Inside Labour Column | Terry Bell Writes

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Austerity and the lack of a real alternatve

February 24, 2019

A social compact is not an alternative to the present social and economic system. It is a variation on the same theme — a bad one from the point of view of labour — and it does pose as an alternative. Time perhaps for labour to counter with a clearly costed and articulated route to a real alternative that would benefit the many rather than the few.

The union that asked billion Rand questions

February 22, 2019

Although unmentioned, considerable credit for the fact that there is a commission of inquiry into the scandal ridden Public Investment Corporation (PIC) should go the PSA (Public Servants’ Association). Probably the largest public sector union in the country, it was the first to raise serious questions about the way the PIC was administered.

SONA 2019: Mbeki without the poetry

February 9, 2019

Hard questions now need to be asked and hard facts faced as politicians continue to make extravagant promises that, on even cursory examination, ignore reality. And that does not even mean looking ahead to the consequences of the fourth industrial revolution that the world has already embarked on.

A citizens’ path to true democrcy

February 2, 2019

Without democratic control over, and the right to recall, elected representatives — these being the “basics” early anti-apartheid unions strove for — the corrupting and monied minorities will continue to have a relatively free hand in manipulating and controlling society.

Davos & the spectre of populism

January 26, 2019

Populism was a spectre haunting the super rich when they met in Davos, Switzerland. this past week. But while this emergence of nationalist, protectionist sentiment does pose a threat to global corporations, it does not threaten the system based on competition and the exploitation of labour. It also carries with it the poison of zenophobia.

As SA elections loom: a call for clarity & organisation

January 13, 2019

It's swings and roundabouts for the workers of the world, with the overall trajectory being fewer jobs and lower pay. This is the reality as the World Bank claims — citing China and India as prime examples — that global poverty is declining; the implication being that the economic system is working. It is not and it is, in fact, becoming increasingly destructive.

Time for brief respite: 2019 is coming

December 15, 2018

Rough times seems certain to lie ahead in 2019., So perhaps the widely recognised festive season should provide a welcome respite, a time not only to rest and relax, but to contemplate the rigours of the year ahead; a time to analyse and to plan, since hope still exists that a better world is possible.

Pay people fairly for the work they do

December 2, 2018

South Africa can expect a deluge of bigoted pro- and anti-minimum wage propaganda from vested minority interests as the date for implementation draws near. Much of this may amount to wilful distortion of facts most people should be aware of, especially if the rhetoric moves into overdrive..