Fin24 reports that the law firm representing National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) officials who successfully challenged their suspension from the union has urged the union’s leadership not to push ahead with a national congress against the interdict of the Labour Court.

The court ruled last week that the union's suspension of Numsa's second deputy president, Ruth Ntlokotse, and 30 other officials was "unconstitutional, invalid, and unenforceable in law". It also interdicted the commencement of the congress, set to take place in Cape Town this week, until its concerns over the suspensions were resolved. A letter from Ahmed Gani Attorneys, penned by Yusuf Sujee, said the firm had been informed that Numsa was looking to hold the congress despite the interdict. Sujee gave the union until close of business on Monday to assure the firm and its clients that it would not undertake to hold or open the national congress this week. The letter said if Numsa pressed on with its congress, the firm’s clients would approach the court on an urgent basis to hold union leadership in contempt of court and declare the convened congress as "null and void". Asked whether the congress would go ahead and whether the suspension of union officials had been lifted, Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said on Monday that there would be no accreditation process for the media on that day, as the congress had been interdicted. Some delegates at the congress indicated that they had been told the congress would go ahead this week. They said the concerns of the Labour Court had been addressed and the suspensions had been lifted.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24

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