News24 reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) claimed on Monday that joining its new workers' party should be every South African’s New Year's resolution for 2018.  

In his New Year's statement, Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim called on those who "genuinely see themselves as communists" to swell into the ranks of the party, whose name has not yet been announced.  "We call on you to help us build a workers' party which will fight in the interests of the working class and the poor," Jim said.  The statement didn't provide information about where the party could be joined.  Jim also said that SA’s working class had no reason to celebrate the recent leadership changes within the ruling ANC at its December elective conference.  "We have always known that regardless of who emerged the winner, the governing party will continue to pursue backward, right wing, neo-liberal macroeconomic policies which are hurtful to the working class and the poor," Jim said.  He went on to say that 2018 would be the year "to remind the right wing" ANC government that true power resided with the working class majority.

• Read this report by James de Villiers in full at News24
• Read Numsa’s press statement at Politicsweb

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page