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Johannesburg - The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said on Sunday that Government, labour, business and community representatives within the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) will meet on Monday July 20 at 10:00 to consider Numsa's application for a socio-economic strike.
The meeting will take place at the council’s Rosebank headquarters, according to Numsa.
Earlier in July Numsa served a notice on Nedlac in terms of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) indicating the union’s intention to embark on protest action against corruption.
The union said the protest action will involve marches, rallies, pickets, lunch-hour demonstrations, strikes and stayaways from work if no satisfactory resolution is found after Nelac has considered the matter.
“Corruption in the private and public sector is pervasive in South Africa. It is a growing cancer that undermines existing jobs and robs working class and ordinary people their socio-economic needs,” Numsa’s general secretary Irvin Jim said in the statement.
“Resources that go down the corruption tube could be used to deliver basic socio- economic services, the provision of adequate housing, basic education, healthcare services, water, social welfare and basic nutrition for children. There is just looting all over the place despite the extensive anti-corruption architecture and laws that exist”.
Numsa said it is concerned about what it alleges to be violations by state-owned enterprises (SoEs) and other state organs of the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) and its regulations that require that state departments in all spheres of government should procure locally-manufactured goods and services when they tender.
Numsa said it is also irked by what it sees as corruption denialism. It said other unions have indicated their intention to join in the application.
Numsa demands the following:
- A commission of enquiry to investigate the impact of corruption;
- National Treasury to report on compliance with the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act;
- The release of all of reports into corruption and in particular the 2009 Sicelo Shiceka task team report that investigated potential irregularities in municipalities in North West;
- The release by the SA Reserve Bank (Sarb) of the report on authorised foreign currency dealers;
- The South African Revenue Service (Sars), Sarb and the Finance Intelligence Centre (FIC) to investigate the problem of illicit financial flows and money laundering in the country, and take strong steps to deal with the phenomenon;
- The implementation of recommendations of the Kabuso, Pikoli and Manase forensic reports that investigated corruption and maladministration in the Nelson Mandela Bay, Makana and Ethekwini municipalities;
- An investigation into corruption and economic crime between 1980 and 1990, in particular in relation to sanctions busting;
- The strengthening of power and resourcing of the Public Protector and Auditor-General’s offices.
