THE 220,000 Numsa (National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa) members in the metals and engineering industry have now completed more than one week on strike, with their leaders meeting this week to decide on the best way forward with regard to their colleagues employed at the power utility, Eskom.
Numsa gave Eskom 48 hours to respond to their demands for higher wages last Thursday, failing which it promised to embark on a full-blown strike.
Numsa’s head of collective bargaining, Stephen Nhlapo, reported on Monday that Eskom failed to respond to them, and went on to say: ‘We will be calling our national structure this week to decide on the way forward.’
Eskom employees are designated as ‘essential service’ employees and are not allowed to down tools.
Numsa has accused the ‘parastatal’ (government-owned corporation) of hiding behind the ‘essential service’ tag to undermine the workers’ struggle for a living wage.
Numsa deputy general secretary Karl Cloete said: ‘We are meeting as a union to chart a way forward.’
Hundreds of Numsa members picketed outside Eskom’s Megawatt Park headquarters in Sunninghill, Johannesburg last Thursday, in what Nhlapo said was a move to pressure Eskom to negotiate ‘in good faith’.
Nhlapo said the union would not be deterred by the court interdict preventing Eskom workers from striking as part of ‘essential service’ employees.
The extent of the disruption of the power supply should the strike go ahead is uncertain, but Numsa has threatened to plunge South Africa into darkness and has received support from other Cosatu unions and elsewhere.
NUM acting president Piet Matosa last week said Eskom had to be ‘stopped from being declared an essential service with immediate effect’, otherwise workers at the national power supplier would never be able to strike.
Numsa is demanding a 15% wage increase over one year and R1,000 housing allowance, against the employer’s offer of 5.6%.
Numsa’s week-long strike in the metals and engineering sector is reported to be costing the South African economy R300 million a day, causing rating agency Moody’s to warn of a credit rating downgrade.
The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa), the biggest employer negotiator, said Numsa has rejected its latest offer of wage increases of up to 10% for the lowest paid workers in a three-year deal which would reduce to 9% in the second year and 8% in the third. The union wants 15% and a one-year deal. Seifsa has also called on the police to take action against the strike.
The National Employers’ Association of South Africa (Neasa), the other employers’ representative, has only offered 8% increases and wants reduced entry-level wages.
Meanwhile, Numsa described accusations of violence as ‘propaganda and slanderous allegations’ aimed at undermining the strike.
‘Workers have not forgotten their comrades were slaughtered in Marikana by the police,’ said union spokesperson Castro Ngobese in response to calls on the police to intervene.
Democratic Alliance shadow labour minister Ian Ollis has announced he plans to bring in new anti-union laws in the form of a Private Member’s Bill.
Ollis said the bill will require unions to ‘educate workers on violence and the law’ and ensure that there are enough marshals on marches. If these points aren’t met, said Ollis, the courts could award damages against a union.
The bill would also give courts the power to force parties into arbitration and to declare ‘violent strikes unprotected’. Ollis said the redraft of existing anti-trade union legislation may include a call for the courts to be able to bring parties back to the negotiating table in ‘unusual and protracted strikes’.
The plan by the opposition politician has the support of the government, with Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi saying he would support a ‘deadlock-breaking mechanism’ to force parties to keep negotiating during protracted strikes.
But Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven condemned the move, saying Cosatu would be opposed to any legislation that may force parties back to the table.
It could also be deemed unconstitutional, said Craven, insisting: ‘Nobody should be forced to work and if they are it’s bordering on slavery. Employers are at least as responsible for strikes taking place and, we would argue, more responsible,’ he said.
Craven added that the economic problems aren’t due to strikes but the capitalist structure of the economy.
‘While strikes are temporary, the structure stays the same and that’s what needs to change,’ he argued.
Numsa issued a statement on the issue.
‘The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africans (Numsa) condemns the spurious accusations being made by employers that our striking members are involved in acts of intimidation and vandalism.
‘We do not take these unsubstantiated accusations lightly. They are just part of a cheap ploy by the employers to undermine the integrity of our struggle for a Living Wage and improved conditions of employment.
‘No amount of false propaganda and slanderous accusations by the employers will undermine our strike. Our members remain firm and resolute on their demands for a Living Wage, as opposed to the colonial apartheid poverty wages that employers want to retain and reproduce in the industry.
‘We reject with contempt the proposed militarisation of industrial action by Seifsa calling on the police to act on our striking members. The solution to the strike does not reside with the repressive organs of the State – particularly the police.
‘Seifsa should not open unhealed wounds. Workers have not forgotten their comrades were slaughtered in Marikana by the police.
‘We call on Seifsa to return to the bargaining table with a concrete settlement offer in order to resolve the strike. Since the commencement of the strike, our members have exercised high levels of discipline and maturity in line with the union’s Disciplinary Code of Conduct.
The union’s Strike Committee (SC) is satisfied with the overall discipline and performance of our striking members. No evidence has been provided to us to show that our members have acted outside the ambit of the law, or the picketing rules.
‘In the absence of credible evidence, the union can’t invoke its disciplinary code which deals with acts outside the code of conduct.
‘We are incensed by the statement issued by Solidarity which collaborates with the employers and calls on the police to act on our members.
‘We call on Solidarity to join the strike so that we fight together for decent wages for workers in the industry.
‘The time has arrived for workers to unite beyond the logos or the t-shirt colours of their respective unions, and confront the exploiting capitalist class that continues to subject the members of all our unions into a permanent recession, amidst the triple crisis of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
‘Our demands remain unchanged – we demand a 1 year bargaining agreement; 15% wage increase across the board; AND scrapping of labour brokers.
‘As long as employers are not conceding these reasonable demands, the strike continues indefinitely.’