Strike looming at TV Licence Department
OUR RIGHTS WERE FOUGHT FOR. OUR DIGNITY MUST BE DEFENDED.
The history of the South African labour movement teaches us that workers have never secured meaningful improvements simply by hoping that those in positions of authority would voluntarily change their approach.
From the Durban strikes of 1973 to the historic mineworkers’ strike of 1987, workers demonstrated that solidarity, organisation and collective action can change working conditions and the balance of power in the workplace.
The rights we enjoy today, including the constitutional right to strike, are part of a legacy built through generations of workers who were prepared to stand together.
Today, we face our own challenges.
Employees have raised serious concerns about management conduct, the withdrawal of remote-working arrangements and the restructuring of the department.
These matters are not merely about individual preferences. They concern how employees are treated, how decisions affecting their working lives are made and whether their dignity, rights and collective interests are respected.
We must understand something fundamental: a union cannot defend workers through membership numbers alone. Its strength comes from the active participation, unity and solidarity of its members.
A grievance is an important expression of dissatisfaction. But where meaningful solutions remain elusive, employees must be prepared to consider the further collective measures available to them.
We must not allow fear, uncertainty or individual interests to undermine the collective interests of the workforce.
We must also remember that collective action requires discipline, preparation and a common understanding of what we want to achieve.
We are not asking for special treatment. We are demanding fair treatment.
We are not opposed to management. We are opposed to unfairness, intimidation and the disregard of employees’ legitimate interests.
Let us stand together, participate in the union’s processes and make our collective voices heard.
The question before us is not simply what has happened to us.
It is what we are prepared to do, collectively, to ensure that it does not become the accepted standard for the future.
OUR RIGHTS WERE FOUGHT FOR. OUR DIGNITY MUST BE DEFENDED.
The grievance….
