“Cosatu prepares for a ‘mother of all stay aways’ on October 7, which is the World Day for Decent Work, and has lodged a section 77 notice with the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac). The notice focuses on job losses, lack of reliable public transport, the electricity crisis and the crisis in the public health sector,” said acting general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali, following the trade union federation’s two-day central executive committee meeting in Johannesburg.

Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini said the country was facing a job loss crisis. The trade union federation would meet with President Jacob Zuma over unemployment and job losses, he said.

“There is a crisis in the country, we will be at the forefront fighting for the thousands of jobs that are already on the line. Cosatu will engage President Zuma on this, and we will also be in the streets to make sure that the message is carried through,” Dlamini emphasised.

“More than 35,000 jobs in various sectors such as mining, steel production and telecommunication, where Telkom continues to cut jobs would be targeted,” he said.

Mine companies planned to cut more than 10,000 jobs as commodity prices continued to fall.

Several metal and steel companies had issued workers with section 189 notices in the past few weeks as the industry struggled to survive the tough market conditions, largely blamed on cheap steel imports from China.

ANA