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Wednesday, 01 September 2010 05:49
South Africa's biggest labor federation, Cosatu, this week rallied its members to join a strike by about 1.3 million state workers over wage and benefit issues.
The strikers include teachers, healthcare workers, police, customs officials and clerks. The government has rejected their demands for an 8.6 percent wage increase and a 1,000-rand ($136) monthly housing allowance, as unaffordable, offering 7 percent.
Cosatu unions will hold a secondary sympathy strike and will "shut down" the country on Sept. 2, Zwelinzima Vavi, the federation's general secretary, said in a press interview.
Cosatu claims to have about 2 million workers, several hundred thousand of whom have already walked off the job.
"We are demanding that government immediately move to make a new offer," Vavi said. The government spends "millions of rand on luxury vehicles. This is the case of the shepherd feeding himself and forgetting about the lambs. Our demands are legitimate."
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Wednesday, 01 September 2010 05:45
South Africa's investigative reporters say they fear a proposed "media tribunal" could end their exposures of public corruption and maladministration by government officials.
In the name of allowing average citizens to hold the media accountable, President Jacob Zuma's ANC has proposed a tribunal, accountable to an ANC-led parliament to monitor and sanction the press.
A Protection of Information Bill is also under consideration to curb the reporting of so-called "state secrets." Journalists reporting official information the state deems classified could face as many as 25 years in prison.
Justice Minister Jeff Radebe, speaking to the South African National Editors Forum, defended the tribunal concept but stressed that media would not be treated as the apartheid regime treated black journalists. He invited the media to participate in drafting legislation.
In an opposition piece, Thulani Ndlovu, former Zimbabwe reporter and now law student, wrote: "The imperfections and limitations of the press are hardly the most pressing problems facing South Africa... Instead of attacking the press for 'blowing the whistle' on maladministration and corruption, the government should tackle those problems head on."
Wednesday, 01 September 2010 05:41
South Carolina Democratic Senate hopeful Alvin Greene plans to continue his run for office despite being indicted on obscenity charges related to an alleged incident that took place on the University of South Carolina's campus last November.
According to court records, a Richland County, S.C. grand jury on August 13 indicted Greene on a felony charge of promoting obscenity and a misdemeanor charge of communicating obscene messages to another person after authorities said he showed a female University of South Carolina student pornographic images on a computer in one of the school's computer labs, and then attempted to go to her room.
Greene confirmed that he was staying in the race when reporters from WCNC, a North Carolina NBC affiliate, made an unannounced trip to his home to ask him about his plans. Pressured into answering further questions, Greene asked the reporters to "leave the property" and "go away."
The South Carolina Democratic Party has sought Greene's removal from the race since his upset win over former state Rep. Vic Rawl in the primary, despite running as a complete unknown with no apparent funds. Calls for an investigation into the primary election results were dismissed, but Greene's recent indictment was the final straw for the party's local chair, Carol Fowler.
"In June, I asked Mr. Greene to withdraw his candidacy because of the charges against him. Following today's indictments, I repeat that request," Fowler said in a statement released to the media when Greene was indicted. "It will be impossible for Mr. Greene to address his legal issues and run a statewide campaign. The indictment renews concerns that Mr. Greene cannot represent the values of the Democratic Party or South Carolina voters."
Greene will face incumbent Sen. Jim DeMint, a Republican, in the general election in November.
Monday, 30 August 2010 18:38
SACRAMENTO, CA -- Senator Gloria Romero (D – East Los Angeles), Chair of the Senate Education Committee, today released the following statement in response to learning of the Los Angeles Unified School District's $578 million campus and echoing the Governor's call for transparency in school district finances:
"The latest news that the Los Angeles Unified School District is spending $578 million on the new Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools campus is baffling. LAUSD doesn't seem to know the difference between building an excellent school and a Taj Mahal. I cannot imagine Robert F. Kennedy's legacy being preserved in a manner that puts glitz above service to schoolchildren.
"LAUSD has laid off nearly 3,000 teachers in the past two years and slashed academic programs. The district faces a $640 million budget shortfall, with some schools persistently ranked among the nation's lowest performing for a decade or longer. LAUSD already has two other schools ranked among the nation's most costly: Edward R. Roybal Learning Center opened in 2008, costing taxpayers $377 million and Visual and Performing Arts High School opened in 2009 costing $232 million.
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