Climate Justice: more renewables and more public investment in Eskom, and the creation of climate jobs.
10.The re-nationalisation of Sasol, Iscor, SAA, and other SOEs, and a full makeover at Denel, PRASA, PetroSA, Transnet, to reflect social and labour needs.
11. Reverse the budget cuts and increase government spending in critical areas of service delivery.
12. Expand the public sector wage bill so that more teachers, nurses, police, correctional officers, social workers, and traffic officers can be hired and are better paid.
13. Immediate insourcing of all security and cleaning, community healthcare, early childhood development, and EPWP workers.
14. Land restoration and distribution, including ensuring food sovereignty and security.
15. Address the education crisis to improve the standard so that we can not only better equip the youth but can ensure that it plays a meaningful role in the economy.
16. Address the health crisis, stop budget cuts, employ more healthcare workers, invest to address the infrastructure backlogs and introduce the National Health Insurance.
17. Invest in local government infrastructure to ensure we eliminate the bucket system, address the water crisis, storm water drainage system, etc.
18. Regulate and cap petrol, diesel, and paraffin increases. Subsidise the taxi industry in the same way as the private bus industry receives a subsidy from the government. Today 80% of workers use taxis to and from work.
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