The NATIONAL UNION OF METALWORKERS OF SOUTH AFRICA (NUMSA), the majority union representing workers at Medupi Power Station, in Limpopo province has written a stinking letter of demands to Murray and Roberts's management.

The Murray and Roberts's management has decided to unilaterally lock-out our members on the following grounds;

• All incidents of intimidation and violence must stop;
• All unprotected industrial action must stop; And
• The workforce must adhere to the requirements of the Medupi Project Labour Agreement (PLA) and follow the processes therein.

We strongly believe that the above spurious demands by Murray and Roberts's are part of their broader amateurish strategy to divert public attention from the horrifying and inhumane eating conditions faced by workers at Medupi Power Station. The workers are being fed rotten food in order to maintain and retain self-centred accumulation and profit maximization interests by the racist greedy Murray and Roberts's management.

Our members have refused to eat rotten food because they are not pigs. We see this as a serious act of blunted racism. We had engaged the company previously that the only immediate solution to this humiliating situation is the provision of food allowances.

We want to be firm and clear that we will never allow our members to be fed pigs food. What Murray and Roberts is feeding these workers is a insult to the contribution and role played by Ruth First, Esther Bersel, Bram Fischer, Vuyisile Mini, Jabulile Ndlovu and Harry Gwala for Black African workers to be treated with respect and dignity. They should be turning in their graves that the company, Murray and Roberts's, contracted by the democratic government they fought hard to instill, is feeding workers rotten food, fit to be eaten by pigs and dogs.

What is happening to these Medupi workers reminds us of the words of the revolutionary martyr and a symbol of international solidarity comrade Samora Machel when he said; "The rich man's dog gets more in the way of vaccination, medicine and medical care than do the workers upon whom the rich man's wealth is built".

Statement issued by Castro Ngobese, NUMSA National Spokesperson, April 23 2012

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