GroundUp reports that more than 100 persons under the banner of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) picketed outside the Industrial Development Corporation’s (IDC’s) offices in Sandton on Friday.

They called on the government to intervene after ArcelorMittal SA (Amsa) announced in January that it was considering retrenching 3,500 steel manuafacturing jobs at its Newcastle and Vereeniging plants and at AMRAS (the rail and structural subsidiary). This could impact a further 100,000 jobs in the value chain, the union pointed out. Numsa said the the IDC had a responsibility to bring stability to the steel industry. Mbuso Ngubane, Numsa deputy general-secretary, told the picketers the union had been engaging with government ever since Amsa raised the prospect of job losses in 2023. Tshepo Ramodibe, IDC head of corporate, said he would hand over Numsa’s memorandum to the Department of Trade and Industry. Former SA Steel Mills’ workers also joined the picket. More than 100 were laid off a year ago. The company went into business rescue in September. “Picketing here is our last hope, because the business rescue practice keeps delaying,” said Teboho Morithi, who worked at the company for two years.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Silver Sibiya at GroundUp

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