Comrade CH Venkatachalam represented the WFTU in the NEHAWU Congress taking place from 25-29 June, 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Comrade Venkatachalam concluded his speech with the words:
“Trade Union is a University. It teaches us the need for unity. It teaches us how to fight. It teaches us how to move forward.
When I was a young boy in those days, I was going to school.
None of my friends told me this is an exploitative society, you must join the union and fight. My teachers also being exploited but never told me what exploitation is, that I must join a union and fight. They taught me arithmetics, geography, history etc. nothing beyond that.
When I went to the College, my tutors, my lecturers my professeurs, they were repeating the same bla bla bla but they never told me that “you are being exploited you have to fight’.
My parents also never told. They just said “be a good boy, settle down at some company and settle your life”. But they never told me “you are being exploited, you must join a union and fight”.
When I got married, my wife also said “come back from the office soon”. She never told me: “you are being exploited you have to fight”.
I was born in a religion. My religion did not tell me “you are being exploited” all they told me is that “because of your previous life you have committed a sin, now you are suffering”. My religion did not tell me that I have to fight and that is why only when I joined the trade union, when I joined the WFTU, when I joined the NEHAWU, the COSATU, I understood that I am a worker, I am being exploited.
That is why trade union teaches everything to us that no one else will. This is why we praise NEHAWU, we praise COSATU, we praise WFTU.”
Comrade Venkatachalam concluded his speech with the words:
“Trade Union is a University. It teaches us the need for unity. It teaches us how to fight. It teaches us how to move forward.
When I was a young boy in those days, I was going to school.
None of my friends told me this is an exploitative society, you must join the union and fight. My teachers also being exploited but never told me what exploitation is, that I must join a union and fight. They taught me arithmetics, geography, history etc. nothing beyond that.
When I went to the College, my tutors, my lecturers my professeurs, they were repeating the same bla bla bla but they never told me that “you are being exploited you have to fight’.
My parents also never told. They just said “be a good boy, settle down at some company and settle your life”. But they never told me “you are being exploited, you must join a union and fight”.
When I got married, my wife also said “come back from the office soon”. She never told me: “you are being exploited you have to fight”.
I was born in a religion. My religion did not tell me “you are being exploited” all they told me is that “because of your previous life you have committed a sin, now you are suffering”. My religion did not tell me that I have to fight and that is why only when I joined the trade union, when I joined the WFTU, when I joined the NEHAWU, the COSATU, I understood that I am a worker, I am being exploited.
That is why trade union teaches everything to us that no one else will. This is why we praise NEHAWU, we praise COSATU, we praise WFTU.”