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News & Views by Terry Bell
Browsing All Posts published in »2012«
Doing dirty work, exposing dirty tricks
At the forefront of the fight against local government corruption and maladministration in South Africa are municipal workers, many of them doing dirty, socially necesary labour for wages that are a tiny fraction of what is paid to many managers. This is one aspect of what local trade unions see as a growing social, humanitarian and economic crisis that urgently needs dramatic and radical remedial measures.
Where enforcement, not relaxation of laws, is the way forward
March 22, 2012
Unlike many countries where trade unions face similar battles, South Africa has good labour laws. The problem is a lack of enforcement at a time when there are calls — and moves around the world — to relax or dispense with legislation protecting the wages and conditions of workers.
Unions challenge govt — and the opposition
March 9, 2012
The mass strike in South Africa on Wednesday, March 9, was only nominally about e-tolling on public roads and the problem of labour brokers. It was, in fact, a challenge to both the government and the parliamentary opposition who both support a system that allows for road tolls and creates an environment in which unscrupulous labour brokers can thrive.
A failure to understand the importance of food prices
February 24, 2012
A recent report linking food price rises to social unrest underlines the validity of the comment that the world is only three square meals away from revolution or anarchy. The latest South African Budget takes no cognisance of this fact.
Confusing roots of the upheaval at Implats
February 19, 2012
It was money, historic distrust, poor communication by and between different parties and the intervention of a small criminal element that provided the volatile mix that exploded into violence at the Impala Platinum (Implats) Rustenberg operations in South Africa,leaving one miner dead and more than ten injured.
Historical gallop reflected through a distorted prism
February 10, 2012
An archived and critical book review from 2004 dealing with RW Johnson's controversial South Africa: the first man, the last nation
Jobs front cynicism as the debates continue
February 10, 2012
The South African government is optimistically punting figures from the latest Labour Force Survey. The unions take a more cautious view and a closer look at the statistics reveals a still strongly "ticking time bomb" of mass unemployment.
Terry Bell Writes 
March 30, 2012
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