Mr Thabo Mbeki
2 February 2000
President Union Buildings
Pretoria
Mr President,
PETITION FROM THE UNEMPLOYED
We represent the unemployed. We appeal to you to listen to
the voice of the unemployed and not to be swayed by the threats
and mass actions of the labour elites. We attach a copy of a
petition that has been signed by over 3,000 people asking for
the labour laws to be made more flexible so that we can get
jobs.
We believe that the labour elite is obtaining higher benefits
for its membership at the expense of the unemployed and consumers.
We challenge government not to grant labour unions special
privileges in Acts of Parliament and in the Constitution of
South Africa.
Our members are unemployed because inflexible labour laws prevent
employers from employing us.
Our members are prepared to work for lower wages and less benefits
than the law currently allows but employers are prevented from
employing us on terms acceptable to us.
We believe that the only way to rapidly increase employment
opportunities is to make sure that we have high economic growth.
We therefore support the government's GEAR policy because we
believe it will lead to a strong economy and increased employment
opportunities.
Good intentions have never filled empty stomachs and the good
intentions that are being written into the laws of South Africa
will unfortunately cause even greater hunger and poverty.
We cannot have an African renaissance unless we have strict
policies that give people an incentive to work and invest -
policies such as GEAR.
South Africa may be different from other countries in many
ways but all investors and all workers will only produce their
best in an environment that rewards effort and respects voluntary
contracts.
We demand the right to work for the employers of our choice,
at wages agreed between us, and on conditions agreed between
us.
It is a denial of our human rights to deprive us of a free
choice in the matter of employment - to deprive us of the right
to work because the labour elite want the power to extract ever-increasing
privileges from employers.
We demand the right of self-determination.
We demand equality before the law for employees and employers
and especially for the unemployed.
We demand the right to choose our own destiny.
We do not believe that anyone owes us a job.
We do believe that the government owes us a level playing field
in which we can get jobs.
The cry of the unemployed has gone unheard for too long - it
is time for our government to start listening so that we can
also have a life.
In 1998 we walked to Pretoria to hand a letter to you, Mr.
President, when you were still Deputy President.
Now you are President and we are walking to Pretoria again
to bring the plight of the unemployed to your notice in the
sincere hope that you will give us a fair hearing.
Some changes to the labour laws have been announced and even
these have raised an outcry from the labour unions.
The changes that have been announced do not go far enough.
We would like to see changes to the labour laws that will make
employment a matter of voluntary contract between an employer
and employee.
We want to see changes to the labour law that will prevent
labour unions from interfering with voluntary contracts entered
into by employees with employers.
As part of the process we have prepared a Customised Employment
Contract that is acceptable to our members and we are asking
you to make this contract legal.
These are concrete proposals to give us the right to work and
if our sisters and brothers in the labour movements have any
compassion in their hearts they will support our request.
We believe the Human Rights Commission should intervene on
our behalf because the labour laws, and all other laws that
impose undue costs on employers, deprive us of the right to
work and therefore represent an infringement of our basic human
rights.
We call on all social partners not to marginalise the unemployed.
WE ASK YOU FOR AN AUDIENCE, MR PRESIDENT, SO THAT WE CAN BRING
OUR PROPOSALS TO YOU.
