The theme is not to scare the employers!Mncedisi Phaphu
“The theme is not to scare the employers”, said the Eastern Cape regional treasurer Mphumzi Maqungo, just before the conference started on its first day. “We have been having themes in our negotiations throughout the years but this one must have a psychological connotation to the employers as we seek to achieve better working conditions and benefits for the workers,” he said.
“It is our responsibility to unpack and make sure that this theme filters down to the workers and they understand it,” he said. He further mentioned that as he was looking at the consolidated reports from different regions he saw the long shopping lists and the repetition of demands that needed to be narrowed down to make sure that we do not repeat demands that were rejected previously by employers.
Unity the key Kaya ka Yoko
Unity among workers is a device that must be used to confront the logic of capital through collective bargaining, first vice president, Ben Khoza, told conference delegates on the first day of the conference.
He expressed the hope that this year will fulfill Numsa’s dream of having all its sectors negotiating together at the same time. We need to ensure that we better the lives of workers and their families, he told delegates, “otherwise we may as well close shop”, he warned.
General secretary Silumko Nondwangu shared light around the disadvantages of globalization and its impact on the workers. The products that we manufacture and the markets that these products are sold into are not determined by the factories that we work in but by those mother plants globally.
He cited a trend in the rubber and tyre sector where there is a reduction of production. He warned that in a few years to come these companies would be in trouble as they could become warehouses. Our demands should respond to the question of redistribution of wealth. This is not about rands and cents whilst we lose jobs through the reduction of jobs. Workers must turn struggle consciousness into political consciousness.
Democracy has been good to capitalism!Francois Quarrie
Numsa researcher, Tengo Tengela did not mince his words in his presentation on macro and micro-economic trends at the NBC.He exposed the monster that capitalism really is. His researched statistics and graphs revealed that although there was a high growth rate in South Africa since 1994, white capital still holds the monopoly and is the real beneficiary of this phenomenon. “Democracy has been good to capitalism,” he said. His research traced the flow of capital back to the northern and eastern countries with high influence on our continent.
His work also unveiled the character of capitalism to thrive in stable and unstable conditions, “accumulation by dispossession increases class control and undermines the working class,” he insisted. Are chief executive officers of companies who pay themselves fantastic bonuses feeding the monster with the strength, the blood, sweat and tears of the working class to satisfy the whims of their prodigy and greediness of their lives? One thing that Tengela did well was to do his research in the interests of the working class. Now we know that we are being used, we need to challenge the logic of capital and mobilize through collective bargaining.
A challenging theme!Nkhangweni Masutha and Mncedisi Phaphu
The general secretary’s speech set the tone for the conference and posed a number of challenges to this historic conference.He dwelled much on the conference theme. He said it presented a tall order for the trade union and posed the question: “Is this not the role of a working class party?”
Greetings from our continental comrades!Kaya ka Yoko
“Ilizwe lethu, workers….workers, ilizwe lethu,”, said Felix Owie from the Steel Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria (SEWUN) when he greeted the conference with best wishes from his country. Owie advised the conference that the only tool for success is unity. He warned that there are those that when they are voted into power will turn their backs on those that voted for them.
Other continental visitors are from trade unions in Tanzania and Swaziland. Zimbabwean representatives are still expected but “they will join us later,” Cedric Gina, second vice president, tells delegates. “They were too frightened to catch a flight coming here and are coming by bus.”
Just a few weeks ago, their fellow comrades were beaten up at the airport when they tried to board a plane to SA.
He went on to provide an answer to his own question saying that “collective bargaining was another front, another act…. It is not a struggle for socialism” but “an instrument at the disposal of a progressive trade union to translate in many (workers) (and not all) (their) trade union consciousness into political consciousness.” Nondwangu also said that confronting the logic of capital through collective bargaining must also entail the redistribution of wealth at the point of production. Slogans alone won’t redistribute wealth. Collective bargaining should empower and educate workers to become a transformative union that would be a driver of change instead of a narrow union of wage earners.
In almost all sectors employers have made huge profits and have paid themselves huge bonuses and dividends in the last 3 years against a backdrop of falling wages and conditions of employment.
The general secretary has challenged the conference to engage in a robust debate and come up with a concrete resolution to guide this organisation now and in time to come.
Rounding upNkhangweni Masutha and Jenny Grice
DAY one continued to set the backdrop for debate on day two. Numsa KZN regional educator, Woody Aroun, critiqued the current bargaining strategy.
There was a strong feeling in the conference that we need to revisit our wage model; put it into ICU and improve wages and working conditions.
Summing up at the end of the day, the general secretary said that if Numsa is to be a champion in the industry, leaders’ “responsibility to members is as leaders, we are not marshals.” He reminded delegates that if capital has benefited in the first decade of democracy then “you have a strategic opportunity in the engineering industry. You must exploit the opportunity.”
“Employers will not take easily to a strike situation. They want stability because of current investments. There is an economic boom in engineering, there is growth; the same applies in the auto industry.”
However in the tyre and motor sectors, “it may be different”… Numsa must exploit those strategic opportunities so that the union becomes the driver of change.” He reiterated his speech earlier in the day saying that while it was important to deal with bread and butter issues, the union must go beyond this and deal with transformative issues as well. “We have to become a union that is a driver of change, not a narrow union that represents wage earners only.”
What they said:”The only reason they are introducing free visas in the US is because they don’t have slaves there.”
Solomon Ochia, National Treasurer, Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria
Words from the continentFrancois Quarrie
Worker representatives from as far as Nigeria, Tanzania and Swaziland are guests at the NBC. The national treasurer of the Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria Solomon Ochia was serious when he said “everything about this conference is good and good things should be for everybody.”
“In Nigeria the union struggles to organise workers as most of the electricity is generated by private generators because of constant power cuts.” He said that he observed that the mandate to the conference was from the workers. He wished that this was the situation in Nigeria. He informed us of the Numsa general secretary’s recent visit to Nigeria and said that he was happy that he had accepted the invitation. Jonathan Peles of the Tanzanian Union of Industrial and Commercial Workers (Tuico) described the conference as “fantastic, alive and enlightening”.
What they said:”Outsourcing, labour brokers, are worse with us. The Chinese are the worst; they would prefer you to work without paying you.”
Solomon Ochia, National Treasurer, Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria
In terms of exchanging experiences he is convinced that he will go home with a wealth of knowledge to share with his counterparts.He said he would “also maintain working with the SA trade union movement.” Swaziland Amalgamated Trade Union (Satu) representative Frank Mncina is no stranger to the SA trade union movement.
“The NBC is fantastic; there are a number of good things I am learning. My union is still bargaining at company level. I have since realized the advantages and disadvantages of having annual and three year agreements respectively.”
“We also need to know the importance of knowing that as we deal with capital we should as well deal with politicians (government), know and understand the concept of inflation and build a united, militant and revolutionary trade union movement through collective bargaining,” he said.
M&G article to be aired in CC!Judy Madumo
AS the 1st Vice-President, Ben Khoza, was making his opening speech, he touched on an article that appeared in the Mail and Guardian dated April 20. He told conference that “the story in the Mail and Guardian” and he paused for some time as if grasping his breath to shoulder off a big load, he continued “we are not going to bog the NBC down with that issue, we are refusing to deal with that. And it is in the light of the declaration that was adopted by the Central Committee on the same matter. We will deal with the matter in the next CC!”
In my opinion Quality jobs and sustainabilityKaya ka Yoko
Eastern Cape regional secretary Irvin Jim breathed words after a presentation of dti’s draft Industrial Strategy Framework. Jim stated that globally manufacturers when they have excess products from the international market where the demand is less, they will just dump them in the South African market where they will just disturb those companies that are trying to fight poverty.
Those manufacturers do not contribute to fighting poverty at all. Only those that are manufacturing locally with local content are contributing to employment and adding value in the country.
Those completely built products from abroad on our country’s market do create a small percentage of jobs. But those companies are not here to sympathise with us, they are here to maximise their profits and make sure that they find a place for their un-demanded products on the international market. This reminds me of what we used to say to workers when we mobilise them. We always conscientise them that whenever we have resolved to embark on a campaign that will have to compromise production they must participate in large numbers because employers will not do them a favour by keeping them in jobs.
Companies have interest in making more profits. The government needs to assist by coming up with an industrial strategy framework that will develop products of local manufacturers to assist in the battle against poverty as a result of unemployment.