What is Motsotso wa NUMSA – the NUMSA moment – and how is it going to play out in South Africa social and economic crisis well known by the triple crisis of poverty, inequality and unemployment.
How does it link to other moments like: the Freedom Charter moment or SA’s Lula Moment?
What does NUMSA want from this moment, and what is it doing to achieve this. These are the questions that the NBC addressed.
So far we are only reflecting on the first day of the NBC as there are three more days to go.
To start the ball rolling we talked to three comrades from KwaZulu Natal Province and Ekurhuleni.
Zanele Mbambo
To Zanele Mbambo from Isithebe Local in KwaZulu Natal, the NBC is a place where shop stewards get information. In that respect information by Alex Mashilo was most valuable.
‘It is important for us as workers to be realistic during collective bargaining. We know that we all have expectations especially after the trend that was set up by Marikana. Therefore we expect that in the motor sector the increases will be from R17 to 25 per hour,’ she said adding that the conference was not all about money issues.
Continues Mbambo: ‘There are other issues that we need to deal with as NUMSA such as the membership crisis where there are fewer organised workers as compared to the unorganised ones. This tells you that something is not right.’
‘As a member and as an organiser you feel that more effort should be put towards convincing our non-unionised colleagues to join NUMSA. As shop stewards we are supposed to recruit five workers per month’.
For Mbambo NUMSA meetings are not only about her. ‘I extend the idea of socialism to my family members especially my mother. They know that Numsa is not only about the t-shirts we get at meetings. It’s more than that’.
Leepile Khumalo
Leepile Khumalo is the coordinator of the Dan Kubheka local in Ekurhuleni and for him the NBC is about the unity of metal workers. ‘Current politics show that NUMSA is under siege. Because of this, we need to understand that this NBC is not a fashion show. Neither are we here to model with the Free Market Foundation (FMF), NEASA or the National Development Plan (NDP). We are here to say hands off NUMSA and our collective bargaining agreements, and hands off our leaders: Irvin Jim and Zwelinzima Vavi!’
‘We are also here to say to locals: reject the NDP and let’s mobilise to pursue a revolutionary agenda and away with Herman Mashaba (FMF), NEASA, and neo-liberal policies in the NDP.’
‘We are also demanding equal pay for similar work done between men and women and to our sector five (petrol stations) I say let’s score big time members and end the exploitation and underpayments.’
Michael Yizani
Michael Yizani, also from Ekurhuleni sees the NBC as an ‘ultimate mandating meeting for our negotiators in all sectors that are negotiating this year.’
Yizani is inspired by NUMSA president Cedric Gina’s reference to Joe Slovo which to him highlights the importance of being a member of a trade union. ‘A trade union is the prime mass organisation of the working class. To fulfil its purpose, it must be as broad as possible and fight to maintain its legal status’.