For the leadership of the ANC and SACP an independent and militant worker controlled and independent trade union federation is too dreadful to contemplate– especially as we approach the 2014 national and provincial elections. What if COSATU refused to campaign for or...
wage
Is Bureaucracy killing COSATU?
Bureaucracy is defined as management or administration marked by hierarchical authority among numerous offices and by fixed procedures. The abuse of power by officials is a very old phenomenon in the labour movement worldwide. Bureaucratisation is seen in this article...
The Amplats workers’ committee dilemma | by Benjamin Fogel
The Amplats workers' committee formed during last year's Marikana wildcat strike on the platinum belt. The Amplats strike did not begin because of the events at Lonmin; it arose out of a long-running dispute between workers, NUM and Amplats. Since June 2012 workers at...
Marikana and the crisis of Migrancy | by Micah Reddy
The Marikana massacre and unrest on South Africa's mines in 2012 elicited a flurry of analysis, much of it superficial and too hastily produced to be of any real use. One of the more authoritative accounts, however, came from former trade unionist Gavin Hartford, now...
Unsustainable ‘best in class’ Lonmin: destined for breakdowns | by Amandla! editorial staff
Only one week before the massacre in Marikana on 16 August last year, Bench Marks Foundation published its report, 'Policy Gap 6'. It was a part of a long series of critical studies of SA mining. It described in detail the social and environmental havoc created by...
Farmworker Housing | by Benjamin Fogel
The housing crisis is not merely confined to the cities and towns of South Africa; it is at the heart of political struggles in rural areas as well. Farmworkers not only face the same types of issues as those who dwell in urban areas, but also face some that are...
Rana Plaza Amandla
On the 24th of April, one day after inspectors ordered the owners to evacuate the building, the Rana Plaza textile factory in Savar Bangladesh, employing over 3,000 workers, collapsed. Over a third of those inside were killed and many others sustained major injuries....
Statement of the Workers Committee at Angloplats
We shall not accept one more job loss at Angloplats – We shall resist – We shall fightWe do not accept the decision of Angloplats to fire 6000 workers. We are not relieved that management has reduced the number from 14,000. It may please the government and Minister...
David and Goliath
The story of farm workers and farm bosses in the Breede River Valley| by Mercia Andrews On Wednesday 6 March 2013 in Ashton, 180 km from Cape Town, people started gathering for a meeting early in the morning. Outside the library, one could observe the expensive...


