Numbers bring duties, Numsa told

Johannesburg - Increasing union membership numbers brings great responsibility, ANC national executive member Enoch Godongwana said on Friday.

"As you go into this huge recruitment drive, remember that numbers come with responsibility... go back to basics," Godongwana told the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) 26th anniversary celebration in Johannesburg.

The union also launched a recruitment drive to reach a 400 000 membership by the year 2016.

Godongwana said to achieve a stronger union, Numsa should ensure a strong factory shop floor organisation.

"Make sure that shop stewards are in touch with members, and also strengthen shop stewards' councils."

Godongwana, who stated he was once a Numsa office bearer in the 1980s, said the country faced one of its deepest recessions.

"This unfortunate situation is having a serious implication on the workers as the economy sheds jobs... things are becoming more tougher in the mining sector."

He called on Numsa to pledge solidarity with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

According to Numsa spokesperson Castro Ngobese, the union had a membership of 320 000 workers.

The union organises mainly in the tyre, rubber, motor, auto, and engineering sectors, and at power utility Eskom.