Strikes, all too often accompanied by violence.



protests



The right to strike for the purposes of collective bargaining is one of the fundamental rights enshrined in Section 27 of The South African Constitution. The rationale behind collective bargaining is to maintain industrial peace. “It is one of the ironies of collective bargaining that its very object, industrial peace, should depend on the threat of conflict."

Just recently, more than 30 people were killed in clashes with police during a miners’ strike in Marikana platinum mine near Rustenburg, 100km northwest of Johannesburg. When we go on strike we lose wages, thus we use violence to make sure that the employer listens to our demands fast so that we can go back to work,” said one union member quoted in the report. "There is no other way that the workers can be heard. Violence and strike is the language they hear better” said another worker.”

violence can never be an answer!

The police response has been compared to the brutalities of the apartheid era. It seems like South Africa is taking two steps back, what has happened to our democratic country?

• A called for structural solutions in order to level the playing fields between workers and bosses during strikes. This can be achieved by restricting the rights of bosses to employ scabs.
• We need restore workplace stability and labour peace. Violence cannot become a culture of our labour relations!

Heritage day



celebrate diversity!



Our heritage is very unique and precious because it helps us to define our cultural identity and it therefore lies at the heart of our spiritual well being and it has the power to build our nation. Heritage Day celebrated on the 24th of September reflects the values of a constitutional democracy where all South Africans' cultural and linguistic rights are recognised and protected by the Constitution.

Our heritage has the potential to affirm our diverse cultures and in so doing shape our national character as a “rainbow nation” at peace with itself. The youth of today needs to change their attitude and stop treating heritage day as just another public holiday but instead join into the festivities and embrace their cultures through learning.



festivities



For a nation that has just been through apartheid, which had been declared a crime against humanity by the United Nations, the significance of heritage day cannot be overemphasised in that it facilitates healing.

Importance of heritage day:

·         Opens the doors of learning and culture to all.

·         It builds on the culture of teaching and learning to produce thought leaders and technical skills that our economy needs for growth, development and reconstruction

Moral issues of abortions

shame !

Abortion, like all moral issues, is something we all have an opinion about until we personally are faced with the necessity of making a decision.

The abortion issue is a reflection of our society as a whole, which is why so many people insist on taking a position about it. Many of these people will never have an abortion, many will never be in a position where it is necessary to consider it as an option. Yet, because the abortion issue strikes at the heart of our society, they become advocates for one side or another.

It would be wonderful if people only had children when they were financially and emotionally ready. It would be wonderful if teenager's thoughts and feelings weren’t distorted on sex.  And it would be wonderful if everyone were married or in a long term relationship before they had children. But unfortunately the world does not work that way. People make poor choices, no matter what their age and they are often driven by emotion rather than logic.

By disallowing a woman from making a choice to control her body in the way she sees most appropriate for the situation, society and the law are violating her rights to life, liberty, and to the pursuit of happiness.Most may argue that a person should accept responsibility for their actions, but don't you think it is unfair bring up a child in circumstance that aren't fit to bring up a child in.

Reasons to get an abortion:

• pregnancy from rape
• birth defects
• not having the means to support a child,
• not wanting a child.
• rape

There is more to be considered here than religious beliefs. I believe God is a God of compassion and understanding. God should be the judge of our personal decisions of faith, including abortion, not mortal men and women.Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not promoting abortions in any way ,I'm merely just stating ,if the mother does not wish keep a child because of certain situations they are faced with,abortion should be one of the means available to her, we all make mistakes,this is where we learn and grow from them.