Today, 300 Alstom workers returned to work after the company conceded defeat and agreed to transfer the 100 workers to other Alstom business units. This put an end to the three weeks successful strike action. The strike was a great victory and relief for workers whose jobs were in high risk. This strike will definitely encourage other workers to fight vigorously for their jobs. It has really become fashionable for employers to make excuses for retrenching workers and in cases cite wrong reasons for shedding jobs.
We only hope and trust that employers will learn a great deal that any variation to workers conditions without any justifiable reasons is a breach of contract to workers. We feel now that the law in relation to strike for retrenchments has been fully tested. NUMSA has remedied the situation because the company has since been insensitive to jobs. The biggest problem in South Africa is that jobs continue to be lost at a fairly rapid rate and employers fail to generate sufficiently high rates of job creation to begin to make a contribution to reduce unemployment.
Employment in the manufacturing sector remain roughly flat, falling consistently, the distribution of income is likely to worsen significantly. We need appropriate firm policies and adequate responses to issues of jobs. Evidence points to weak managers and directors who always blame workers for their own mistakes of mishandling finances. It has been proven that labour costs do not account for the bulk of the costs in companies. Most of the companies failed to address skewed lavish salaries of managers. We have to modify this situation comprehensively if South African firms want to see progress and development in a long term. We will continue to win the job battle.
For more information contact Dumisa Ntuli @ 689-1700 or cell 0829737282