From April 1, all workers in the metal industry who are classified as scheduled employees, and who do not belong to trade unions that have signed the collective agreement, will have to pay a collective bargaining levy of 1% of their wages to the Bargaining Council.
This is after Numsa and other unions won the issue in negotiations last year. "I feel very happy about the collective bargaining levy agreement," says Mayboy Malele, shop steward at Ego South Africa in Germiston.
"This is the right thing to do because non-union members are benefiting from union achievements such as the 40 hour week, but they don't contribute a cent to the Union . "We are going to advise non-union members about the many benefits that they are losing by not being union members, for example funeral benefits.
"But not everyone is so overjoyed with this new levy. Non-union member, Thelma Skosana, thinks that "it is not fair. I am not happy. I do not want my money to be deducted."
Another non-union member, Elizabeth Nkomo, hasn't made up her mind yet. "I don't know what to say about the agreement. I will think about joining the Union and I will talk to my shop steward about this."
What does the Collective Bargaining Levy/ Agency Shop say
every worker who is employed as a scheduled worker in the engineering industry and who does not belong to a trade union that has signed the collective agreement with employers, must pay 1% of their basic wage to the Bargaining Council. non-union members do not have to join any of these party trade unions.
The Bargaining Council will pay the money that it collects from these non-union members, to all the party trade unions on a proportional basis – for example, trade unions that have organised 60% of engineering workers, will receive 60% of this money; trade unions with 20% of the membership, will receive 20% of the agency fee and so on.
In terms of the law, trade unions: cannot pay the agency shop money to a political party or a person standing for a political party can only use this money to 'advance or protect' workers' socio-economic interests.
Comrades at a memorial service held in early March at Boart Longyear in Springs in memory of the late comrade John Mabena, a Numsa shop steward.
The service was well attended by workers including Ekurhuleni local and regional leadership and staff.
R Xipu
Source
Numsa News