DownloadFollowing a successful meeting held with shop stewards of the General Industrial Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA) on Saturday, 21 March 2020, the union has taken the initiative to start engagements between industrial workers and factory bosses to ensure certain conditions for workers. It has also focused much of its efforts on awareness raising work with the members of the union and community members. GIWUSA has seen a need for workers to act swiftly to organise defences against a coming pandemic, unlike many of the other labour structures. This is the sense that GIWUSA’s Secretary General, John Appolis, shared about the recent developments and the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
GIWUSA reps pamphleteered in various areas as part of the campaign. The shop stewards distributed flyers to industrial workers. The pamphlets are a first part of the work which GIWUSA is planning to do to make members, through collaborative efforts with the broader community, aware about coronavirus.
Tinovimbanashe Gwenyaya of GIWUSA, who is based in Gauteng and works as a legal officer, explained that the campaign of the union is currently focused on industrial areas such as Alrode and Alberton, which were covered on 23 March and the next day in Wadeville. Gwenyaya informed Karibu! that they have been targeting workers as they come in to and out of factories, and handing them pamphlets as part of their strategy.
The workers have been responsive and while a small portion show a prior understanding of the virus, the vast majority expressed interest in knowing more about the virus.
“We will have to find a way of organising during the lockdown.” Gwenyaya said when asked how the campaign will go on when the lockdown kicks in at “midnight Thursday”. Gwenyaya said that they are talking to the Casual Workers Advise Office (CWAO) and are looking for ways to travel and reach other industrial areas after Isando on Thursday.
Workers are concerned about their contract situations and dismissals when the lockdown goes ahead. This is because there have been no guarantees in place apart from what the president announced. Gwenyaya said that other concerns they have are around the health and safety of workers as there is no commitment by employers or government on that front.
