Saturday Star writes that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) believes this year’s wage negotiations in the vulnerable metal and engineering sector will not be a smooth ride.
Speaking at the union’s national bargaining council in Boksburg in Friday, general secretary, Irvin Jim, said battle lines had already been drawn between the working class and “forces” determined to exploit it. He warned that should employers hid behind the global economic crisis to refuse workers better wages and work conditions, the union would give them a “bitter pill” to swallow. The union said it was greatly concerned about the current “serious levels” of de-industrialisation in the sector, with major companies closing shop, resulting in unprecedented job losses. Numsa president Andrew Chirwa said the effects of the global economic crisis were worse in SA because of “a crisis of leadership and corruption.”
- Read this report by Heidi Giokos in full on page 4 of Saturday Star of 23 April 2016
- Read too, Workers’ demands for a living wage are reasonable: Irvin Jim, at Daily Maverick
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page