16 Dec 2016

WATCH: Vavi vows full-blown strike ahead of Feb budget

Cape Town - Former Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi vowed this week to lead a massive strike ahead of the National Budget speech in February next year.

Speaking to Fin24 at the 10th national congress of the National Union of Metalworkers (Numsa), he said: "In February we will test our strength. For the first time we will go into the streets ... because we think workers must be given a voice."

Vavi, current convenor of Numsa's steering committee for a new labour federation, told Fin24's labour columnist Terry Bell the planned protest action will test the strength of the new labour federation which is yet to be launched.

The federation also intends to march at the opening of parliament when President Jacob Zuma will deliver his State of the Nation Address.

In its first test to see if the new federation can "do something practical", Vavi said they will start off with a picket and human chain, "but when we go for the budget we want to go for a full-blown strike".

Vavi said the budget sets out to consolidate the state's conservative drive, which includes cutting jobs.

Watch the full interview:

In another interview, Vavi also lashed out at the Tripartite Alliance, accusing the ANC of deserting the working class.

He said there is no difference between the SACP and the ANC and pointed out that the SACP supports the government's programmes such as austerity measures and e- tolls.

Vavi recalled that in the mid 1990s a resolution was passed positioning the SACP as a champion for the rights of workers.

"The SACP and Cosatu, in my view, in retrospect, dropped the ball in 1996 when government embraced the neo-liberal programme through the Gear [Growth, Employment and Redistribution] project."

Gear, a macroeconomic policy framework, was introduced as a strategy to expedite economic growth which was required to provide resources to meet social investment needs.

"At that time, both the SACP and Cosatu should have said enough... we are walking our different ways," argued Vavi.

However, he added that Cosatu kept on believing that it can change the ANC from within. "In the end they actually changed Cosatu."

WATCH: Vavi takes swipe at Tripartite Alliance

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