Unemployment and poor pay and working conditions are the biggest problems facing workers, the Congress of South African Trade Unions said on Thursday.

The newly elected council of Cosatu leaders was briefing the media on resolutions Cosatu adopted at its ninth national congress last month.

One of the resolutions was that a "Jobs and Poverty Campaign should be the centrepiece of Cosatu and affiliate campaigns over the three years ahead".

General secretary Zwelinzima Vavi commented on the statistics released by Statistics SA last month saying that the number of new jobs created - 500 000 - was "interesting and a new figure".

But while the increase should be celebrated, it should be noted that a "really big chunk of these (jobs) are casual even in the formal sector.

"Sixty percent of jobs in the construction industry are casuals," he said.

Vavi emphasised that 15 percent of the jobs in the informal sector were poor quality jobs and that the workers received a maximum of R500 a month.

He said there should not just be an increase in employment numbers. More equality was need in the workplace, especially in agriculture - and this could be achieved through unionisation.

Vavi said only one in 19 farm workers was unionised. The majority were unaware of their human rights and were being exploited.

The principal concerns of all Cosatu's members, but in particular farm workers, was casualisation, workers' benefits and poor quality and insecure jobs, which only served to increase the number of the working poor.

Cosatu president Willie Madisha agreed that Cosatu needed to unionise farm workers.

"Daily their rights are being undermined. They are being removed from their makeshift homes and are denied an education," he said, adding that a number of farm workers' children were too far away to travel to schools.

Madisha said the fight needed to be taken to the streets and that one of the resolves of the Jobs and Poverty Campaign was to sustain mass strikes and protest actions until demands were met.

"People don't know what problems workers are facing," he said.

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Abezinyunyana bathi inkinga yokuswelakala kwemisebenzi iyona abagxile kuyona

Ukuswelakala kwemisebenzi kanye nokungaholelwa ngendlela efanele kwabasebenzi yizona zinkinga ezibhekene nabasebenzi bakuleli.  Lokhu ngolunye kwizindaba ezidingidwe engqungqutheleni yenyunyana yabasebenzi be  Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).  Umkhandlu omusha wabaholi beCosatu uveze lokhu kwisithangami nabezindaba lapho bewudalula khona ezinye zezinqumo ezithathwe kulengqungquthela yabasebenzi.

Kwavunyelwana ngokuthi inkinga yokuswelakala kwemisebenzi nobubha emphakathini yizona zinto ekuzogxilwa kuzona kuleminyaka emithathu ezayo.  Ngenyanga edlule unobhalajikelele weCosatu uZwelinzima Vavi wethula nombiko wabe Statistics SA oveza ukuthi alinganiselwa ku 500 000 amathuba emsebenzi adalekile kuleminyaka edlule.  Akushilo ukuthi nakuba lombiko uletha ithemba kodwa ke iningi lalemisebenzi ngeyetoho.  Lapha uVavi ukhala ngokuthi cishe u 60% wemisebenzi yakuleli ingamatoho abasebenzi bahola imali engekho ngaphezulu kuka 500 wamarandi ngenyanga. 

Uthi abantu bakuleli abadingi ukwanda kwesibalo sabaqashwayo bengamatoho kodwa badinga ukwanda kwesibalo sabaqashelwa imisebenzi ngokugcwele.  Ukhala nangokungaqikelelwa kokulinganiswa ngokobulili kwabasebenzi.  Uthi lokhu nokuyinkinga evame emapulazini kungenzeka ngokuthi abasebenzi babengamalunga ezinyunyana ezizobavikela.  UVavi ukhala ngesibalo esiphansi sabasebensi abangamalunga ezinyunyana emapulazini.  Uthi lokhu kwandisa nenkinga yokuhlukunyezwa kwamalungelo abasebenzi.

Nomongameli weCosatu uWilly madisha unanela kokushiwo nguVavi ngelokuthi kubalulekile ukuthi abasebenzi babengamalunga ezinyunyana.  Ukhala nangenkinga yokungafundi kwezingane zabasebenzi basemapulazini ngenxa yokuba kude kwezikole.  UMadisha uthi kumele abasebenzi bazwakalise izwi labo ngokubeka phansi amathuluzi bangenele imibhikiso kuze kube abaqashi bahlangabezana nezimfuno zabo. 

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Ingqesho siyibeka phambili, zitsho iimanyano zabasebenzi

Intswela - ngqesho, intlawulo engeyiyo kwaneemeko zempangelo ezingezizo, zezona ngxaki ezijongene nabasebenzi, itshilo inkongolo yeemanyano zabasebenzi iCosatu ngolwesine.

Iinkokheli zeCosatu ezisandulukunyulwa bezirhabulisa abeendaba, kwizisombululo ezithatyathwe kwinkongolo kazwelonke yale manyano kule nyanga ifileyo.

Esinye sezisombululo ibisesokuba, "umkhankaso wemisebenzi nentsokolo ube ngundoqo weCosatu kwanemibutho ephantsi kwayo, kule minyaka mithathu ilandelayo".

Unobhala jikelele weCosatu uZwelinzima Vavi, ucaphule kwinkcukacha - manani zeli eziphume kwinyanga ephelileyo nezithe, amanani emisebenzi evelisiweyo engama500 000 anika umdla.

Nangona eli nani kufuneka livuyelwe kumelwe kuqwalaselwe ukuba, inani elikhulu kule misebenzi asiyiyo eyesigxina nakumacandelo asele ephucukile.

"Ama60 eepesenti emisebenzi kushishino lwezokwakha ayisiso isigxina,"utshilo. UVavi ugxininise ukuba i15 leepesenti lemisebenzi ekwicandelo elisakhasayo, ayikho mgangathweni yaye abasebenzi bahlawulwa ukufikelela kuma500 eerandi ngenyanga.

Uthe, makungabikho nje ukonyuka kwamanani engqesho, kodwa kubekho ukulingana kwiindawo zokusebenzela, ingakumbi kwezolimo. Oku kulingana kungazuzwa ngokubakho kweemanyano zabasebenzi.

UVavi uthe, mnye kuphela umsebenzi wasezifama kwabali19, olilungu lemanyano yabasebenzi. Uninzi alukawaqondi amalungelo alo kwanokuba luyaxhatshazwa.

Ezona nkalo onke amalungu eCosatu axhalabileyo ngazo, ingakumbi abasebenzi basezifama, kukuqashwa okungekho sigxina, iinzuzo zabasebenzi, iimeko ezingekho mgangathweni abasebenza phantsi kwazo kwanokungakhuseleki kwemisebenzi, nokonyusa inani labasokola besebenza.

UMongameli weCosatu uWillie Madisha uvumile ukuba, iCosatu kufuneka ibandakanye abasebenzi basezifama kwiimanyano.

"Mihla le amalungelo abo ajongelwa phantsi. Bayasuswa kumakhaya abo, bekwavinjwa imfundo," uthshilo, esongeza ukuba abantwana babasebenzi basezifama bahlala kude kunezikolo.

UMadisha uthe le ntshukumo kufuneka isiwe ezitalatweni, yaye ezinye zezisombululo zephulo lemisebenzi kwanentsokolo, kukuqhuba iintshukumo zikawonke - wonke de iimfuno zabo zisatyelwe.

"Abantu abazi ukuba abasebenzi bajongene naziphi na iingxaki," utshilo.

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