South Africa: Workers Strike for Higher Wages, Win

Oct. 7 general strike across South Africa.

On October 15, workers of Bombela Operating Company (BOC) ended a 10-day strike after winning a wage hike ranging from 10% for the lowest earner to 4.1% for the highest. The workers are represented by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) who had been in negotiations with BOC for months. When negotiations came to a standstill, 258 out of the 320 workers at BOC put down their tools. After 10 days of the strike, BOC increased their wages.

The BOC workers’ strike was concurrent with a general strike across South Africa on October 7 called by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and was joined by other large trade unions. Thousands of workers marched against government corruption, job losses, and the ruling African National Congress’ (ANC) broken promises and anti-worker policies.

Workers Voice Socialist Movement

We are workers, employed and unemployed, youth, students, and seniors. We are multi-racial and multi-national and organize for the unity of the working class. We are funded by and for workers, for the liberation of all workers and oppressed people.

We organize for jobs and higher wages, against racism, women’s, and LGBTQ oppression, and for solidarity with immigrants. We organize for community schools, lower rents, and food on our tables. We organize for workers’ power so that everything will one day be removed from the capitalists’ private ownership.

We oppose the Pentagon, which is looting our tax dollars and handing them over to war-profiteering private companies, while social programs are gutted. We oppose war for empire which is pursued only to lower our wages and plunder the world’s resources while destroying the environment. We reject the monopoly media who feed us lie after lie.

The labor of workers produces enormous wealth here in Louisiana, the U.S. and the world– so much wealth that everyone could have housing, meaningful jobs, education, healthcare, and genuine equality. But this wealth is stolen and privately owned by the capitalist class for their greed and profit. We believe that we, the workers of the world, can unite in revolution to overcome capitalism and build a better world.

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