By Natasha Marrian –
WHEN metal and engineering workers down tools next week, it will be no ordinary strike.
The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), led by general secretary Irvin Jim, has a political point to prove.
There is a lot at stake as the union seeks to position itself as the last, “true defender” of the working class in the tripartite alliance that comprises the governing African National Congress (ANC), the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).
Cosatu-affiliated Numsa was explicit on Thursday that the principles guiding its bargaining strategy were underpinned by certain key objectives. These included closing the apartheid wage gap, fighting for equity in the workplace, the democratisation of the workplace and demanding a living wage.
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