NUMSA PRESS CONFERENCE STATEMENT ON THE ROLLING INDUSTRIAL ACTION IN THE ENGINEERING AND RELATED SECTORS FOR A LIVING WAGE AND IMPROVED CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT FOR METALWORKERS

Sunday 3 July 2011, Newtown, Johannesburg

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) representing more than 117000 workers in the engineering and related sectors held a special National Executive Committee (NEC) on Wednesday 29 June 2011, to receive a report on the collective bargaining negotiations with the employer bodies as represented by SEIFSA.

The collective bargaining negotiations with the employers have been taking place within the context of the deepening failures of Capitalism and neo-liberal policies to resolve the persisting challenges of poverty, racialised development and escalating unemployment crisis amongst the vast majority of our people, affecting mostly black working class and the youth.

Analysts claim that the South African economy is on the road to recovery from the brutal global capitalist crises yet working people and the unemployed continue to suffer triple crises of stubborn unemployment, deepening levels of inequality and poverty.

Whereas government social grants are meant to be a redistributive tool to combat poverty, it is a known fact that it is the employed that subsidizes and supports their families on their meager wages.

Wage negotiations with Metal & Engineering employers broke down with employers refusing to offer real wage increases and their refusal to outlaw modern slavery by labour brokers in the engineering sector.

In 2011, metal and engineering employers have decided to attack the hard won gains of workers with proposals to down vary benefits and conditions of employment in the engineering industry. Furthermore neo liberal propositions were put forward which will effectively see a two tier labour market introduced. This despite the fact that neo liberal policies have been discredited all over the world. The menu of downward variation and two tier labour proposals can be seen in the following employer proposals;

Survival of the Industry - Employers want SMME's to be defined as companies employing less than 50 workers. In addition they want automatic exemption for such employers.

Total Cost of Employment - Employers suggest that in addition to wages, the trade union demands are exceeding 38%. This particular claim would be used as a basis to advance single digit increases.

Atypical Work - Employers are saying that they will protect their right to have access to flexible employment practices and the use of labour broking arrangements currently provided for by the MEIBC Main Agreement.

Entry Level Grade - Employers are coming back with their demand for entry level rates of pay i.e. 40% less than grade H. They are clearly jumping on the bandwagon of the government's youth subsidy.

Increase in working hours - Employers want the industry to move from 40 hour back to 45 hours of work per week

Numsa is going into this industry strike with the following demands that we want to achieve for metalworkers;

1. An increase of 13% (coming from a demand of 20% & whereas employers are offering 7 % with conditions)

2. A 2 wage agreement (whereas employers want a 3 year agreement)

3. Banning Labour brokers (whereas employers want regulation)

4. One day testing for all diseases

5. 5 Days family responsibility per occurrence

6. 20% night shift allowance.

The Plastics Converters Association (CPA) attempted to interdict Numsa's industry strike on Sunday 3^rd July 2011 in the Gauteng labour Court but the Judge dismissed the application with costs.

Numsa's countrywide strike would therefore commence indefinitely staring on Monday 4^th July 2011. Numsa protest marches would take place in the following centres;

Johannesburg - strikers would convene at workers library from 09h00 and will be led by Irvin Jim, Numsa General Secretary and Zwelinzima Vavi, Cosatu General Secretary. The march would proceed to Metal Industries House, 42 Anderson Street

Port Elizabeth - strikers would convene at Jebe Nangoza Community Hall and proceed to the City Hall. This march will be led by Numsa's President, Cedric Gina

Cape Town - strikers would convene at Kaizergracht from 09h00 and proceed to the MEIBC regional office in Cape Town. This march shall be led by Numsa's 2^nd Deputy President, Christine Olivier.

East London - The march shall convene at North End Stadium to the Border Kei Chamber of Business. This march shall be led by Karl Cloete, Numsa's Deputy General Secretary.

Northern Cape - This march shall take place on Tuesday 5 July 2011 staring at Phillip Smith in Welkom Thabong to Avanche Steeledale Manufacturing.

The effect of the Labour Court ruling is to the effect that all workers in the engineering and metal workers (whether union members or not can partake in strike action. This shall have the effect that 320000 can take part in strike action. Strike action will happen in the following sectors;

Significance of the Cosatu Central Committee held on 27 - 30 June 2011:

Contrary to mischievous belief, the Cosatu Central Committee was very successful in that the federation was able to execute the most important matters afflicting workers in the workplace and in society chief amongst which were resolutions on;

• Living Wage Campaign
• Strengthening Cosatu
• Confronting the challenges of local government
• Mapping out an international solidarity campaign
• Tackling xenophobia

Due to time constraints the Central Committee could not conclude the socio economic and political resolutions. These important resolutions shall be finalised in the August 2011 Cosatu Central Executive Committee

The Cosatu Living Wage Campaign:

True to Cosatu's programmatic and strategic slogan: An Injury To One Is An Injury To All, the Central Committee adopted a solid Living Wage Campaign which will see workers and the working class going into battle to lift us out of conditions of poverty, inequality and unemployment. Some of the core Living Wage Demands are as follows;

Legislated minimum wage across the board in order to set the minimum living standards for the South African working class.

Labour Brokers must be banned as there is no way that workers outside standard employment contracts can effectively struggle for a living wage.

Executive pay of Directors must be regulated in order to close the Apartheid and gender gaps.

The property clause must be scrapped because it is a relic of the sunset clauses whose time has long passed. Expropriation for purposes of advancing development And production purposes.

Cosatu National Office Bearers were tasked by the Central Committee to organise a stay away during the course of this year which should usher in rolling mass action. The purpose of this action would be to demand the banning of labour brokers, shifting the country into a new economic growth path, etc

On Local government:

Cosatu's Central Committee resolved to continue to mobilise workers behind the ANC and the Freedom Charter. Cosatu also resolved to devise strategies to mobilise the coloured working class behind the vision of the ANC and undertake a study that will inter alia look at the views and antidotes of the coloured working class as well as the relationship between African and Coloured workers in the Western Cape from a working class solidarity point of view.

Cosatu resolved that all municipalities must stop outsourcing and making use of labour brokers. As part of addressing the apartheid faultlines, the state must deliver services directly making the state more accountable and creating permanent jobs. These services can include road cleaning, repair of damaged infrastructure, cleaning of parks, cemeteries etc.

90 Years of existence of the SACP:

On behalf of our 263000 Numsa members, we wish to congratulate and salute the SACP for having attained 90 years of existence despite anti communist actions. We continue to believe that the SACP is the only political insurance of the working class on its journey Socialism.

Statement issued by Irvin Jim, NUMSA General Secretary, Karl Cloete, Deputy General Secretary and Cedric Gina, President, July 3 2011

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