SOUTH AFRICA

The fight against poverty and attacks on workers’ rights goes on!

The National Council of Provinces’ select committee on economic and business development this week adopted the National Minimum Wage Bill, the Labour Relations Amendment Bill, and the Basic Conditions of Employment Amendment Bill without amendment. These bills will now go to the plenary of the NCOP for adoption and then forwarded to President Ramaphosa for his signature and enactment. SAFTU is appalled, though not surprised that the African National Congress has bulldozed these bills through Parliament and ignored all the objections that SAFTU and numerous civil society organisations raised. saftu.org.za/

What civil society groups are saying ahead of key jobs summit

In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the summit would be held in 2018 following labour’s requests for a platform where the country’s response to the unemployment crisis and mass retrenchments would be addressed. businesslive.co.za/

There is an alternative to labour broking

Terry Bell’s Inside Labour column addresses the much-lauded Constitutional Court judgment on labour brokers. He fears it will not affect the notorious “bakkie brigade” – those independent labour traffickers who hire out teams of workers picked up from roadsides around the country. fin24.com/

Shoprite surrenders to people

Shoprite will drop disciplinary charges against its 93 workers following the withdrawal of its N$4,5-million damages lawsuit last week. The retailer issued a statement yesterday saying that it was willing to withdraw the disciplinary charges on condition that the workers sign a final warning. namibian.com.na/

Violence against women in the workplace

Violence against women is not confined to the home but victimises women in South African workplaces where women regularly face sexual harassment and abuse. It is estimated that more than half of all working women internationally experience sexual harassment and abuse by their male counterparts at work. The day before South Africa celebrates Women’s Day on Workers on Wednesday, we discuss the problem and more importantly – what is being done about it. wwmp.org.za/

SABC on its knees

The SABC’s unpaid bills at the end of July are believed to exceed R100m owed to 64 companies, with independent TV producers owed about R90m of that. news24.com/

Statement: R2K and PI joins amaBhungane RICA challenge as amicus curiae

The Right2Know Campaign and Privacy International, represented by the Legal Resources Centre, have applied to be admitted as friends of the court in an ongoing legal challenge to South Africa’s surveillance law, RICA, in the High Court in Pretoria. r2k.org.za/

REGION

Extracting Profit: Imperialism, Neoliberalism, and the New Scramble for Africa

Interview with Lee Wengraf, a writer and activist in New York City, who has written a new book that explores the history of Africa’s development analyzing Western imperialism and economic pillaging, which continues through today. vimeo.com/

New fees to license and register Media companies; accreditation of national and foreign journalists – Mozambique

On the eve of two elections that promise to be “challenging” for Frelimo, the Nyusi government is tightening its grip on independent media and trying to inhibit the presence of foreign journalists. clubofmozambique.com/

INTERNATIONAL

Climate change could be outpaced by ‘hothouse earth’

Even if humanity slashes greenhouse gas emissions in line with Paris climate treaty goals, the planet could overwhelm such efforts and irretrievably tip into a hellish ‘hothouse’ state, top scientists warned Monday. dailymaverick.co.za/

Fascist mob storm socialist bookshop in broad daylight

Fascist thugs rampaged through Bookmarks in central London in broad daylight. The gang trashed the left-wing shop in Bloomsbury Street, which stocks socialist publications. morningstaronline.co.uk/

Trumpism: The Real Danger of Donald Trump

My fear is that the United States falls into the ideological morass of fascism. Not necessarily the goose-stepping Nazis and gas chambers brand of fascism, but something akin to it, uniquely American and yet unmistakably fascist. An apple pie laced with cyanide, just like grandma used to make, counterpunch.org/

Neoliberal Fascism and the Echoes of History

PALESTINE / ISRAEL

Four Palestinian children died from gunshot wounds between July 27 and August 5 after Israeli forces shot them during “March of Return” protests in the the Gaza Strip. These deaths put 2018 at a record-high for child fatalities, exceeding the number of Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces in any single year within the past decade, outside of large-scale Israeli military offensives. dci-palestine.org/

Gaza: Genocide in ‘Slow Motion’ But Genocide Nevertheless

Palestinians of Gaza live an ongoing, illegal, crippling Israeli siege that has shattered all spheres of life, prompting the former UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights, Richard Falk, to describe it as “a prelude to genocide”. thecitizen.in/

Palestine Burns While Australia Cuts Aid And Trump Threatens ‘Deal Of The Century’

It’s hard to imagine things getting worse for Palestine, a nation ravaged by Israel and international indifference. But Australian Senator Lee Rhiannon fears that’s exactly what will transpire under a US Trump administration, with help from Australia. newmatilda.com/

Africans have no culture, we must kick them out – Israeli MP

An Israeli member of Israel’s Knesset or parliament, Oren Hazan from the ruling Likud party, has said Africans have no culture and that Israel should stop African refugees from having children. iol.co.za/

NEW TECHNOLOGIES / NEW FORMS OF LABOUR

At Netroots Nation, a snapshot of the 21st-century labor movement

It’s a tough time for labor in America. Although a majority of Americans have a positive view of labor unions, just 6.4-6.5 percent of private-sector workers belonged to a union in 2017. At the Netroots conference, local and national organizers from unions and labor groups including American Federation of Teachers, Teamsters, Writers’ Guild of America East and Fight for $15 made the case for a revitalized labor movement in the U.S. theadvocate.com/