Input by Numsa General Secretary - Irvin Jim to the JCB Regional Congress, Gauteng Province, March 3 2012
Introduction:
National Office bearers of Numsa present here
Delegates to this important parliament of metalworkers in Johannesburg
Cosatu leadership led by our General Secretary of the federation comrade Zwelinzima Vavi,
Invited guest and members of the media present
I bring you comrades delegates present in the Regional Congress warm revolutionary greetings from our National Office Bearers present here and indeed from our revolutionary Central Committee.
Comrades it's important to remind everybody that our union remain a serious union. Right back when Numsa was launched in 1987 we said a giant was born but what has made this union to be a very serious union was its unquestionable commitment to the principle of worker control and shop floor worker democracy - all this anchored in the preamble of Numsa's Constitution that state unequivocally;
We, the members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, firmly commit ourselves to a united South Africa, free of oppression and economic exploitation.
We believe that this can only be achieved under the leadership of an organised and united working class. Our experience has taught us that to achieve this goal we must:
(a) Fight and oppose discrimination in all its forms within the Union, the factories and in society;
(b) Strive for maximum unity amongst organised metalworkers and organise every unorganised metalworker into our national industrial Union;
(c) Ensure that all levels of our Union are democratically structured and controlled by the worker members themselves through elected worker committees;
(d) Encourage democratic worker leadership and organisation in our factories and in all spheres of society;
(e) Reinforce and encourage progressive international worker-to-worker contact so as to strengthen the worldwide society of metalworkers.
We call on all metalworkers that identify with these principles and aims to join us and the metalworkers we represent, as comrades in the struggle ahead.
We call on all metalworkers to set aside any prejudices they may have and strive for unity under the guiding slogan of the international working class:
"From each according to their ability - To each according to their needs"
This is the line of march for all metalworkers in South Africa and the World over.
The importance of Congresses:
A congress is a platform provided by this very constitution to do an audit and assessment of the growth of the movement of workers in the region, political and organizational developments, our impact economically, how as an organization in the region we impacted in the quality of life of our members and cultural life.
It also provides a platform to asses our collective contribution as comrades and cadres of the organization at all levels of the organization.
Comrades we must remind each other that trade unions including Numsa are voluntary organizations. Workers join it primarily the Union can be both a spear and a shield to defend their gains and to improve their condition of employment and benefits in the workplace, sectors and industries in the South African economy.
That is why comrades, Joe Slovo helped all of us, including some in the movement who are now busy with revisionism and who are now confused, as to what is our role and tasks. He said;
"A trade union is the prime mass organisation of the working class. To fulfil its purpose, it must be as broad as possible and fight to maintain its legal status.
It must attempt, in the first place, to unite, on an industrial basis, all workers (at whatever level of political consciousness) who understand the elementary need to come together and defend and advance their economic conditions. It cannot demand more as a condition of membership. But because the state and its political and repressive apparatus is an instrument of the dominant economic classes, it is impossible for trade unions in any part of the world to keep out of the broader political conflict"
The question and the challenge to this conference, even before we speak about our political role which we are very resolute and firm about, is to deal with two fundamental challenges. They relate to the content of issues we shall resolve on in this congress and on the leadership we shall elect. A critical question to be answered is how much both of these areas will speak directly to the interest of our members.
In other words do we as shopstewards constitute what Numsa calls a back rock of the organization?
Are our organizers providing quality service to members?
Is our education and legal department producing a new cadre that understand the moment of challenges confronting workers?
What has been a moment for workers we are called to respond to in the past 18 years and today?
Our exploitation in the workplace
1. As workers we must appreciate that employers in the point of production, in the context of competitive globalization, adopted Japanese management techniques of continues improvement.
2. Employers brought in sophisticated terms like-restructuring, reengineering, labour broking ,outsourcing, casualization, so called world class production processes,temporary work, contract work, getting rid of non-core production and focusing on reduction of cost like chasing a very fast animal called a Gazelle and this is endless process.
3. This agenda of bosses represents a direct attack on worker benefits and conditions secured during the dark days of apartheid.
In this agenda of the bosses all past gains of workers are presented as a threat IN FACT the whole agenda is about lowering expectations of the current generation of workers - so yes the working class has been under attack and it is under attack as we speak.
4. This agenda of the bosses in the shop floor must get our Numsa shopstewards in the name of workers to be asking a very vital question: competitiveness for what and for whom?
5. Central to the above question from a Numsa shopsteward is the fundamental question - if you increase volume of production but at the same time you retrench workers in the context of so called new management techniques which guarantees job losses - the question to be posed by a well trained Numsa steward who is to buy the very volumes of production because this re-engineering directly destroy buying power by destroying jobs.
6. In all different regions of the globe multi nationals who champion this agenda didn't just rely or used these management techniques to destroy jobs, they used mergers and acquisitions to destroy competition for the sole purpose to maximize profits.
7. Our organizers and shopstewards are challenged in the light of the above to know how to fight back as you know fighting back is the best form of defense. The union must be on top of fighting restructuring by taking the employers head on through declaration of the dispute of interest.
8. Numsa shopstewards and their organizers should master the art of fighting retrenchments in terms of the two different types of section 189A and ordinary section 189A. We must be champions of understanding strategies and tactics of handling this now hidden and open fight as a direct result of a war unleashed by capital against the working class.
We must be mastering quality service to members that must qualify us to champion our recruitment campaign for 300 000 members - Organize or Starve.
Taking stock of our the past 18 years
Comrades, in past 18 years and in the current period the working class has been a victim of this onslaught by the bosses in our country.
We are still haunted by the adoption of Gear by a particular elite within the movement we later defined as 1996 class project. The trajectory of the South Africanmacro economic framework they left for us is the one directly responsible for the triple crisis of unemployment, poverty and inequalities in our society.
The 1996 Class Project;
1. Exaggerated liberalization of trade by reducing tariffs in a manner that destroyed millions of jobs across various sectors in our economy.
2. It removed exchange controls allowing money to flow out of the country into thecasino economy of financial speculation. This is money our country desperately needed for investment in productive sectors off the economy.
3. They championed toxic inflation targeting, high interest rates, all of this led today to an overvalued currency and all of this destroy jobs .
4. The 1996 Class Project completely didn't deal with the fundament challenges of taking measures in the interest of our revolution to change the colonial structure of South African economy, its accumulation path, ownership and control. Theminerals energy complex, meaning white monopoly capital, is in power in South Africa. In the past the South African Communist Party our Vanguard characterized this economic position as Colonization of a Special Type (CST).
The picture is extremely frightening as a result of persistence of white monopoly capital post 1994 in South Africa to date.
1. South Africa has become the most unequal place on Earth today. At the bottom, of course are Black and African people, and at the top are white people. The facts to illustrate this are there for all to see.
2. Black and African people are condemned to inferior public sector education and health facilities, while the white population enjoys first world schools, hospitals and shopping malls. Of course the trick today is that there is no Group Areas Act and you are simply told to get on with it as an individual and make your money and you will join the white population!
3. As a result of the lamentable failure to radically restore the basic wealth of the country to the people as a whole, 11 percent of the South African School system accounts for more than 70 percent of Matric passes.
4. An average white male in South African earns anything above R19 000, 00 per month while a black male earns just about R2 400, 00!
5. Ultimately of course, the life expectancy of a white person in South Africa today stands at about 70 years, while that of a black person is at 48 years - some 22 years less!
6. The unemployed are largely our family and friends - they are black, rural, young and female. One out of two of us are unemployed. But it's worse amongst our youth - 7 out of 10 black youth have no job. Among whites the unemployment rate is estimated to be as low as 6%.
7. Too many of us are forced to live in shacks or the old apartheid townships far away from where we work. There is poor sanitation and lack of amenities where we live.
8. Every day we risk our lives in over-loaded and inferior transport while the rich, mostly whites, drive their modern cars to work, alone.
9. Our children are condemned to inferior education and health facilities. White children who can pay have access to well-equipped and expert resourced schools and health facilities, comparable to those in rich countries.
10. The basic structure of the South African economy and society remains untransformed. ‘Colonialism of a Special Type' still exists - Black and African labour is at the bottom and white monopoly capital controls the bulk of the country's wealth and monopolises social resources.
11. There is a real threat of revolt, especially from unemployed youths as their awareness of these inequalities increases. Already service delivery riots and demonstrations are a common feature of community life. There is growing restlessness and discontent.
Comrades, this now hidden and open consistent fight by capital against the working class is not a neural fight. It is a fight that reminds you as a shopsteward of Numsa where ever you work and privileged to lead workers that our union vision is to end economic exploitation, And it visualizes a society "From each according to their ability; to each according to their needs".
However Numsa is very clear that to realize this future society we have to pursue class struggle knowing nature, place and role of a trade union movement. That is why as Numsa leadership we are very clear that the working class need its own independent working class political party (Vanguard) that's our South African Communist Party to be more vigorous in agitating the working class.
That is why we think we think if it is our absolute revolutionary right to discuss strength and weaknesses of our Party. We don't seek permission from no one to talk about its role in dealing with momentary challenges of the working class in the structures of our organization.
The working class is the only class capable of carrying the revolution to its logical conclusion, that is why the wise words of our late General Secretary Mbuyiselo Ngwenda must guide us today that there is just no better cause like a cause of building working class organization in south Africa today and to consolidate the working class as conquering force, where it must take full responsibility for socialism and must see itself as class for itself and we hold no prisoners we champion the interest of the working class.
This is the very reason we made a call to all metal workers and stressed that unity of Metalworkers is sacrosanct and it is compulsory. Yes Congresses are a moment to renew mandates, make comrades to account, revive everybody's revolutionary credentials but the bottom line is that Numsa and the rest of the liberation alliance led by the ANC must emerge from this Congresses of 2012 politically and organizationally more stronger and resolute in taking forward working class revolutionary fundamental change .
We are very upfront about maintaining revolutionary discipline and conduct for the simple reason that the more we repeat this correct revolutionary and organizational principle, the more it matters, and the better we follow it!
Once more Comrade Mao addresses this matter in a way that should help comrades to watch their own conduct in what we would call self-introspection, when he said:
"Conscientious practice of self-criticism is still another hallmark distinguishing our Party from all other political parties.
As we say, dust will accumulate if a room is not cleaned regularly, our faces will get dirty if they are not washed regularly.
Our comrades' minds and our Party's work may also collect dust, and also need sweeping and washing.
The proverb "Running water is never stale and a door-hinge is never worm-eaten" means that constant motion prevents the inroads of germs and other organisms.
To check up regularly on our work and in the process develop a democratic style of work, to fear neither criticism nor self-criticism, and to apply such good popular Chinese maxims as Say all you know and say it without reserve,
Blame not the speaker but be warned by his words" and Correct mistakes if you have committed them and guard against them if you have not - this is the only effective way to prevent all kinds of political dust and germs from contaminating the minds of our comrades and the body of our Party"
It is this stack reality that made Numsa to consciously launch its National Political Commission and consciously invited the President of the ANC comrade Jacob Zuma in his capacity as a leader of our African National Congress to let everybody know that we think it's time for the working class to give meaning to what we have always called swelling of the ranks of the ANC and the Sacp for one simple reason to hegemonize working class interest of the working class in the ANC a leader of our revolutionary alliance, as a primary motive force of our revolution.
Why did Numsa launch its National Political Commission?
We shall remain resolute in maintaining our ANC as a liberation movement, a multi class formation where the working class must organize itself as a conquering force as a class for itself. The answers is very simple, since the formation of 1910 union between English and Afrikaner capital which made sure Black people in general Africans in particular are no-where closer to ownership and control of the economy in our country. Theirs was to continue to be champions of cheap labour and to date it is still Black people in general Africans in particular who are victims of labour brokers and victims of 1913 Land Act and they still own no economy?
Numsa contest and challenge any view that suggest that nationalization is not the policy of the ANC by any leader of the alliance.
Numsa views the recent report on nationalization of mines as nothing but provocation and we think is just another pamphlet to demotivate nationalization in the interest of white monopoly capital as demonstrated by two ministers who werenot even reprimanded by the ANC.
What does the Freedom Charter, the fundamental revolutionary programme of the ANC, say contrary to this well published position by senior leadership of our movement including the working class Vanguard?
The Freedom Charter says the following:
"The national wealth of our country, the heritage of South Africans, shall be restored to the people;
The mineral wealth beneath the soil, the Banks and monopoly industry shall be transferred to the ownership of the people as a whole;
All other industry and trade shall be controlled to assist the well-being of the people;
All people shall have equal rights to trade where they choose, to manufacture and to enter all trades, crafts and professions."
This ANC Nationalisation Report in our view is a serious problem and an insult. Numsa feel strongly that it's time to fight and champion for the implementation of the Freedoms Charter. We think it is only through working class ideological thought,clarity and influence that we could ensure that our ANC move ahead to implement nationalization.
It is Numsa's honest view that nationalization is the policy of the ANC. Metalworkersare humble and firmly suggest that inherent to the implementation of the Freedom Charter is nationalization not only of the mines but of all key strategic sectors of the economy that could be defined as commanding heights of the economy.
To reinforce these fundamentals of the liberation struggle, the ANC at its Morogoro Conference further stated that:
"In our country - more than in any other part of the oppressed world - it is inconceivable for liberation to have meaning without a return of the wealth of the land to the people as a whole. It is therefore a fundamental feature of our strategy that victory must embrace more than formal political democracy. To allow the existing economic forces to retain their interests intact is to feed the root of racial supremacy and does not represent even the shadow of liberation."
It is Numsa's honest view that the roots of South African racial supremacy would be well nourished if the existing economic forces were to be allowed to retain their interests intact. This is a very self-evident truth. In South Africa, real poverty is Black and African and wealth is White and European.
Numsa both in celebrating 100 years of the ANC existence and moving forward will continue to champion, among others, the following:
1. All the people of South Africa must share in the wealth of the country, thus socialisation and democratisation of ownership and control of the economy is inevitable, post 1994.
2. The basic wealth of the country must be transferred into the hands of the people as a whole, as a precondition for attaining democracy and peace in South Africa. In this regard, there is no alternative to popular nationalisation for socialisation of the strategic economic sectors.
3. South Africa needs a truly new and revolutionary redistributive, job led growth path.
4. South Africa needs to break the dominance of the Minerals/Energy/Finance Complex and the white community it supports in South Africa, for a truly equal and democratic South Africa to begin to emerge. Only this can uproot racism in South Africa.
5. The country needs to urgently attend to the matter of rapid industrialisation on a foundation of quality mass education, skilling and health programmes on a scale hitherto never embarked upon. Without this, South Africa will never win the war on mass poverty and hunger.
6. It is time to take charge of monetary policy on behalf of all the majority of the people of this country who are working class and rural poor.
7. It is time to nationalise the South African Reserve Bank.
8. It is time to put in place a revolutionary rural development strategy and programme that will change the economies and societies of the countryside on behalf of the majority of the people of this country. This demands revolutionary land redistribution and agrarian programmes.
9. We must destroy shacks and the rural/urban divide, as the Freedom Charter demands.
10. The country needs to move beyond reform rhetoric into a revolutionary mode, and truly begin to undo the capitalist and Apartheid economic foundations of South African society which continue to reproduce Apartheid capitalist social relations in spite of the revolutionary reforms implemented since 1994.
In conclusion:
We have no luxury to relax given the painful attack on the working class from all quarters.
Metalworkers are called to Front to advance a struggle against;
Modern slavery represented by labour brokers,
Defending the gains of workers made through our blood and sweat
Privatisation of our public roads
Redistribution of wealth
Amandla!
Issued by NUMSA, March 3 2012
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