Weekdays of class war
In South Africa started massive strike of South African Airways (SAA) employees, which was also supported by National Union of Metalworkers in South Africa, demanding better payment and imrovement of working conditions. More than 3000 workers participating in protest actions.
SAA workers, including cabin crews, receptionists, sales department, technical and maintenance personnel declared indefinite strike, demanding at least 3 years long contract, and 8% salary increase for every worker of the company. Three year prolongation demand was introduced after revealing of company’s management plans for restructurisation, which, according to workers will lead to massive layoffs.
Faced with sudden and organised strike company had to cancel hudreds of flights. Forced into position between hammer of striking workers and anvill of passengers wrath, company managers blaming strikers that their actions will lead company on a brink of collapse. SAA announced that it will readily compencate every customer who’s flight is now threatened or allow prolonging terms of booking untill the end of October 2020.
“If strike will become indefinite, as it was announced, we wil have to shut company down” – told SAA representative Tlali Tlali.
Indeed, corporation had see better days – since latest published financial reports, company had lost 145mln pounds in 2017 only.
Yet one mustn’t forget that in February SA minister of Finance Tito Mbowenni claimed that government will pay up corporate debt of 620mln. USD in three years. Knowing this, all talks about possible restructurisation and claims of so-called experts that strike will finish company off sounds hypocritical and dishonest, that has only one reason – to transfer responcibility for failures from management and officials into ordinary working class men and women, trying to protect their rights.
So it will be stupid to have any cintilla of pity towards collective capitalist class that lives and thrives by unpaid labor of their employees. Besides, we mustn’t forget, that capitalist system creates class warfare because of dychotomy of interest of exploiter and exploited, which also means that working class will enjoy only some amount of rights that it is capable of acquiring through struggle with parasitic class.