TimesLive reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) on Monday took issue with a leaked letter reported on by Business Day on Friday. The letter contained a series of allegations‚ including that Numsa was in dire financial straits and might have to retrench staff.
Numsa said in a statement that the union and its leadership were being attacked because they have “consistently championed a socialist working class ideological position‚ against the neoliberal agenda‚" and also that Numsa was hated because it had taken up the failure of the ANC-led alliance to address the property question. Among the claims in the Business Day report were that Numsa had experienced a budget deficit over the past two years, that it owed the taxman R20m and that it had used a R500m reserve fund. Numsa on Monday confirmed that it had dipped into its strike fund to pay salaries‚ but said it had done so after a resolution of its central committee. It added that it was proud that “irrespective of our cash-flow challenges‚ we have paid Numsa staff every 25th of the month‚ without fail."
- Read this report in full at TimesLive
- Read Numsa’s press statement at Polity
- Read too, Geldsorge en twiste haal Numsa in, at Netwerk24 (limit on access)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page