Today's Labour News

The Star reports that according to the National Union of Metal Workers of SA’s (Numsa’s) second deputy president, Ruth Ntlokotse, she was willing to run for a leadership position at the union’s elective congress.

This after the Labour Court in Johannesburg pronounced that the suspension of Ntlokotse and several other officials was illegal, unconstitutional and unenforceable. The court was of the view that the suspensions were merely effected to stop certain delegates from attending the union’s elective congress that was supposed to be held in Cape Town this week. Ntlokotse’s name had been paraded on social media as being part of a slate that would contest at the elective congress. She was accused by some national office-bearers of being behind a faction of Numsa calling itself Numsa 2. Part of her suspension was because some of her colleagues had accused her of defining herself outside the collective. This after Ntlokotse contested and won the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) presidency at this year’s congress without Numsa’s blessing. “If workers want me to lead I will raise my hand and avail myself. For now I cannot say I want to lead without workers saying so otherwise I will do wrong things,” Ntlokotse indicated. She said she was heartbroken about a breakdown in good relations between her and the male-dominated leadership of Numsa. She claimed she was being victimised for condemning corruption and dishonesty in the union. Ntlokotse said she could not rule out the possibility that workers would leave Numsa for other unions if the leadership spats in the union continued.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Itumeleng Mafisa at The Star

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