TimesLive writes that on the streets, the once-mighty Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) that could bring the country to a standstill a decade ago is no more. But there are many more victories in the boardroom in the form of policies that are pro-worker than was the case 10 years ago.

This is the assessment of Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali, who said in a recent interview that rising unemployment had made it almost impossible for workers to embark on rolling mass action like before. He admitted that those who believed Cosatu was weaker now than when it was famous for protracted strikes were probably correct, but there were reasons for this. “Unemployment is very high so a worker must think very hard before striking because one may be supporting more family members than before. It might have been easier 10 years ago to go on strike, and a long strike for that matter, but now it is very difficult even when workers see the employer is very aggressive,” he noted. Ntshalintshali said the contradiction between strike action which, at times, contributed to rising unemployment — such as had been the case in the platinum belt — and going the boardroom route where workers where likely to compromise more than they would on the streets had muddied the situation. It was for this reason that the most favoured strategy nowadays was the boardroom approach. “In the boardroom we have sound policies that cannot be refuted. But it takes time on the side of government to realise these issues,” he said. Some of the polices Ntshalintshali accredited to Cosatu’s sharp negotiating skills in the boardroom included: UIF Covid-19 Ters; National Minimum Wage Act; Eskom Social Compact; Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan; and Compensation of Injury on Duty Amendment Bill,

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mawande AmaShabalala at TimesLive

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