4th National Congress July 1993
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: July 1993
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/112523 , vital:33603
- Description: Our National Congress is the highest decision making body of the Union. Its main task is to adopt resolutions that become the policies of NUMSA. These policies guide the union on how to act until the next Congress. After previous Congresses, we have only published the adopted resolutions. But this has meant that our members have lost out on the lively debates that have taken place during the Congress. In this booklet, we try and bring the Congress alive for you. We give you the full text of the General Secretary’s report, the debates as they took place, word for word. What was decided on the Alliance? Why do we want “nationalisation without compensation”? What was the decision on the Working Class Party? The final resolutions that were adopted are there for you to see. Extracts from speeches of various speakers are also given. Two key issues - the contents of the Reconstruction Accord and Restructuring Industry - will continue to be discussed in the Union. (The documents are included; see pages 65-82) Congress mandated the next Central Committee in October 1993 to take decisions on these issues. Use the booklet to find out for yourself what was said. You will be able to see what were the reasons given for the different positions. This will help you explain to members why NUMSA has adopted these resolutions. You will also see how democracy takes place. In some cases, compromises were reached, in other cases there was no compromise and the motion had to be put to the vote. Comrades, as our new President, Cde Tom, said in the Congress. “Our primary duty is to serve the interests of our members and those who have elected us to represent them It is therefore necessary for us to be accountable to them in shaping the policies of the union. Most of the time we do not consult our members when we debate issues - even on minor issues we leave them behind It is very dangerous for us to create a distance between ourselves and our members. The members must not follow but must be there with us. We must remember our base is the factory floor." Use this booklet as a tool to get rid of that distance between you and the members. Use it to help you understand the positions that NUMSA has adopted as its policies. The General Secretary’s Report also gives a full picture of how NUMSA functions and gives useful background information to many of the discussions. The Tables mentioned are at the back of the book; see page 83 to the end. In this first section the debates and the speeches have been put into shaded boxes so it is easier for you to read. Use the booklet to build, strengthen and consolidate our Union in these difficult times.
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- Date Issued: July 1993
4th National Congress Resolutions
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175582 , vital:42595
- Description: Our National Congress is the highest decision making body of the Union. Its main task is to adopt resolutions that become the policies of NUMSA. These policies guide the union on how to act until the next Congress. After previous Congresses, we have only published the adopted resolutions. But this has meant that our members have lost out on the lively debates that have taken place during the Congress. In this booklet, we try and bring the Congress alive for you. We give you the full text of the General Secretary’s report, the debates as they took place, word for word. What was decided on the Alliance? Why do we want “nationalisation without compensation”? What was the decision on the Working Class Party? The final resolutions that were adopted are there for you to see. Extracts from speeches of various speakers are also given. Two key issues - the contents of the Reconstruction Accord and Restructuring Industry - will continue to be discussed in the Union. (The documents are included; see pages 65-82) Congress mandated the next Central Committee in October 1993 to take decisions on these issues. Use the booklet to find out for yourself what was said. You will be able to see what were the reasons given for the different positions. This will help you explain to members why NUMSA has adopted these resolutions. You will also see how democracy takes place. In some cases, compromises were reached, in other cases there was no compromise and the motion had to be put to the vote. Comrades, as our new President, Cde Tom, said in the Congress - “Our primary duty is to serve the interests of our members and those who have elected us to represent them. It is therefore necessary for us to be accountable to them in shaping the policies of the union. Most of the time we do not consult our members when we debate issues - even on minor issues we leave them behind It is very dangerous for us to create a distance between ourselves and our members. The members must not follow but must be there with us. We must remember our base is the factory floor.’ Use this booklet as a tool to get rid of that distance between you and the members. Use it to help you understand the positions that NUMSA has adopted as its policies. The General Secretary’s Report also gives a full picture of how NUMSA functions and gives useful background information to many of the discussions. The Tables mentioned are at the back of the book; see page 83 to the end. In this first section the debates and the speeches have been put into shaded boxes so it is easier for you to read. Use the booklet to build, strengthen and consolidate our Union in these difficult times.
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- Date Issued: 1993
First Democratic Elections
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/110159 , vital:33238
- Description: Every member is free to join any political party. NUMSA will encourage its members to vote ANC because it wants a strong government to fix up the country's and workers' problems. NUMSA members must not force anyone to vote for the ANC or any other party. NUMSA members must be free to vote (or not vote) for whoever they want. It is your right to vote; it is also your right not to vote. BUT you may not force anyone to vote or not vote. Voting stations will be in places like schools, community halls. Ask and discuss with your fellow workers, ask at NUMSA or COSATU offices, listen to your radio, look for posters and pamphlets nearer election time to find out.
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- Date Issued: 1993
NUMSA Motor News - Employers out to smash Industrial Council
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: July 1993
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/114111 , vital:33926
- Description: WHILE wage negotiations with employers are deadlocked, there are more serious rumours that some employers are trying to smash the Motor Industrial Council and so break down centralised bargaining. They are acting just like other employers and the government who want to destroy centralised bargaining. They see it as a way to weaken the power of workers. COSATU decided early this year to fight against these moves. NUMS A is committed to centralised bargaining. It bargains centrally in all the industries where it organises - motor, auto, engineering and tyre. The collapse of the IC in the motor sector would encourage employers in other NUMSA industries to smash the other central bargaining forums. This would defeat all the gains we have made over the years. Motor workers must lead the way in squashing employers’ wishes.
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- Date Issued: July 1993
Bosses on the attack! Workers fight back!
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: Apr 1992
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/112534 , vital:33604
- Description: THE bosses’ system is in crisis. In the auto, tyre, metal and motor sectors, bosses say that they can’t make enough profits. So what is their solution? They say we must help them solve their crisis - by sacrificing our jobs and wages. In every sector where NUMSA is organised the bosses are saying the same thing: "There can be no job security or moratorium on retrenchment workers must be retrenched. There can be no decent or living wage - workers must accept wage increases well below inflation (16%)." The bosses say there can be no compromise on these things if the industries are to survive. They are going ahead with their plans to restructure industries. Their aim is for fewer workers, who earn less money, to produce more for them.
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- Date Issued: Apr 1992
Bosses on the attack! Workers fight back!
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: Apr 1992
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113025 , vital:33689
- Description: THE bosses’ system is in crisis. In the auto, tyre, metal and motor sectors, bosses say that they can’t make enough profits. So what is their solution? They say we must help them solve their crisis - by sacrificing our jobs and wages. In every sector where NUMSA is organised the bosses are saying the same thing: "There can be no job security or moratorium on retrenchment workers must be retrenched. There can be no decent or living wage - workers must accept wage increases well below inflation (16%)." The bosses say there can be no compromise on these things if the industries are to survive. They are going ahead with their plans to restructure industries. Their aim is for fewer workers, who earn less money, to produce more for them.
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- Date Issued: Apr 1992
NUMSA workers: Prepare for war
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: May 1992
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/112697 , vital:33639
- Description: ON May 14, a dispute was declared with SEIFSA, the engineering bosses, because no progress had been made in negotiations. As you can see from the table over the page, there is hardly any progress in NUMSA’s other sectors either. Motor employers didn’t even respond to NUMSA’s demands - they just came with their own demands! On May 24 a special NUMSA Bargaining Unit Workshop will take place. This is to get reports from regions and to give NUMSA’s bargaining reps a mandate to go to the SEIFSA dispute meeting on May 26. Make sure you get a report about these meetings and make sure you and your shop steward attend all report back meetings in your region and locals. If you want to win your demands you must decide what action you will take! Comrades, we have to ask ourselves - Why is there such a deadlock between the bosses and ourselves?
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- Date Issued: May 1992
Strike
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: Aug 1992
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/112756 , vital:33652
- Description: THE National Executive Committee (NEC) of NUMSA met on 27-28 June and agreed that strike action is necessary to achieve our demands in these industries: NICISEMI - Iron, Steel, Engineering, Metallurgical Industry, NICMI - Motor, NBF - Auto, TYRE AND RUBBER. The NEC has therefore decided to hold a STRIKE BALLOT for workers in NICISEMI, Auto and Tyre and Rubber from 6-17 July 1992. The workers in NICMI will ballot later because the Agreement only expires on 31 August 1992. The votes will be counted on the 18-19 July. The STRIKE COMMITTEE will meet on 20 July to consider the ballot result and decide on strike action.
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- Date Issued: Aug 1992
NUMSA CONGRESS: Destroy apartheid and build democracy for socialism
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: Sep 1991
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113037 , vital:33691
- Description: In this Bulletin we focus on the NUMSA and COSATU Congresses which were held in June and July this year. We also cover the National Peace Accord in some detail. In covering NUMSA’s Third National Congress we focus on the major points discussed and contributions from guest speakers. We report on NUMSA’s current membership and who the new Office Bearers are. We also produce in full the Resolutions that were adopted at the Congress. We report briefly on the discussions, debates and the resolutions that were finally passed at COSATU’s Fourth National Congress. Unfortunately for reasons of space, we have not been able to print the resolutions adopted at this Congress. Shop stewards are therefore advised to contact their NUMSA Regional Office for a copy of the Minutes, Speeches and Resolutions of the Congress, or to contact COSATU Head Office which is due to produce a resolutions booklet soon. Much has been achieved in the negotiations around a Peace Accord between the ANC Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party and the National Party. The Accord is pages long and is very detailed. We have tried in this Bulletin to give an overview of its basic features. We hope the chart that goes with the article will help people understand the detail and complexity of it and why it goes much, much further than all previous Accords. The Accord has now been signed by most of the major parties on September 14. Watch the press for details of a new Act which is due to be passed within 30 days outlawing
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- Date Issued: Sep 1991
Metalworkers prepare to Fight for a Living Wage
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: 1990
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/110675 , vital:33321
- Description: The NUMSA 1990 Living Wage Campaign is starting to move. After a slow start NUMSA members are gearing up for the big fight. We are going through big changes in South Africa. We want to tell the bosses and De Klerk: the workers will never end the struggle lor a Living Wage, jobs for all, houses for all, proper health care for all. De Klerk must meet our demands. We want to end the system that gives the bosses freedom to exploit workers. Our battle cry this year is: Our Industry, Our Country, Forward to Workers' Control. In February this year NUMSA/Es National Bargaining Conference set-out the workers demand.
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- Date Issued: 1990
NUMSA Bulletin - Free at last
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: Feb 1990
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/114032 , vital:33880
- Description: NUMSA structures take many decisions. These decisions are not taken in isolation, they are influenced by events, information and debates. The decisions taken will be found in the official documents and reports of NUMSA committees and congresses. These decisions are NUMSA policy. However, as part of the education programme, the Bulletin will carry background articles. These articles are not policy but are part of the educational resources of NUMSA.
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- Date Issued: Feb 1990
NUMSA in 1990 - Grow, lead and move to financial self-sufficiency
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: Feb 1990
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113010 , vital:33685
- Description: NUMSA is fully committed to playing an active role in the liberation of the working class and ending the oppression of our people. To do this we have set ourselves certain very important tasks in 1990. They are: To strengthen and democratise our union in order to improve conditions for our members, To actively work in our federation COSATU to strengthen it an to greatly improve our working relationship with other affiliates. To contribute to the liberation struggle by using our strength together with the MDM to defeat oppression and exploitation To play an active role in the community struggles in our land particularly in areas such as the Natal violence To actively contribute to developing programmes for a future South Africa based on democracy and socialist planning to improve the lives of all people, To make our organisation administratively efficient and to develop the skills of leadership, organisers and administrators. To become financially self-sufficient.
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- Date Issued: Feb 1990
NUMSA East Cape Co-op Newsletter
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: July 1989
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/114105 , vital:33924
- Description: In Namibia today the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) says that the organised labour movement must play an active role in helping PLAN fighters and the war refugees, to find somewhere to live and to find work. They say: "All these people are the relatives of us who remained behind. Together we must look at what our needs are in the communities where we live, and find ways of meeting our needs. " We must use the skills of the combatants to help the community and the community in their turn, must welcome all those people back from the war. The organisations of the people, the trade unions and SWAPO, must help in this process." How can the NUNW help all the people returning from the war to find their place in the community? The NUNW says we need to first understand the strengths and weaknesses of the people and the country.
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- Date Issued: July 1989
NUMSA National Auto Shop Stewards Council Update
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: Sep 1989
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/114126 , vital:33927
- Description: During July and August this year, the united mass action of 25 OOO auto workers forced the bosses to negotiate nationally. Large demonstrations of workers demanding national negotiations marched and toyi-toyied through the plants. But auto workers also gave their bosses another strong message. United and strong, marching with large banners and replica AKs, workers were unbanning the ANC and flying high the red flag. Workers demanded the release of Nelson Mandela and all political prisoners. They said all hangings and political trials must stop. Workers demonstrated against the LRA and all other apartheid laws. Workers wanted their bosses to be clear. The bosses must know that the mass defiance campaign in the factory is part i of the struggle of the oppressed and exploited masses. When we are demanding better working conditions today, when we are unbanning our organisations through mass action today, we are demanding at one and the same time, control over every aspect of our lives in the factory and in the townships where we live. Our struggle for freedom is one struggle.
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- Date Issued: Sep 1989
Report of NUMSA research groups to the national campaign committee
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: Sep 1989
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/117452 , vital:34516
- Description: The idea of developing Research Groups in NUMSA was agreed to within the Education Programme for 1989. The areas of research emerged from the organising sectors of the union. This link between research, education and organisation was seen to be very important. The experiment has been very successful and could point the way to a successful research method for many other projects. The research groups have effectively combined academic researchers, service organisations and worker leaders. This has proved a powerful combination. The basic idea was that a small group of between 10-15 people from within NUMSA would work with outside researchers on certain key areas. The task of the group was to identify problems and a framework of proposals for how NUMSA could deal with the issues. These recommendations then went to the organisational structures for discussion and endorsement. Once endorsed it became the task of: organisational structures to carry out the implementation of the proposals through collective bargaining and campaigns. Education to educate and train people within the unions on these issues. Education would work with the research groups in doing this. the research groups to continue research if necessary. It is also our aim to link these research groups to study tours to other countries so that we can make comparisons.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: Sep 1989
NUMSA Wage campaign report
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: July 1987
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/114147 , vital:33929
- Description: ON 14th July 1987, for the first time in South African history, there was a national strike in the metal industry. About 350 factories stopped work all over the country in support of the NUMSA demand for a living wage. Metalworkers voted overwhelmingly for strike action in the national ballot that was conducted between 6th and 8th July. The strike was set for the 14th July. Workers were ready to fight SEIFSA until they won. The militancy of workers could be seen from the huge attendance at local meetings. During the week of the ballot shop stewards were gathering in huge numbers in the union offices to discuss problems and plan strategy. In the Eastern Cape a general meeting of over 400 workers was held to discuss plans.
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- Date Issued: July 1987
The new union subscriptions
- Authors: NUMSA
- Date: Oct 1987
- Subjects: NUMSA
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/112732 , vital:33650
- Description: THE Inaugural Congress of NUMSA decided that all members must pay a subscription of R1,00 per week. The Central Committee was given the power to decide when members should start paying the new subscription. The Central Committee has decided that all members of NUMSA must pay R1,00 per week union subscription from 1st October 1987. In some establishments, you may have to sign new stop- orders. NUMSA will demand from management that they automatically change the amount of the subscription. Some companies may refuse to do this and may ask you to sign a new stop-order. Discuss this with your organiser before you sign anything. In addition to the R1 per week for the union subscription, there will be 30c per week for benefit funds. An explanation of how all this money will be used is given in this pamphlet. Please make sure that you fully discuss this with all the members in your factory or workshop so that all NUMSA members are clear about the new subscriptions before the 1st of October 1987.
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- Date Issued: Oct 1987