One strike off one strike on for Numsa

On Friday 27 September, Numsa announced an end to the strike of its members in the fuel retail sector after an agreement was reached on a 11.6 per cent increase for this year, and 9 per cent increases for 2014 and 2015, up from an initial offer of 7 per cent made by employers.

Numsa had announced two strikes simultaneously with 70,000 members downing tools. The second strike is in the motor sector that includes workers in motor retail and auto components manufacture. Members have rejected the revised offer from employers of 9 per cent and are continuing to hold out for a double digit wage increase.

Somali unions face intimidation, death threats and bombs

FETSU’s ten affiliated trade unions participated at the meeting on 28 September, which was held at the federation’s head office in Mogadishu. The meeting had been called to exchange views and consult about the increasing number of threats and attempts to destabilize the federation. Politically motivated, the attacks, including specific death threats, appear to be intended to intimidate and threaten FESTU and its elected leadership.

The very real threat under which trade unions in Somalia operate was made blatantly clear with the discovery of a bomb planted outside the headquarters. The bomb was subsequently removed without any damage and handed over to the police.

Despite the bomb, the meeting went ahead and the unions unanimously agreed to a declaration. Protests have been lodged with the Federal Police Commissioner, the Prime Minister of Somalia and the Minister of Interior & National Security.

At present, IndustriALL Global Union has no affiliated trade unions in Somalia, but is in detailed discussions with FETSU over the creation of a new oil and gas workers union. FESTU is the first independent and democratic trade union centre in the country, and the current situation highlights the importance to assist them in their struggles.

IndustriALL Global Union join the call of FESTU and its member unions, that all people unite against the elements behind these attacks, as well as on the government to take decisive action to protect the people. The unions have pledged to campaign to the last ounce of their energies against on-going intimidation and harassment of labour leaders and members.  IndustriALL Global Union strongly commends and salutes their determination to continue to fight for workers rights and a living wage for the workers of Somalia.

Swaziland unions merge for unity and strength

The merger included IndustriALL affiliates, the Swaziland Amalgamated Trade Unions (Satu); Swaziland Manufacturing and Allied workers Unions (Smawu) and the Swaziland Processing, Refinery and Allied Workers Union (Sprawu). Atuswa represents workers in textile, garment, metalworkers, engineering, mining and quarrying as well as retail, hospitality and catering

The merger took forward a resolution of the newly merged federation, the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (Tucoswa) to reduce its affiliates from 28 to 3 through merger processes. The merger process has been supported by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) that has been working with the unions for over a year towards the merger.  The process was also supported by IndustriALL and received solidarity support from other countries.

The congress adopted a progressive constitution that has key elements of worker control and accountability. Delegates mandated Atuswa to take forward key demands at the workplace and to engage stakeholders in the country including government to establish a minimum wage and a ban on labour brokers.

The merger congress took place at the same time as the annual global week of action for democracy in Swaziland. Failure to get any of the planned actions off the ground including a panel organized by ITUC to hear experiences of workers, which were suppressed by the government and emphasized the need for unity amongst workers and continued solidarity support in Swaziland.

Swaziland union merge for unity and strength

IndustriALL affiliates, the Swaziland Amalgamated Trade Unions (Satu); Swaziland Manufacturing and Allied workers Unions (Smawu) and the Swaziland Processing, Refinery and Allied Workers Union (Sprawu) came together to form the new union, Atsuwa. The merger process was supported by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and IndustriALL Global Union. Atsuwa now represents workers in textile, garment, metalworkers, engineering, mining and quarrying as well as retail, hospitality and catering.

The merger took forward a resolution of the newly merged federation, the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (Tucoswa,) to reduce its affiliates from 28 to 3 through merger processes. The congress adopted a progressive constitution that has key elements of worker control and accountability. Delegates mandated Atuswa to take forward key demands at the workplace and to engage stakeholders in the country including government to establish a minimum wage and a ban on labour brokers.

The merger congress took place at the same time as the annual global week of action for democracy in Swaziland. Failure to get any of the planned actions off the ground, which were suppressed by the government, including an event organized by ITUC to hear experiences of workers, emphasized the need for unity amongst workers and continued solidarity support in Swaziland.

Back to back strikes continue in South Africa

Employers in the Gold sector rapidly came to the negotiating table with an improved offer, after the National Union of Mineworkers mobilised 80,000 gold miners on a strike action starting 3 September after wage talks reached a deadlock. The strike ended within days with agreements reached on a company by company basis and formalised in a signing ceremony at the Chamber of Mines on 10 September.

Gold mining workers agreed to a settlement of 8 per cent increase for the lowest paid workers and 7.5 per cent for the rest. Inflation linked increases were also agreed to for 2014. Workers will also receive Euro 15 a month increase on their living out allowances in the first year which will be increased by a further Euro 15 in the second.

30,000 auto sector workers organised by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa ended the strike after employers including BMW, Toyota and VW revised their offer from 7 per cent to 11.5 per cent. The strike that started on 19 August went on for three weeks as workers refused the 10 per cent offer brought to them during the strike, sending Numsa back to the negotiation table.

Numsa also agreed to a 10 per cent increase for auto workers in the second year and again in the third year as well as a Euro 100 transport allowance a year, a Euro 62 monthly housing allowance and 70 per cent contribution to medical aid by employers.

As one strike came to an end, another began for Numsa, this time in the motor sector as 70,000 workers have downed tools on 9 September, after a deadlock in negotiations with employer bodies the Retail Motor Industry and the Fuel Retailers’ Association. Workers have rejected a 7 per cent wage offer and are demanding a double digit salary increase and an improvement of afternoon shift and night shift allowance.  

Whilst employers have complained about the cost of the strikes to companies and the economy, South African workers and their unions have found it necessary to put up a fight for better wages in the face of increasing cost of living and have come out victorious.

Suppression of democracy campaign activities in Swaziland

There was a heavy police presence at the venue of the inquiry organised by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) as part of the global week of action for democracy and worker rights in Swaziland.  The panel was to take submissions from workers about conditions in Swaziland and present their findings to the world. Police prevented the inquiry from taking place saying the event was inappropriate as 6 September, Independence Day should be a day of celebration.

Naidoo and several others including  Central Methodist Church Bishop Paul Verryn and Southern African Trade Union Coordination Council (SATUCC)'s Paliani Chinguwo were also held were detained at a road block and taken in for questioning the day before and later released. 

Also on 5 September, the General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (Tucoswa), Vincent Ncongwane, was arrested and taken In for questioning. He was then placed under house arrest for attempting to stage an illegal protest. Tucoswa insists that protocol was followed and government has informed of the planned mass action which did not take place.

This blatant suppression of human rights has taken place days after King Mswati says he received a vision that his absolute monarchy should now officially be called a monarchial democracy. Critics suspect this is an attempt to confuse people on democratic rights with parliamentary elections in the absolute monarchy taking place later this month. 

It has been 45 years since independence from colonial rule in Swaziland and 40 years of a state of emergency which Mswati has used to deny Swazi people democratic rights. Swaziland is one of the poorest countries in the world.  Over 60 per cent of the population live in abject poverty and the unemployment rate is at 28.5 per cent. There is no press freedom or independent judiciary.  Political parties are banned. Democratic institutions and trade unions are under constant attack and the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland is still de-registered in order to prevent the unification of workers.

Goldminers begin strike in South Africa

Employers offered a 6.5 per cent wage increase amounting to only Euro 30 extra a month which the NUM has reject with contempt as slave wages. The NUM is demanding an increase of Euro 230 for surface and opencast miners and Euro 300 for underground miners, constituting a 49 per cent and 60 per cent increase respectively.

The NUM has undergone a nationwide industrial action because of the arrogance of the employers in the sector gold mining industry for changing the gold mining landscape. Leshiba Seshoka, spokesperson for the NUM said: “The captains of the industry have continuously awarded themselves huge bonuses with Gold Fields CEO getting Euro 4.5 million per annum last year.”

“Mineworkers are determined to embark on the strike action beginning tonight until their demands are met. The union has noted the arrogance of the employers in maintaining that they are unshakable in their 6,5% pittance offer. The NUM is unshakable too in its demand for a living wage and as such the Chamber ‘s final offer would meet the union ‘s final demand and there shall be dust on the streets of Carletonville and PWV.” Said NUM in its press statement.

“IndustriALL Global Union fully supports legitimate demands of the NUM” said General Secretary Jyrki Raina. “Our affiliates worldwide, particularly in the mining industry, are shoulder-to-shoulder with NUM in this important strike”.

Tens of thousands to join South African strikes

More than 31 000 workers in the auto manufacturing sector downed tools on 19 August demanding a 14 per cent wage increase. The strike continues as National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) consults its members on a revised offer of 10 per cent from employers, up from 6 per cent.

Getting ready to join their comrades on 2 September are about 72,000 Numsa members after a breakdown in wage negotiations with the Fuel Retailers Association and the Retail Motor Industry Organisation.

Meanwhile, up to 90,000 members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) are ready to respond to a strike call on the weekend after wage talks faltered in the gold sector. The NUM, which is the majority union in the sector, has given employers until 30 August to meet its demands for up to 60 per cent wage increase. The Chamber of Mines, negotiating on behalf of gold sector employers has put forward a final offer of between 6 and 6.5 per cent, which the NUM has rejected as this is only slightly above inflation.

In the textile sector, the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) has conducted a strike ballot where workers have voted in favour of a strike should their wage dispute with employers not be settled. SACTWU is preparing to submit a 48 hour strike notice top employers on 2 September after which 50,000 of its members will take up strike action in support of their demands for a 7 per cent wage increase in metropolitan areas and 11 per cent for those in non-metro areas.

Unions plan to take global action on 7 October

IndustriALL is calling on all affiliates to join the global action and put the full force of IndustriALL’s global strength behind the fight against precarious work.

In Europe, IndustriAll European Trade Union has sent a message to its affiliates urging them to mobilize their members as part of the global action, pointing out that precarious employment continues to spread both in Europe and throughout the globe and that campaigning jointly and in solidarity can only serve to increase the effect of our actions further.

IndustriALL campaign materials available online include:

Affiliates are urged to send information to [email protected] about their planned actions, as well as photos and report of the action once it has taken place. This information will be posted on the special campaign section of the IndustriALL website.

In 2012, more than 150 affiliates in 46 countries participated in the October 7 global action to STOP Precarious Work. The resulting photos, showing IndustriALL affiliates across the globe uniting under a common cause, sent a powerful message to MNCs, governments and the institutions of global governance that workers everywhere are prepared to fight against precarious work.

While looking forward to a major mobilisation of IndustriALL affiliates around the world on October 7, General Secretary Raina stated:

IndustriALL’s STOP Precarious Work campaign is not only about an annual action day, but about a mainstreamed strategic goal. The issue of precarious work continues to be a standing item on the agenda of all IndustriALL meetings. Many company networks are undertaking mapping of the incidence of precarious work in their companies and formulating joint strategies to reduce it. New improved language is being introduced to GFAs.

Furthermore, our major externally-funded project is supporting a large number of specific activities in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Regional and national activities are focusing on supporting affiliates to make demands on employers through collective bargaining to limit precarious employment, to push for legislative reform that restricts precarious work, and to resist legislation that expands it. 

Strike season heats up in South Africa’s auto sector

More than 2,000 workers at a BMW plant in South Africa have gone on strike over a deadlock in plant level negotiations relating to shift allowances. The deadlock was not resolved in conciliation which led to the industrial action. 

Negotiations are also underway in the auto sector and BMW has portrayed in the media that they are perplexed by the strike given the sector level talks. 

"It must be very clear that BMW cannot say that they are confused by this strike. Negotiations with them at plant level preceded the industry level negotiations. In fact BMW tried to interdict the strike but the labour court allowed it to proceed;” said Alex Mashilo, negotiator for Numsa. “BMW’s claims are even more unfounded because at industry level we are discussing that shift allowance must be negotiated at plant level."

Meanwhile a wage deadlock has been reached in the industry level negotiations. More than 31,000 workers are expected to go on strike on 19 August, should the deadlock not be resolved. A strike notice has been served to employers in the auto sector including Toyota, Nissan, Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Originally workers demanded a 20 per cent increase and are down to a demand of 14 per cent. Employers have officially offered 6 per cent plus R1.07 per hour.

Employers are indicating willingness to raise the offer to 10 per cent plus R1.07 per hour for the first year, and consumer price index (CPI) inflation plus 0.25 per cent and R1.07 per hour for each of the following two years.

Numsa wants a double digit wage increase and is not willing to accept lower wage increases after the first year in subsequent years covered by the three year agreement.