LACO has warned that rising unemployment and alleged labour abuses could fuel an explosion of xenophobia.
Image: Supplied
The newly formed Labour and Civic Organisation (LACO) has warned of an explosive outburst of xenophobia if business owners fail to address concerns around joblessness.
In an exclusive interview with IOL, LACO spokesperson Mthobisi Shinga detailed how the organisation has exposed the rife exploitation of illegal foreign labour and the failure of businesses to employ South Africans — a recipe, he says, that’s a ticking time bomb.
“What employers fail to understand is the direct correlation between crime and unemployment,” explained Shinga.
“Fix unemployment, and you fix crime. That’s a link you can’t ignore. We want to lift South Africans out of poverty and into sustainable, fair employment. We cannot have a country which fought against injustice only for workers to continue to be exploited while nothing is done. That’s a time bomb. Xenophobia is brewing, and if employers fail to address it now, those frustrations will explode.”
MK Aligned Labour and Civic Organisation (LACO) Spokesperson Mthobisi Shinga. Image: Supplied
The organisation is aligned with the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party and burst onto the scene last August. It has grabbed attention with its confrontations with businesses and warnings of shutting down premises if labour rules are not complied with — mostly relating to illegal workers.
Most recently, LACO issued a notice to China Mall in Springfield Park, warning of a complete shutdown unless local South Africans were hired.
Business owners have expressed outrage with the confrontations with LACO – accusing them of acting as labour representatives, which they were not. “They have no authority to just barge into a private business and start asking questions. They have absolutely no right to do so,” said one Durban business owner.
But, Shinga defended their actions, arguing they were acting in the interests of worker rights – but denied they approached owners in a confrontational way.
“What people need to know is we don’t go into businesses gung-ho like thugs, as some of the media make us out to be,” explains Shinga.
“We have a proper process. We receive complaints from workers or are made aware of labour non-compliance in a business. We then call the owner or send a formal email requesting a meeting. This is done to address the issue and resolve the concerns. It is only when our attempts to communicate are ignored that we mobilise our members and picket at the premises, which is legal. That is always the last option after we exhaust all attempts to sit with the owner and come to a solution.”
The organisation warned that it is eyeing major retailers, as many factories blame them for the low pay to workers.
“We’ve visited factories, especially in Newcastle, where there are sweatshops. Workers are not allowed to leave the premises. They work and live on site like prisoners. There’s even a cook who feeds them. Most of these workers are illegal foreigners earning R250 a week! When we question the factory owners, we are told that their customers — major retail stores — only pay R15 per T-shirt, the same amount they’ve been paying for the past five years. These are things we need to confront, because it then becomes a vicious cycle,” he added.
The 31-year-old is passionate about worker rights — but equally passionate about adopting a sit-down approach to employers.
“You know, most of the time, employers approach us with arrogance. We are only respected after we picket or they see our numbers; then they want to sit and talk. It can’t be. We email, we engage, we try to contact them and are just ignored in most cases. Employers must come to the party. We are not here to say foreigners out. Those are our brothers and sisters from Africa. But let’s prioritise South Africans so we can fix crime and grow our economy,” says Shinga, who was a key figure in the Fees Must Fall movement in 2015 — and also a former EFF member.
In the coming local elections, Shinga is convinced MK will make a clean sweep. “As a pro-worker civic body, we are working hard on the ground to mobilise communities and MK is going to lead most metros, including eThekwini,” said Shinga confidently.
Admitting the civic body is not a trade union, Shinga said it worked with several unions when taking issues to court.
“We’ve had enough success stories, as we are backed by a few trade unions. We are moving into a more formalised structure where membership will open at just R50 per month, but regardless of whether you can afford it or not, we will continue fighting for workers’ rights,” he added.