Fin24 reports that according to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), implementing a deal to pay workers a minimum hourly rate of R20 would be the final nail in the coffin for the workers’ struggle in SA.  

The union on Tuesday reiterated its disgust at the proposed amount of R3,500 per month (i.e. R20 per hour for a 40-hour week) as a national minimum wage.  "This proposal reinforces South Africa as a haven for cheap labour, just as it was under Apartheid," said general secretary Irvin Jim in a statement.  Jim also lashed out at Cosatu and Fedusa, claiming that their leaders have been captured and that they needed to “reclaim their revolutionary credentials.”  Jim moreoever criticised Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who led the process to negotiate the agreement, saying that he has proven time and time again that he is hostile to workers.

• Read this report in full at Fin24
• Read Numsa’s press statement in this regard at SA Labour News

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page