Tripartite alliance on the rocks?

The biggest public-sector strike since Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi is nearing its end. Nay, I dare say, do not be fooled by the fiery utterances of the union leaders; the end of the strike has begun. Fighting on several fronts at the same time, the government has been both tactical and brutal with the unions. We saw the government buy up advertisement space and time in the media in order to portray itself as reasonable and caring. Day after day, Minister Richard Baloyi’s deep voice uttered hard and uncompromising nothings directed at the unions while at pains to portray the government in positive light.

As if that was not enough, the entire cabinet got together to draw the proverbial line in the sand. So much and no more, they said. The line in the sand has since been erased — rather quickly, I might add — by the stomping feet of angry and underpaid public servants swarming like hungry locusts gnawing gaping holes at the government’s devious garment of 7%-plus peanuts. The unions fought back with admirable gusto and amazing anger. Unpronounceable words were sung and said. Incredible insults have been hurled. Nor was the president of the republic spared. With Patrick Craven on their side, Zwelinzima Vavi and S’dumo Dlamini have been spitting fire like never before; pouring scorn over the holy tripartite alliance, challenging the SACP to “come back” to the working classes and declaring the alliance “dysfunctional”.

Two and half weeks later, the unions sit now with an offer which is 1.1% less than what they thought was a generous compromise on their part. They are not only disappointed but seething with anger. The preliminary official union reaction all round appears to be one of rejecting the latest government with “the contempt it deserves”. And yet there is already a ring of hollowness in the latest round of angry statements by some of the union leaders. On the second day of spring there was reduced spring in the steps of strikers as they laboriously marched at a few places. A few of the union leaders gave the game away by going hurriedly public saying they are going to ask their members to consider accepting the latest government offer. Some have come close to accepting this offer on condition that the no-work-no-pay principle is waved.

These developments are revealing. The unions are on the back-foot. They have been outmanoeuvred, firmly rebuffed and roundly rebuked. Sensing that it will be hard for the unions to sustain this strike for two more weeks without losing public support and the morale of their members, government has naughtily made an offer that is no great improvement on the previous offer. Of course government does not have the money. We all know about the budget deficit. Of course 7.5% is above the current inflation rate. But 7.5% of what? The widespread perceptions of a wasteful government, which is tolerant of corruption, will not win much sympathy for the government position.

To the adjectives outmanoeuvred, rebuffed and rebuked we may add another: humiliated. Humiliation will be the overwhelming feeling among the public-sector unions as they grudgingly and resentfully prepare to return to work over this weekend. After all this is the government the unions crafted in Polokwane. Or did they assume too much? This is a government led by a president the unions helped bring to power — at great cost, did they not? As they delve into these and similar questions it will dawn on them that a lot more than a strike has been broken. Prized relationships have been broken. If I am correct in this assertion, even if only partially, then this broken strike and its broken relationships may just be a moment that marks the end of the age of innocence for the trade union movement; a moment also spelling the end of a honeymoon.