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 Ten - New directions: 1988–1991
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
After establishing itself as the major bargaining partner in engineering, following the 1988 ‘strategic strike’, Numsa turned to serious engagement on the Nicisemi.
The engineering industry was hardest hit by the economic slump. By 1989 employment had not returned to 1981 levels despite higher outputs. Many engineering companies had rebuilt their operations and raised productivity by introducing new technology and employing fewer workers who were expected to produce more. It was against this background that Numsa's engineering sector achieved some of its most progressive bargaining outcomes and experienced some of its most significant defeats.
In 1989 Numsa entered engineering industrial council talks as the most powerful of 15 union parties, with 115 000 members in an industry of 360 000. It was no longer possible for the manpower minister to gazette agreements without Numsa as a signatory, or for the union to use Mawu's tactic of exiting talks without signing. Numsa now held the responsibility of strengthening the Nicisemi and ensuring its survival.
Numsa came to the table intent on negotiating more than wages – it wanted to open a dialogue with employers on job security, job creation, training and a social security net. In the words of its president, Dube, ‘Capital has attacked the workers to cut their costs. The first thing they are attacking is job security. We have seen more and more permanent workers replaced by temporary workers. A lot of work is sub-contracted … if we don't defeat this attack, money won't help – because you will be unemployed anyway … it will be very short-sighted if we just concentrate always on money.’
The metal unions had tried to stem retrenchments by negotiating procedures at the plant. Now Numsa aimed to address structural unemployment at industry level and challenge the employers’ unilateral approach to company restructuring. Explained Smith:
We set job security as the major theme, stop all retrenchments! Because the flood gates were opening. We were just losing jobs all over the place. So the critical demands were severance pay and job security. So the idea was now we were trying to set a national framework that would force companies to seriously negotiate … That year, [1989] we started introducing a motivation with a general economic context. Talked a bit about restructuring and started engaging the employers a little bit more.
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- Information
- Metal that Will not BendNational Union of Metalworkers of South Africa 1980–1995, pp. 204 - 223Publisher: Wits University PressPrint publication year: 2011