State drops case against five Cosatu leadersThe heat is off five Cosatu leaders including Numsa vice president, Cedric Gina, who were charged with public violence during the demonstration on the Swaziland/South African border in April this year.They were part of a Cosatu crowd that was showing their solidarity with the people of Swaziland.The five comrades whose cases have been dropped are:
Joe Nkosi, 1st Deputy President of Cosatu
Cedric Gina, 2nd Deputy President of Numsa
Mzwandile Makwayba, 2nd Deputy President of Nehawu
Trabir Badal, National Treasurer of Nehawu
Zet Luzipo, KZN Provincial Secretary of Cosatu
Court victories
Back at work at last!Mlungisi TikoloAfter five months, more than 10 workers at Pretoria North car seat maker Leatherteck are back at work.Workers have been on strike since April demanding that their employer recognise their organiser and provide better working conditions. There are no change rooms, no safety clothes and the owner kept dogs and a snake inside the premises. As a result of these and other transgressions, the workers with the help of the organiser embarked on a legal strike in order to force the employer to accede to their demands.About two months ago, the Numsa Rosslyn local went to picket at the company to support them. Negotiations restarted but after we left they collapsed again. The employer refuses to negotiate with organiser Mpho Modimoeng.This story shows the vulnerability of the so called SMME workers who like farm, domestic as well as security workers are exposed to naked exploitation by the petty bourgeoisie. That is why we must fight the myth that says we should relax the labour laws for SMMEs in order to create jobs because it is just that – a MYTH!
Forklift driver’s six year fight pays offMziwakhe Hlangani Forklift driver Ephraim Seloga is overjoyed after a Labour Court arbitration ordered his employer to pay him R158 000 compensation after unlawfully dismissing him six years ago. Seloga has been unemployed since then despite consistently searching for jobs. He was alleged to have stolen a litre of degreasing oil and to have threatened his supervisor.The arbitration also ordered that Seloga be reinstated. However, his ex-employer, Criterion Equipment, paid an additional compensation of about R37 000 in lieu of Seloga’s reinstatement.Numsa had referred the dismissal of the 36-year old father of three children to the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to push for his reinstatement, also demanding that he should be treated fairly. But the company took the CCMA ruling in favour of Seloga on review which was dismissed with legal costs.”I am grateful for the outcome of the protracted dispute as I had lost all my valuable belongings, including furniture after they were repossessed for defaulting on payments. Had it not been for Numsa, I believe this final outcome would not have been possible,” Seloga said.
“Join the union”Nkhangweni Masutha
A jubilant Johannes Malatjie praised Numsa after the court ordered his company Highveld Steel to reinstate him after it dismissed him five years ago. Making a call to young workers, long-time Numsa member Malatjie said joining the union “was the only viable shield and spear to take on the blood suckers!”Malatjie joined Highveld Steel at the age of 22 and had served the company for almost 32 years when he was accused of theft and dismissed. He is still bitter over the manner in which he was dismissed. The acting judge, Justice Cele described the dismissal of Malatjie as substantively unfair and gave the order that he should be reinstated with no loss of benefits and salary. Although Malatjie was prepared to go back to work, management has insisted that he should consider taking a retrenchment package as it could not find a suitable placement for a person his age.PIC: Malatjie – wins reinstatement after unfair dismissal despite 32 years service!
Recruit for our sister unionsDoris NqethoI received a call from Prestige workers whom I know work for Prestige Cleaners at Port Edward Holiday Resort. They said they wanted to join the union.I spoke to the organiser of cleaners’ union Satawu, Dumisani Nyawo, and together we visited them. They told us that the Prestige contract had expired and that they now fell under a new company called Verulem. “We have never seen their faces,” worried workers told us.Among their complaints were that they received different wages at the end of the month. Some received R800 while others only R50!When the organiser investigated he found that their company does not fall under the Bargaining Council. As Numsa News went to print, Satawu was waiting for a response from the employer.The message to other Numsa members is: “Do not wait for heavy rains, recruit for our sister unions from our sister industries!”
Numsa reaffirms its positionYingwani Mashaba In a move that seeks to boost workers’ morale, Numsa shop stewards at Hernic Ferrochrome in Madibeng, have made it clear that the union holds workers’ cause dear.Numsa’s deputy secretary, Godfrey Ncube and chairperson, Thami Mhlanga went on a crusade to spread the word of Numsa’s obligation to workers.”Workers must feel secure under Numsa,” says Ncube. “The mere fact that we do not have outstanding grievances is a positive sign that workers’ plight is taken care of,” he said.Though the two acknowledged that they have so many challenges, these had helped them find strategies to forge the way forward.”Programmes are in the pipeline to find mechanisms to deal with issues like the full implementation of ABET, attracting new members, skills development and influencing more women comrades to participate in decision making processes,” Ncube added.Numsa has been able to negotiate and convince the company to provide free transport to its employees, reduce the number of lower grades, appoint those employees to senior positions who have completed learnerships and to provide bursaries for employees’ dependants.”Our members should ooze with confidence for Numsa pledges to remain true to its goals to keep members abreast with day-to-day developments and benefits due to them,” says Mhlanga. “A clear sign that Numsa cares for its members is that it has started a bursary fund and provides home building benefits through Numtec.””It is Numsa’s commitment to make use of its revolutionary mandate to continue to advance and protect the gains made by working people of this country,” says Mhlanga.