STATEMENT ON THE OUTCOMES OF NUMSA KWAZULU-NATAL REGIONAL CONGRESS
29 November 2010
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) in KwaZulu-Natal held a successful non-elective Regional Congress attended by 420 delegates drawn from the length and breadth of KwaZulu Natal, Durban University of Technology (ML Sultan Campus) under the strategic theme "Decent work equal to decent work". The Regional Congress in terms of constitution is the mid-term evaluation congress that takes stock from congress and set pace for the next congress.
The congress was attended by the overwhelming Local union, Regional leaders and honoured to be addressed by our General Secretary, comrade Irvin Jim, COSATU President Cde S'dumo Dlamini, ANC KZN Provincial Secretary Cde S'hle Zikalala, SACP provincial leadership and the Deputy National Secretary of the Young Communist League Cde Khaye Nkwanyana as well as the former COSATU Provincial Chairperson who is currently a member of National Parliament.
The congress was held against the background of the union having emerged from serious workers fights in the auto sector and other sectors. The union is buoyed by the extent of strength the union in the province is having, the recent disputes and our all out war against employers have been a testimony.
1. We are a growing union!
KwaZulu Natal as a province has grown quantitatively in the past 3 years and has become more militant than ever. This trend is the one that must be maintained and sustained.
2. Government's Growth Path must be a clear departure from 1996 class project failed neo-liberal policies!
Once more the union noted the new released Growth Path by the Minister of Economic Development Cde Ibrahim Pate. We welcome the commitment to cap the executive bonuses earning above R500 000, but we reject the targeting of workers earning from R20 000 and above in terms of wage increase freeze.
Workers cannot be asked to compromise as though they have been the beneficiaries in this capitalist economy. The congress mandates the national leadership to interface with this issue and find creative ways to extensively engage with government including raising it with COSATU to do so for a weighty voice.
3. KzN Cabinet must be Reshuffled in the interest of improving service delivery!
The union welcome the reshuffling by the President and subsequently, the provinces that have followed suit. We hope that KZN will follow urgently in reshuffling, removing the dead wood and putting an urgent team that will speed up service delivery in the province.
4. COSATU is not a Labour Desk of the Alliance
As a union, we once again affirming confidence to the leadership of COSATU in particular Comrade Zwelinzima Vavi in relation to the civil society conference. The attack from ANC National Working Committee (NWC) represented by ANC Secretary General and SACP Deputy General Secretary against Vavi is an act of grand-standing at best and we are calling "an order" against them.
COSATU is not a labour desk of any Alliance component, but an ally autonomous with all the rights to organize any component of society including civil society. By the way, the task of organising the civil society is the task of the vanguard party that is unashamed of leading its own class including civil society as a party of the working class.
5. Workers need a visible role of the SACP and its General Secretary in workers struggles!
The union agrees with COSATU CEC that we need a strong SACP as a vanguard of the working class not a spectator as it happens. We have seen during both the auto and public sector strikes, whereby the SACP being boarding tourist in the midst of class struggle for equitable distribution of income at the point of production as demanded by workers.
Its pathetic for the vanguard to behave as Christians that are waiting for the revelation who must pronounce its class role in the given conjuncture and we cannot allow that as workers, indeed it is a revolutionary Day light robbery; under these circumstances what the revolutionary trade union must do! To that extent, we support the call for having a full time General Secretary who will give an undivided focus to the working class struggles.
This should not be interpreted as questioning President Jacob Zuma's prerogative of appointing to his cabinet including a sitting full time General Secretary of the SACP. All what COSATU says is that we need a full time General Secretary to serve workers class interest and the working class in general.
The congress further noted the exploitation of the workers across sectors and vowed to fight at all cost the agencification and labour brokering which tends to undermine the rights of the workers.
6. Campaign for a overwhelming victory of the ANC in Local Government Elections!
We also endorsed the support of the ANC in the next local government elections 2011 that all our members, staff and shopstewards will work hard in sustaining decisive victory because without an ANC led municipality it's a problem however we condoned the support of the "corrupt councillor" as per the COSATU CEC decision.
The congress also noted and resolved on the organizational report and that the union will continue to defend, advance and deepen working class struggle in the workplace and in the society.
Statement issued by Mbuso Ngubane, NUMSA KzN Regional Secretary, November 29 2010
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