Truckers strike

[Dave A]

I've been chewing over where labour relations have gone wrong in SA. Not so much on the "pay levels" front but on "the rules of engagement."

The LRA was supposed to ensure the rules of engagement were fair and equitable to employer and employee - to ensure a reasonable balance in negotiating power.

So the employee was given the right to strike, and the employer the right to lock out. The theory was this was fairly balanced. (I happen to disagree that it's fairly balanced, but that's not where I'm headed in this line of thought).

What we are seeing though is more than strike action (essentially the right to withhold one's work) as a negotiation tool by employees.

We are seeing the carrying of weapons.
We are seeing the intimidation of others who want to carry on with their lives.
We are seeing the destruction of property.
We are seeing the assault, and even murder, of people.

It's unlawful, but it continues because there has been no consequence to the offenders. And in fact it has been escalating.

Quite simply, there has to be consequence to bring back some reasonable semblance of balance to the equation.

And my thought was - let's introduce grounds for automatic, mandatory dismissal into the LRA. Either in the Act istself or in the regulations.

The full details would have to be carefully framed. The offences that could invoke this would have to be clearly defined. And I should think part of the balancing act would involve a "you may apply for the job vacancy you have created" step.

Yes, it's drastic. But we've got a severe problem to resolve. And right now I suspect the only way we will solve it is if there is clear, automatic and mandatory consequence for this sort of unlawful conduct.

[Phil Cooper]

In terms of a recent Court decision, the Union can be held liable for the action of its members during a strike.

So - theoretically - the Union must pay for the damaged / destroyed trucks and loads - and medical expenses of the drivers.

[Blurock]

I've been chewing over where labour relations have gone wrong in SA. Not so much on the "pay levels" front but on "the rules of engagement."

Is it because we have total anarchy in some sectors of our population? These are a few of the causes as I see it;
1. There is no respect for the law (example set by our president and other political so called leaders)
2. There is no respect for education (an uneducated fool can get onto a podium and rouse the masses)
3. There is no respect for other people or their property (violent destruction of property every time there is a strike. Disregard of minority rights. Cable theft.)
4. There is no respect for life (people get killed without a blink of an eye. MEC's let their pets die of hunger. Poaching has become a national pastime)

In all these cases the examples are being set by our so called political (non) leaders. The people in power who should set an example are unfit for the job with little or no appropriate education, no morals and are corrupt to the core.

School books were not delivered in many provinces. Schools in the Northern Cape were closed for 4 months. Parents do not see education as a means to escape and fight poverty. Parents vote for uneducated fools because of their populist slogans. Children get raped and abused. Parents and teachers engage in barbaric acts of violence when they strike. People get killed in the process, but they still get rewarded with a wage hike. There is no thought of self improvement, education or reward for hard work. Ministers and government officials steal and enrich themselves through corruption.

This is what the children are seeing and experiencing. They see rewards for barbaric acts. They see rewards for criminal activities. What do we expect them to do? Study for 7 or 8 years to become doctors or engineers? The short-cuts provided by this corrupt government are much more appealing!

[cyppok]

You are entering the Russia/Ukraine in the 90s stage. Welcome people to the new normal.

Now the most important key during this stage is not knowledge or production, capital is somewhat important but you could do without. Racketeering requires brute force and the ability to lead men. A force of will and character and cruelty ofcourse also weapons would be nice to have for enforcement. Capital is necessary in the beginning to bribe officials until you get strong enough that bribes become secondary to the 'protection' and electability you can have directly or indirectly via 'your' electorate.

However, you are not there yet. Still need the credit system to lock down periodically to vaporize liquidity and the ability to move around.
[a hint of truth in every joke]

This is actually a very interesting time in SA, perhaps next to strike will be Transnet and Eskom. But I digress a bit.
Everything that you thought was impossible is becoming possible to a certain degree. Good and bad. I am certain there will be at least a few small warlords that will control access to their territory and "toll" roads for real like it was in Russia. Very simple to do and effective. Block roads with bought off cops, tax the cargo by swooping in, hire 'soldiers', expand fiefdom.

Most important after petroleum will be food distribution ergo trucks with prepared white corn for mass consumption.

Blurock I am going to burst your bubble a bit. What was criminal yesterday will be legal once you are elected after your warlord stint. Timoshenko the "democratic lady" of Ukraine stole about 400-600 million dollars in 90s-2000s via UES(United Energy Systems) her accomplice(Lazorenko) was sent to jail but they(U.S. and Ukraine at the time) decided not to go after her due to political affiliations most people in gov't are either former thieves, enforcers, or self-made. Few from the old guard. After she went into politics all of it became legitimized. Lots of others are worse to be honest. Donetsk group that is now in power is an actual crime organization (my opinion is they are still better than Yushenko's nationalist) but anyways.

You will enjoy something similar very violent in beginning though. Unless you are the warlord of course. Lots of unemployed people ready and willing to earn their keep.

[adrianh]

So now our dumba$$ friends threw stones at a truck on the N2 causing the truck to overturn. The R300 / N2 link is closed becuase of this this.

Viva... BANANA REPUBLIC.

[adrianh]

I now hear on the radio that they set another truck alight on Borchards Quarry Road....

[IanF]

COSATU unions have been violent for years destroying property. Not even the ConCourt judgement holding them liable seems to phase them. Lets see if the government has the balls to sue them for these damages.

[Blurock]

COSATU unions have been violent for years destroying property. Not even the ConCourt judgement holding them liable seems to phase them. Lets see if the government has the balls to sue them for these damages.

Pals get off the hook...

[ians]

a truck was attacked today in kings avenue and cooldrinks and stuff stolen off the truck. strikers rob street venders of goods.

[cyppok]

a truck was attacked today in kings avenue and cooldrinks and stuff stolen off the truck. strikers rob street venders of goods.

As the collapse intensifies the looting and marauding, I mean liberating and freeing capitalist goods for populist consumption will mean a more equitable distribution of wealth. When everyone is poor everyone is equal.

Best cities to live during times like this is slow inter-mediation ergo very autarchic(the wiki definition is not that great it, I am using it as self-sufficiency)(autarchy) cities will do better. By autarchic I mean those cities near food production and value added aspects. Ergo cities where there is lots of food production and small machinery chops in the near vicity with close communal togetherness and low transportation necessary for it to function. Basically agrarian/value add centers.

The biggest problem I see is if water infrastructure gives way in a very densely populated part of country gives way and nobody cares to fix it. Then you will get complete clusterf##k since the entire mountain of population will transform into roving nomads seeking basic necessities. Never quiet got this far in Russia because water infrastructure is fairly widespread(bad or not it works), but in countries like Egypt if a neighborhood water gets shut off you get the point.

I could totally see infrastructure failure be the next wave. Ergo think Eskom cuts capacity to certain portions of geography and it accidentally cuts off power to water utilities that have catastrophic failure due to lack of maintenance in their backup generators and then due to that you get complete breakage down the chain. For example the water treatment backflow stops working and contaminates the entire water supply up and down the chain for a few weeks.

(AM I just the most positive person ever or what)

[Citizen X]

Now is the time to deploy the military becuase we as ordinary citizens are under siege!!!

[ians]

Last i heard the youth league were encouraging its memebers to join the military, and i suspect they have done so because they also also strike, not like the old days when you would have been beaten and thrown into jail to rot for the rest of your life or until a new goverment came into power and let everyone out.

I am sure malema would engourage them to bring in the troops.

[dfsa]

Now is the time to deploy the military becuase we as ordinary citizens are under siege!!!

What Military? You really want to see chaos, then deploy the current people that wear Military uniforms. They can not even control them within their bases.

[dfsa]

I heard a little Birdie tweeting, that NUMSA is looking to jump on the minimum wage chaos wagon too.

[Dave A]

An insatiable thirst?

Some miners at Kumba have gone on a wildcat strike now. What struck me most was this:

Kumba was regarded as immune to the strike contagion because rank and file employees there in December who had worked for at least five years were given a lump sum of about R345 000 each after taxes as part of a share scheme.

This represented a fortune to workers earning as little as R7 000 a month. But it was not immediately clear if any of the 300 reported strikers were among the 6 200 who had benefited from the plan.

“We thought the share plan meant this would not happen there,” said Gideon du Plessis, the deputy secretary general of trade union Solidarity which represents skilled workers.

Solidarity is not taking part in the strike.
from fin24 here

There's something seriously wrong with this picture right now.