INTIMIDATION AND VIOLENCE IN THE METAL INDUSTRY STRIKE

The strike in the metal and engineering industry continues into its fourth day.

SEIFSA is increasingly receiving reports from its membership of serious incidences of violence, intimidation and other forms of unacceptable behaviour being perpetrated by groups of striking workers.

These incidences include the intimidation of non-striking workers; the physical assault of those workers who have chosen to ignore the call to strike and who have exercised their right to continue to work; bands of roving strikers moving from company to company in search of non-striking workers, and then trespassing on private property in this search; malicious damage to company premises and to private property; stone throwing; breaking down of company gates and other types of violent actions; blocking of the access to factory premises and the prevention of access by workers and the public to company premises.

This reprehensible behaviour flies directly in the face of the spirit and intent of the strike and picketing rules settled between SEIFSA and Numsa. It, moreover, violates the democratic and constitutional right of all workers to continue to work if they so choose. It is regrettable that the strikers find it necessary to use these bullying and illegal tactics to gain support for their strike and that the union leadership remains silent in its condemnation of this deplorable and unacceptable behaviour.

SEIFSA believes that the trade union leadership has an important social, moral and legal responsibility to publicly call upon their membership to demonstrate restraint and ensure that the right to strike is exercised in a fair and democratic manner - free from any form of violence, intimidation or damage to property and any other forms of similar illegal action and to ensure that the strike is conducted in an orderly and peaceful manner.

Statement issued by SEIFSA, July 7 2011

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