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Johannesburg - Poaching NUM members is not the National Union of Metalworkers of SA's priority, its general secretary Irvin Jim said on Tuesday.
"Workers are not rhino," Jim told reporters in Johannesburg. "We didn't sit, plan, and poach from the NUM."
The only debate between Numsa and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was over Eskom, he said.
Numsa and the NUM are the two biggest affiliates of the Congress of SA Trade Unions and are fighting for the representation of workers at Eskom. The NUM has accused Numsa of poaching its members who worked at the power utility.
Last year the NUM reportedly wanted Cosatu's central executive committee to ensure Numsa "returned" its members employed at Eskom. NUM reportedly threatened to withhold its estimated R800 000 monthly subscription to Cosatu if it failed to intervene in its favour.
Cosatu president Sidumo Dlamini said at the trade union federation's bargaining conference last month that a number of Cosatu unions were guilty of poaching.
"We have to go through a process of sorting through them," he was quoted as saying.
Numsa held its bargaining conference last week.
In a statement on Friday, the NUM took exception to statements attributed to both Numsa president Cedric Gina and Jim.
Gina was quoted as saying: "We will unite with people who want to unite with us, not those who consider us enemies. We want unity but they [NUM] must be committed to unity."
Jim on Tuesday said Numsa took note of what the NUM had said.
However, Numsa did not think it was helpful to "fuel" what had been portrayed as the two unions being at loggerheads.
It was clear to Numsa the main threat was from the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu).
"Every day we don't hear media and Num focusing on that. It's strange that the only people... who cause a threat is Numsa," said Jim.
The Num and Amcu have been battling it out for membership numbers in the mining sector.
