NUMSA WELCOMES THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STATE-OWNED PHAMARCEUTICAL COMPANY

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) welcomes and supports the decision taken by our liberation movement, the ANC, to establish a State-owned pharmaceutical company. This decision by the ANC is a decisive victory in our calls for the state to play an interventionist role in the economy in the interest of the working class and the poor.

The establishment of the State-owned pharmaceutical company is going to dislodge and reverse the semi-imperialist dominance of private capital in the pharmaceutical industry geared towards meetings the needs of our people, as opposed to private accumulation by the pharmaceutical oligarchy.

This State-owned company is a victory for the working class which has been subjected to exorbitant medication cost by the profits imbedded pharmaceutical companies. This decision by the ANC of Chris Hani and Lillian Ngoyi should be defended by the working class and the poor. The working class and the poor should be on guard and refute any spurious utterances against the establishment of this state-owned pharmaceutical company by the undemocratic and unelected spokesperson of private capital located in high offices pharmaceutical conglomerates.

The State-owned pharmaceutical company is going to solidify governments' efforts of running a preventative health scheme as envisaged in the National Health Insurance (NHI), as resolved by the congress of the people in 1955. In a class and divided society like South Africa, basic needs, medication should not be left in the hands of the market. The state should be in the forefront of providing these medications at affordable cost.

The public provision of this basic social service will contribute in the building of our country's productive capacity which will lead to the realisation of full employment in line with COSATU's New Growth Path for Full Employment.

As NUMSA, through our federation, COSATU, a reliable and trusted ally of the ANC, to call a focus discussion to give class content and substance on the pharmaceutical company, including the development of a shared pharmaceutical strategy, as a product of the Alliance, as opposed to Harvard University inclined bureaucrats or consultants.

We re-affirm our position for the re-nationalisation of ArcelorMittal to be in the hands of state on behalf of our people as encapsulated in the Freedom Charter. The re-nationalisation of ArcelorMittal will assist the State to drive industrial development and diversification in order to address the triple-crisis of unemployment, poverty and deepening inequalities mostly affecting the working class and the poor.

Statement issued by Castro Ngobese, NUMSA national spokesperson, July 21 2011

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter