Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- List Of Abbreviations and Acronyms
- Introduction
- Chapter One Building local power: 1970s
- Chapter Two Power through numbers: 1980–1985
- Chapter Three Power in unity: 1980–1987
- Chapter Four Breaking the apartheid mould: 1980–1982
- Chapter Five Worker action fans out: 1980–1984
- Chapter Six Melding institutional, campaign and bureaucratic power: 1983–1990
- Chapter Seven Conquest of Metal Industrial Council: 1987–1988
- Chapter Eight Auto workers take power: 1982–1989
- Chapter Nine Auto takes on the industry: 1990–1992
- Chapter Ten New directions: 1988–1991
- Chapter Eleven Defeat of Mawu strategy: 1990–1992
- Chapter Twelve Towards a new industry: 1993
- Chapter Thirteen The Cinderella sector: 1983–1990
- Chapter Fourteen Applying vision in auto and motor: 1990–1995
- Chapter Fifteen Applying vision in engineering: 1994–1995
- Chapter Sixteen Independent worker movement: 1980–1986
- Chapter Seventeen Beginnings of alliance politics: 1984–1986
- Chapter Eighteen Weakening the socialist impulse: Civil war in Natal 1987–1994
- Chapter Nineteen Civil war in Transvaal: 1989–1994
- Chapter Twenty New politics: 1987–1990
- Chapter Twenty-One Disinvestment: Pragmatic politics 1985–1989
- Chapter Twenty-Two Compromising on socialism: Legacy of the Alliance 1989–1995
- Appendix
- Notes
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Chapter Eleven - Defeat of Mawu strategy: 1990–1992
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2018
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- List Of Abbreviations and Acronyms
- Introduction
- Chapter One Building local power: 1970s
- Chapter Two Power through numbers: 1980–1985
- Chapter Three Power in unity: 1980–1987
- Chapter Four Breaking the apartheid mould: 1980–1982
- Chapter Five Worker action fans out: 1980–1984
- Chapter Six Melding institutional, campaign and bureaucratic power: 1983–1990
- Chapter Seven Conquest of Metal Industrial Council: 1987–1988
- Chapter Eight Auto workers take power: 1982–1989
- Chapter Nine Auto takes on the industry: 1990–1992
- Chapter Ten New directions: 1988–1991
- Chapter Eleven Defeat of Mawu strategy: 1990–1992
- Chapter Twelve Towards a new industry: 1993
- Chapter Thirteen The Cinderella sector: 1983–1990
- Chapter Fourteen Applying vision in auto and motor: 1990–1995
- Chapter Fifteen Applying vision in engineering: 1994–1995
- Chapter Sixteen Independent worker movement: 1980–1986
- Chapter Seventeen Beginnings of alliance politics: 1984–1986
- Chapter Eighteen Weakening the socialist impulse: Civil war in Natal 1987–1994
- Chapter Nineteen Civil war in Transvaal: 1989–1994
- Chapter Twenty New politics: 1987–1990
- Chapter Twenty-One Disinvestment: Pragmatic politics 1985–1989
- Chapter Twenty-Two Compromising on socialism: Legacy of the Alliance 1989–1995
- Appendix
- Notes
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Numsa entered the 1990s confronted by a liberalisation of South African markets. A number of its larger companies adjusted to global competition through the introduction of new technology, reorganisation of production, outsourcing and inevitable retrenchments. The union organised a number of think-tanks in an effort to develop a strategy to counter this attack on workers’ living standards. A policy workshop in 1990 struck a new note by highlighting ‘challenges, opportunities and responsibilities in a society moving towards democracy’ and concluded that unions should ‘initiate and lead the formulation of economic policy, rather than simply respond to the initiatives of the state and management’.
This involved the development of policy on the restructuring of the macroeconomy, industry, and the workplace to create job security and jobs, ensure a living wage and meet the basic needs of the mass of South Africans. The union's aim was to shift the economy from the isolation and ‘inward industrialisation’ of apartheid to cope with global conditions and world markets. This would be achieved by ‘increasing the organised strength and consciousness, and the skills and control, of the working class, or it would never lead in the direction of socialism’.
Shifting bargaining agenda: 1990–1992
The 1990 metal industrial council talks took place against a shift in Numsa's collective bargaining. Addressing the February 1990 national bargaining conference, national organiser Fanaroff outlined two basic steps towards socialism: the building of organised working class power and the winning of demands to restructure the economy. ‘By bargaining at industry level,’ he explained, ‘we can start to restructure the economy. That is why Numsa demands for a new industry training scheme, and for more job security and job creation programmes, are so important.’ One way to address joblessness, Fanaroff declared, was to negotiate job creation programmes at industry level. Capital bore a large responsibility for the unemployment crisis because of its reluctance to invest profits in new manufacturing. He believed there were numerous opportunities to invest in innovative work-creating projects, especially in respect of everyday, useful goods for ordinary people.
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- Metal that Will not BendNational Union of Metalworkers of South Africa 1980–1995, pp. 224 - 240Publisher: Wits University PressPrint publication year: 2011