300 members of the National Union Of Metalworkers Of South Africa ( NUMSA ) at Alstom electrical elements manufacturing company based in Germiston are on an eight days protected strike action. The strike is about the company threatening to shed about 100 jobs. The strike will get sympathy support from other Alstom companies in Benoni and Wadeville. The sympathy strike will commence next week involving 1000 workers. The company has since refused to meet the union and discuss credible solutions to the impasse.
The whole thing about cutting employment has turned schizophrenic in the midst of high unemployment. The most galling developments in South Africa is the calamity of job losses. NUMSA will fight boldly to defend jobs, one job lost is a cost to the industry and the economy. Nothing will break the strike, workers remain strong and prepared to win the job battle. Fighting retrenchments are a priority to the union because it will affect the membership and add to poverty and woes of unemployment. We cannot keep up with the rest of the developed economies if companies are continuing to cut employment.
The solution to company problems is not to cut unit labour costs by retrenching workers. We now require an economy that creates jobs to stimulate the local economy. It therefore makes a great sense for workers to fight. We have not seen any firm commitment from the company to address job losses. We are angered because the company has never created new employment when the profits were high. We seriously do not understand why workers should be sacrificial lambs when most of the costs are in high salaries of managers. There is no rationale in cutting jobs.
For more information contact Dumisa Ntuli @ 689-1700 or cell 0829737282