Numsa vows to strike, despite warnings on economy

THE National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) yesterday vowed to push ahead with a strike by about 220000 members in spite of warnings that the industrial action would hurt the economy.

The number of Numsa members likely to down tools from today is about three times that of the participants in the five-month stoppage at the country's platinum mines. That strike caused a 0.6% contraction of the economy in the first quarter.

"This is not economic sabotage ... it is a living wage campaign‚" Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said yesterday.

The government and the ANC are concerned about the effect of the strike‚ which will hit the manufacturing sector hard.

Employers have accused Numsa of "jumping the gun" by walking away from talks and for failing to recognise that the strike could lead to job losses and the further erosion of South Africa's reputation as an investment destination.

Five other small trade unions involved in the wage talks are also going on strike‚ but Solidarity is not.

Jim said Numsa was aware that there were attempts by the government to prevent the strike‚ but that the union was merely doing what the ANC should be doing – introducing a national minimum wage‚ which would place unions on a better footing during the bargaining process.

Numsa is demanding a 12% wage increase and companies are offering 7% for skilled workers and 8% for lower-level workers.

The union is also demanding that labour brokers be banned.

Numsa deputy general secretary Karl Cloete said workers had to make do as inflation and living costs rose after the union settled on a three-year wage deal during the last round of negotiations.

But the strike can be seen as an attempt by Numsa to flex its political muscle. Jim said talks with employers were going on‚ yet the union was pressing ahead.

Numsa did not fund the ANC ahead of the May elections and is exploring forming a rival party. It has set up a United Front and will hold a symposium of local and international leftist parties next month.

Numsa is likely to anger sister affiliates in Cosatu with its plans to hold a United Front summit to "interrogate" problems in mining and develop a programme of action to demand the redistribution of wealth.

Numsa replaced its rival, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)‚ as Cosatu's largest affiliate after NUM lost members to the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union and to Numsa itself.

Numsa has been accused by another Cosatu affiliate‚ the SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union, of attempting to overthrow the government by bringing arms into the country. Jim said yesterday Numsa was exploring its legal options to sue Satawu over its allegations.

Cosatu is in the middle of a paralysing internal battle that has pitted its 19 affiliates against each other. – BDlive