Cape Town - Cosatu affiliates in the Western Cape are gearing up for mass action next month over the rampant violent crimes plaguing communities.
The action follows after what the union confederation called the government's failure to respond to the plight of the working class who had been affected by crime in the Western Cape.
A memorandum of demands would be submitted to the City, the provincial government, and the national government.
Cosatu is demanding an end to gang violence and evaluation of police stations and commanders by communities.
The union federation is also demanding regular police patrols in industrial areas, public safety at railway stations, and for the government to fire and charge police officers involved in gang violence as well as removal and banning of firearms in communities.
Cosatu provincial secretary Malvern Du Bruyn said in 2018 the federation witnessed a decline in safety in the province over the years and had noted that the government was doing nothing to curb violent crimes.
“Workers are the ones that are affected the most. We were then forced to go to Nedlac where we submitted a notice on Violent Crimes in the Western Cape in 2018 in terms of Section 77 (1) (b) of the labour Relations Act 66 of 1995.
“The notice referred to the violent crimes in the province including gang violence, substance abuse, and crimes against women and children. We then submitted a revised Section 77 1 (B) notice with a full list of demands on October 3, 2018. Our section,” he said.
De Bruyn said the confederation had tried its utmost best to avert a possible strike in the Province but had been forced by the approach of all spheres of the government on the Nedlac engagements.
“The first hurdle during these proceedings was the absence of the key respondents, such as the City of Cape Town and SAPS who were not present at the meeting of November 1, 2019 and the engagements could not continue.
“They had a total disrespect towards the process and undermined the apple of the Western Cape and the city,” he said.
Democratic Nursing Association of SA official Jaco van Heerden said his union was concerned about unsafe workplaces for healthcare workers.
Van Heerden said incidents such as that at the New Somerset Hospital, where two patients and a police officer were shot dead, and the killing of a patient by another patient at Valkenberg Hospital were some of the realities that its members were subjected to.
Trade Union for Musicians of SA president Vicky Sampson said it was time for the Cosatu and its affiliates to stand up and force the government to act on the violent crimes in the province.