Subscribe:
RSS feed
News & Views by Terry Bell
Browsing All posts tagged under »politics«
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.
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.
A chance to argue for real union principles
February 3, 2012
The state sponsored Chinese and North Korean unions will be part of the WFTU gathering in Johannesburg, hosted by four Cosatu-affiliated unions. Will this be a move to Soviet-style "conveyor belt unionism" or an opportunity to promote change and real labour principles?
Davos and the search for a real alternative
January 26, 2012
The annual Davos bunfight got underway again this week. But this gathering of the super rich and the guests they hope to bribe, bully and otherwise persuade to help shore up a system in crisis is unlikely to produce much that is worthwhile.
Threat of Egypt’s ‘morality police’
January 25, 2012
The fact that the radical Islamist Nour (Light) party scored nearly 30 per cent in the recent Egyptian elections has given rise to a worrying development: religious vigilantes. And with Islamists of one or other variety comprising the largest bloc in the new parliament, the country waits to see how strong is the influence of the fundamentalist Salafi.
Bread & Roses: an ongoing struggle
January 21, 2012
This January 2012 wasnot just the centenary of South Africa's governing ANC. It was also the centenary of the bread and roses strike in the USA, a strike that provides many lessons for today and provides a good example frm which to judge how far we have come — and hw much further we need to go.
Terry Bell Writes 
March 30, 2012
0