Unions lobby against equity law changes

.Cape Town - Trade union movements Congress of SA Workers Unions (Consawu) and Solidarity have started a campaign to have the controversial Employment Equity Amendment Act withdrawn.

At a press conference on Wednesday, the labour bodies said they were petitioning parliament through all the political parties and had approached the department of labour directly as well as the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac).

Their main objection to the proposed law is Section 42 a (i) which, they say, determines without a doubt that the national demographics of the economically active population must be used when affirmative action is applied.

"The implication is that, amongst others, approximately one million economically active coloureds in the Western Cape and an estimated 300 000 economically active Indians in KwaZulu-Natal are over-represented," they said.

They rejected explanations by President Jacob Zuma as being insufficient.

Zuma said earlier this week that the proposed amendments are aimed at ending white domination of senior positions in companies and that they do not discriminate against other minority race groups.

However, Consawu and Solidarity said: "The amendment act needs to be modified. If a judge has to deliver a verdict, he will look at the specific wording of the act. This is common practice when laws are interpreted. Seeing that the amendment act has not been withdrawn yet and the amendments as they are currently formulated are being defended, the true meaning of the act is being questioned."

Consawu and Solidarity have drafted their own version of what the changes to the law should be. They said they wanted the focus of affirmative action to be shifted away from an outcomes-based approach of racial targets to an input-based approach of training and development.

Solidarity general secretary Dirk Herman said their campaign to have the proposed law withdrawn is currently centred on parliamentary and legal routes, and no public demonstrations are being planned.

Rene Govender of the Domestic and Farm Workers Union said the proposed amendments are creating heightened tensions in the workplace between different race groups.

"These changes show than an 'Africanist' mindset has taken root in the ANC and that there is no place for minorities in South Africa," she said.

Consawu secretary general Khulile Nkushubana said the main objective of the bill was "to empower an elite minority and disempower a majority".

Consawu has about 290 000 members in 23 affiliated unions. The ANC-aligned Cosatu has 1.9 million members.