24 February: Protest and Stay-Away against the bosses’ budget! Build for continued mass action!
The Workers and Socialist Party (WASP) supports South African Federation of Trade Union’s call for a National Stay-Away on February 24, when finance minister Mboweni is set to deliver another dose of brutal austerity in his budget speech.
It’s #TimeToFightBack — as South African Federation of Trade Union (SAFTU) is saying with this call to action. For too long a one-sided class war has been waged by the bosses and their hand-picked shop stewards in government. The events unfolding nationally and globally are a wake-up call to the working class that the enemy is stepping up the fight.
The ruling class is hiding behind Covid19 regulations, exploiting workers through mass retrenchments, wage cuts, and non-payment of wages and benefits. Governments are cutting spending on basic social infrastructure necessary for all of us to live — schools, clinics, roads, housing. Although handouts to the poor have been increased (temporarily!), tenderpreneurs are capturing ever bigger pieces of the state “cake”, and attacks against the working class and our organising power are increasing.
The profits of the rich are being protected and the poor are made to pay! We must endure increasing austerity while bosses continue to make profits through government aided interventions. Businesses continue to lay off workers despite publicly funded bailouts. This relentless campaign to weaken, defeat, and therefore contain the working class is being escalated on an international scale. The unity of the working class across the globe is more urgent than ever.
Build a united fightback
We need to fight back against job losses, cuts on health care and education, increased police brutality, racist and sexist division, and the attempts to destroy institutions like collective bargaining and the CCMA. These are hard-won platforms through which workers can put up a limited defence against the capitalists. Fighting for more health care workers, more educators, and for wage increases for public sector workers is a fight of and for all working people and our communities. We defend the unity of the working class and reject the false divisions handed from above between public — and private sector workers, gender-, community-, education — and workplace struggles. Capitalism is an onslaught of exploitation on the entire working class. Only as one force united through solidarity can we defeat it and win decent jobs for all workers, an end to unemployment, free quality education and healthcare for all.
The October 7 action called by COSATU and joined by SAFTU, FEDUSA and NACTU showed willingness to unite across federations. It brought out community organisations, the unemployed, and the youth. This broke a paralysis evident in the workers’ movement even before Covid19. It highlighted not only the criminal wrecking of the public sector wage agreement, but the epidemic of gender based violence (GBV), the climate crisis, corruption, and the ANC’s austerity driven program.
Mobilise now!
WASP welcomes that SAFTU is now taking the initiative for action. It is critical that all working-class formations heed SAFTU’s call and mobilize for the broadest possible show of unity. Despite Covid19 restrictions, this action must be used as a platform to raise the consciousness of the working class and prepare for bigger actions ahead. The stay-away is far from enough, it is also long overdue and needed a lot more preparation.
The fight must be for a socialist world. While SAFTU raises key current issues that we must fight on, and points towards the need to fundamentally change the economic system, there is a need to clarify, develop and sharpen a programme that can unite workers, young people, activists in sustained action. The isolated strikes and community struggles that have raged during lockdown show that the working class is ready to engage in the fightback. We have to unite all of these under a fighting programme for the working class.
We cannot afford to fall into paralysis again. Budget day is a strategic day; our tactics must take that into account. No more postponing! There is too much at stake.
How to take part in the action?
WASP will mobilise wherever we are able to; on our social media, in the streets, in workplaces, and in the union movement. This stay-away should not mean “stay-at-home”. All types of socially distanced collective actions should be considered and planned for the day. Motorcades, socially-distanced pickets, creative protests, and social media action, should all form part of the 24th. Area and workplace committees where they exist should immediately discuss the most strategic actions for their circumstances. These actions should aim to draw attention to the struggles faced by workers, communities, and the youth, and ultimately raise the consciousness of the masses.
After February 24
This action alone will not convince the ANC to reverse its attacks. There are no easy victories in the class war. The next steps should be cross-federation shop stewards councils and assemblies of the working class. Through these we have to critically evaluate and sharpen the program and demands put forward by SAFTU.
The task of creating a transitional program that speaks to the immediate struggles of workers, communities and the youth, as well as the longer term struggle towards fundamental changes to the capitalist system is crucial. This program must aim to draw in all the fighting forces from the broadest possible layers of the working class. If we do not organise around a clear program, we are doomed to continue fighting and losing isolated battles.
We must unite not only within South Africa, but with the international working class. The general strikes in India, Myanmar and Nepal have set a strong tone. Inspiring battles are taking place globally, particularly in the public sector through healthcare and education workers. It shows the potential for a fight here against wage freezes and slashing of budgets. It is critical we engage in this arena of struggle too, where we should simultaneously fight for an end to the two-tier education and healthcare systems. Workers and communities must have control over these basic necessities.
We will not be handed a socialist economy by the ruling class. The situation of the pandemic and multiple crises in all sectors of society shows the need for an organised fight back and building a socialist world, planned democratically according to need. To build this fightback, we need to be organised in a party of our own — a party for the working class. If SAFTU sees itself as a militant and fighting socialist federation, it must urgently resume the task of building towards a mass workers party that allows for open democratic discussions and a concrete program towards socialism.
