Celebrating 20 years of militant and revolutionary struggles
2007 marks 20 years of existence of Numsa. During May, all our regions held celebratory rallies to mark this important event in the history and evolution of our union.
Thousands of metalworkers with their families and friends came to celebrate with us. We received messages of support from Cosatu and its affiliates, the components of the Alliance and our international allies in the trade union movement. We held these celebrations in style, with our former leaders, officials and shopstewards gracing these historic events.While we are celebrating 20 years, it is also a year in which all our sectors are involved in collective bargaining. In this bargaining round, we are inspired by what OR Tambo said in the ANC 1969 Morogoro Conference;
“To allow the economic forces to retain their interests intact is to feed the root of racial supremacy and does not even represent a shadow of liberation. Our drive towards national emancipation is therefore in a real way bound up with economic emancipation. We have suffered more than just national humiliation. Our people are deprived of their due in the country’s wealth, their skills have been suppressed and poverty and starvation has been their life experience. The correction of these centuries-old economic injustices lies at the very core of our national aspirations. We do not underestimate the complexities which will face a people’s government during the transformation period nor the enormity of the problems of meeting economic needs of the mass of the oppressed people. But one thing is certain – in our land this cannot be effectively tackled unless the basic wealth and the basic resources are at the disposal of the people as a whole and are not manipulated by sections or individuals, be they white or black……….”
This extract from this great hero of our revolutionary Alliance, Commander OR Tambo resonates in part with some of our demands in this collective bargaining round, namely;
Redistribution of wealth through better wage increases.
Dealing with the legacy of the past in the workplace through accelerated skills development and affirmative action.
Striving for broad based black economic empowerment through the mechanisms of Employee Ownership Schemes (ESOPS)
Overall improvements in other conditions of employment and the restructuring of our sectors through Sectoral strategies.
As OR Tambo would say; “The correction of these centuries-old economic injustices lies at the very core of our national aspirations”.
Numsa National Political SchoolIn the Numsa National Political School, the former general secretaries of Numsa, Moss Mayekiso and Enoch Godongwana emphasised the following traditions that made us strong and militant;
Building strong shop-floor structures.
Deepening workers control and democracy in the union and the workplace.
Mass militancy and high levels of sophisticated union strategies.
Working class independence and a dynamic link with the National Liberation Movement.
An influential trade union in the struggles and strategies developed by the Federation (Cosatu)
Building cadreship that pursued struggles and leadership beyond the point of production.
As we celebrate throughout this year our 20 years of existence; we must ask ourselves these questions:
To what extent do these traditions find expression in our leadership and that of our organization?
Can we go back to the basics that our founding General Secretaries shared with us – building organisation on the shopfloor – worker control and democracy and revolutionary activism?
The School was unique in the manner in which various topics were presented and debated. It has laid the foundation for a new cadre in Numsa, a cadre that has a better grasp and understanding of our history, historical and dialectical materialism and the topical issues coming in the ANC Policy Conference and the SACP July National Conference.
However our levels of comprehension on the complex issues of philosophy are not the same. This is an area that we should continue to focus upon and it is a matter that the national office bearers will raise in our July Central Committee.
Of importance to the organization, is an organizational process that leads to the dissemination of the information received at the Political School. I remarked to one participant that if regions and locals were to run their own schools on the materials complied, we would effectively run schools every week-end until the end of the year!
Lenin makes this point, “Without revolutionary theory, there cannot be any revolution.”
The collective bargaining frontReports are circulated on a weekly basis to regions updating membership on progress in negotiations across all sectors and house agreements. Membership must urge their shopstewards to convene plant general meetings. Shopstewards in locals must demand from their Local Office Bearers Local General Meetings.
In regions, regional office bearers must convene Regional meetings to report back to sectors. A leadership and membership informed is better able to command its forces in battle. This is what Mayekiso and Godongwana told us in the Political School. The National Office Bearers are watching the negotiations very closely and when we think it is appropriate, we will convene a national meeting to take stock of progress made and decide on the way forward. With regular meetings in regions, you will be combat ready for this national meeting.
On the Public Sector StrikeAt the time of writing, the Public Sector Strike was in its third week In the Cosatu CEC held on June 4-6, we were asked to respond to our attitude towards this strike and this is what we said: “That it is natural that metalworkers will support their comrades in struggles in whatever form.” We have done this through solidarity action, demonstrations and protests.
In conclusion, the president of the Union, Mtutuzeli Tom, underwent an operation recently, but is recovering fully and we expect him back very soon in the Union to lead us.The struggle continues
Silumko Nondwangu,general secretary