It is business as usual in the big corporations such as Highveld steel, Vanchem, Transalloys, Silcon smelters and others.
These corporations do not intend to uplift the living conditions of their employees in their communities, theirs is to continue to oppress and exploit workers and destroy the social fabric of the society.
The entire Emalahleni area in Mpumalanga is polluted by these capitalists, the place not fit for human habitation.
The working class and the poor are compelled to live under these appalling conditions as they move from rural areas to come and sell their labour as a means of survival.
These capitalists claim to be the champions in terms of observing health and safety measures at their workplaces but the high fatality rate is alarming. Their main goal is to maximise profits.
Their boardroom and management are still lily white. If you find a previously disadvantaged person occupying a top position, it is window dressing and camouflaging.
Laws have been passed to redress such economic imbalances but the intransigent captains of industry are do not implement these legislations.
We need an industrial policy in order to change the status quo. In order to change the current condition we need to build a strong social movement in the country.
It is high time for us to occupy the centre stage, take our rightful place and continue to defend our national democratic revolution to elevate the working class struggle to another level.
Statistics in terms of the Employment Equity Report show a snail’s pace upward in respect of historically disadvantaged groups for the past ten years. White males still occupy key positions; white females still occupy key positions.
All these demonstrate that our labour market is far from being transformed, precisely because captains of industry are intransigent and reluctant to move towards that transformation. It is high time that the working class takes the centre stage in our revolution.
Let us go back to basics
Amandla
Source
Numsa News No 2, July 2010