If you want to find details of the issues that we demanded in the last round of negotiations and what issues are still outstanding, get a copy from your local office.
TB and Aids
We have won the right for workers to take a day’s sick leave to be tested for pap smears and prostate cancer. But these are not the biggest killers of workers. Right now the biggest killers are TB and Aids. And MDR-TB is an even bigger threat. What should we demand?Some companies are providing anti-retrovirals to their workers and their spouses and/or monitoring workers’ CD4 counts and viral loads.Others are just monitoring workers CD4 counts and viral loads but referring their workers to the nearest government hospital when they need anti-retrovirals.Government has just set aside millions for the treatment of HIV positive people. But their biggest problem is lack of capacity to monitor and provide treatment to those that are HIV positive.How can we get Numsa-organised companies to work with government hospitals to help monitor and roll-out anti-retrovirals to those that need them? Are workers that are on anti-retrovirals given enough time to go to hospitals and clinics for tests and for follow-up?
Looking after the rights of casual workers
Shirley Matuludi is 24 years old. For the past 3 months she has been working as a casual worker in an automotive components firm. The day we spoke to her was her last day at work. Her contract had expired. Her company was paying UIF for her but not to the provident fund.During her time at the company she has only received on-the-job training.When she leaves the factory, she will again be looking for a job but will have limited skills. If she doesn’t find work she will be paid by UIF for half a month and then it will stop. How can we protect workers like Shirley? How can we enforce employers to take temporary workers on a permanent basis? How can we enforce employers or labour brokers to train these temporary workers so that when they lose their jobs they have more skills that other employers want?
Payment for skills acquired
In the engineering, motor and tyre sectors, there is no automatic payment if you have learnt a new skill. Workers are only paid if they are using the new skill.In the auto sector, ‘payment for skills acquired’ applies to skill levels 1 to 4 only. Beyond these skill levels, you are only paid if you are applying those new skills.What do we say about this problem?
Employment equity
How does your company look – is it white and male at the top and black at the bottom? Do employers say that they cannot change this because blacks lack skills? What should we demand?
Black economic empowerment
Is your company making deals with black business to be BEE compliant? Who is benefiting from these deals – are you?
National Bargaining Conference is similar but not the same!Peter Thobejane This year Numsa will hold its National Bargaining Conference (NBC) to debate and consolidate core demands to be tabled to employers in all Numsa organized sectors.Since Numsa was formed in 1987 it was never faced with complex issues like we are going to face in the coming wage negotiations. Tough battles lie ahead for Numsa regions to formulate demands that will improve working conditions of metalworkers and defend what we have achieved.In 2003 and 2005 the NBC said Sohlangana ngo 2007 because all our agreements come to an end in June 2007 (end of August for motor). The coming NBC will meet this year to find common tactics to take on these new dimensions:* the abuse by employers of the collective agreements and the role of the bargaining council in this* the influx of two big animals in our industry. These animals are labour brokers and the influx of Chinese imports in our industry.We should avoid a shopping list of demands. As part of putting our ear to the ground, regions must link their discussions with current scenarios.In order to realise our relevance regions must use NBC core demands to see what we have achieved or not achieved.We should debate how to deal with our weaknesses so we can bring better service to metal workers.In the NBC of 2005, Numsa general secretary, Silumko Nondwangu warned delegates to think strategically.The coming NBC must focus more energy on the threat to the creation of quality jobs, job security, dumping of Chinese goods in industry.We must not worry much about the CPIX because it is a target set by government. Maybe we should look at what should be the improvement factor instead. Metal workers must be ready for a big fight.