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Title: No To Privatisation! Author: Workers’ Solidarity Federation Date: 1996 Language: en Topics: socialism, South Africa, trade unions, privatisation Source: Retrieved on January 1, 2005 from http://www.cat.org.au][www.cat.org.au]] and on October 29, 2005 from [[http://struggle.ws/africa/wsfother/no_private_96.html
In early December 1995, the government announced that it was going to
privatise many State assets. It wants to sell off part of SAA, Telkom
and Airports Company, and all of Autonet, Sun Air and Transkei Airways.
This was met by opposition by the unions, spearheaded by the 1,6 million
strong COSATU federation (Congress of South African Trade Unions). Mass
actions were organised in the postal and public transport sectors.
COSATU also called a general strike for January 16 1996. This strike was
called off at the last minute when the government agreed to halt its
privatisation plans and enter into negotiations with the unions over
economic restructuring.
The government says privatisation will “create new jobs” in the “medium-
to long-term.”
Lies! We have had privatisation in South Africa since the 1980s. And
there is still mass unemployment! Nowhere in the world has privatisation
created jobs. Privatisation means job losses. It will put us and our
families on the streets.
The government says that there must be some privatisation of services.
They say this will help “deliver services”.
But business only cares about one thing — profits! It won’t deliver
services to people who cannot afford to pay charges. And business will
erode the quality of the few services we do have so it can make more
money. They will not improve services to the poor because the poor are
not a “financially viable proposition.”
The government says that privatisation will contribute to “black
employment.”
But only a tiny elite of Black businessman and politicians have money to
buy shares. Black economic empowerment must mean more than a few rich
Motlanas and Mosenekes. It must mean an improvement in the living
conditions of the workers and the poor. It must mean real grassroots
democracy.
cuts. This must be backed up by maximum solidarity from other unions. We
must demand continued unemployment with no cuts in pay or workers
rights.
or cut off services. We must fight for more and better services to the
communities of the workers and the poor.
We say no to privatisation. But nationalisation is also not socialism
because the government will never serve the workers. It was built to
serve the bosses and the rulers and still play this role. We must fight
for real worker control of the economy through our trade unions.
Phantsi ngeCapitalism! (Down with Capitalism!)
Phambili basebenzi! (Forward Workers!)