18 January 2013
The SACP would like to express outrage at the announcement by Amplats two day ago of an intention to retrench 14 000 workers as part and parcel of its restructuring programme.
The planned retrenchments signal the extent of the crisis of capitalism worldwide and in South Africa specifically. Despite attempts to convince all and sundry that we are out of a recession the latest retrenchments proposal tells us otherwise. The SACP has always warned since 2008 that we must do all we can to ascertain that workers and the poor are not made to pay off for the barbarism of capitalism. Amplats plans are just that, to sacrifice workers in order to secure higher profits for the bosses.
Secondly the SACP is of the view that the reasons advanced for the retrenchments further confirms what we have been arguing for of a need to tangle out our economy from colonial dependent growth path. With the traditional center that we have been dependent on, Europe, experiencing its own difficulties, we are now made to pay the price. The SACP concurs with the ANC that if Amplats cannot operate the mine because their export markets have shrunk and they are unable to diversify then the mines must be auctioned to other investor who will protect the jobs of our workers.
Investors cannot undermine government’s agenda on job creation willy-nilly. Whilst Amplats have gone on a charm offensive about retraining and the cost to be covered, what they have not communicate and they care less about is the knock on effect these will have on communities.
The private sector has always accused government and the ruling party of lacking a coherent plan. A coherent plan has been articulated in the form of the NGP and the NDP. Interestingly it is the private sector that is first of the starting blocks in undermining the objectives of those plans. In this regard the SACP calls on government to act decisively to withdraw licenses of those who actively work to undermine government and societal priorities and award them to investors who are serious about investment in our mining sector and are committed to the job creation imperative.
Various events now lately have signaled to the SACP that the worst of the crisis is being thrown at us as a country from all angels. Companies like Amplats have now blown the profits from the pre-2008 resources boom and are throwing a tantrum. In order to defeat these subtle maneuvers to force our hand at pro-capitalist policies the SACP calls for maximum worker unity and the unity of the alliance to act in unison. Our structures will have to provide outmost leadership in the affected communities in order to reverse the capitalist assault.
Issued by the SACP
Contact:
Malesela Maleka
SACP Spokesperson – 082 226 1802