Apdusa salutes you in your courageous action to strike against a ruthless and rapacious capitalist class and one of its members (Clover SA) that operates on a national and international scale. Workers across the world will take inspiration from your action which comes at a time of Covid-19 restrictions that force us to fight with our hands ‘tied behind our backs’. Numerous protest actions were and are being undertaken by organised labour formations and poor communities during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. These actions show that the spirit of organised resistance in working class ranks is well alive and growing. Your action has further broken the shackles the ruling elite in SA has opportunistically placed on the labouring majority and its political allies.

Apdusa supports Giwusa in its battles against retrenchments, casualisation and outsourcing, with its associated negative impacts on workers’ living standards and working conditions. We agree that these onslaughts by the ruling class must be resisted through united actions of unions and progressive forces. Our collective actions have to expose the machinations of the state and the capitalist class, starting in forums such as Nedlac, against the working class. Apdusa says that the interests, the democratic demands and aspirations of the workers and peasants shall be paramount. This includes the demand for the democratisation of the workplace; of workers, through their democratically elected organisations deciding on the organisation of production at factories. The demand for the socialisation of Clover factories and distribution outlets based on the principles of democratic workers’ control, must be raised high as part of a set of politically progressive demands.

The strike against Clover SA is one battle the workers and peasants of South Africa must rally around and lend support to. Workers in community organisations, social movements, educational bodies and political organisations are hereby called on to strengthen social solidarity in defence of the interests of the labouring majority.

Forward to victory for the Clover workers!
Forward to building principled unity!