NUMSA to strike at Macsteel
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) has announced a full-blown strike at all Macsteel plants and operations countrywide starting on Monday.
NUMSA's national spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says the union's demands are simple.
"We want all 99 employees who were forcefully retrenched by Macsteel to be reinstated immediately," Hlubi-Majola explains.
"Workers were retrenched during the pandemic, and the decision to dismiss them was implemented in the middle of December just as the company was shutting down for the festive season break.
"This was done deliberately to prevent workers and the union from being able to act to prevent it.
"This tactic is completely condemned by NUMSA and that is the reason we are calling on all Macsteel workers to join the strike on Monday as this strike is procedural and protected.
This is not the first time that Macsteel has used this strategy, claims Hlubi-Majola.
"Macsteel has previously retrenched workers and the savings it has made from job cuts, has allowed it to pay managers and executives generous bonuses and packages," Hlubi-Majola says.
"This is an example of rampant profiteering at its worst - greedy capitalists are exploiting the pandemic for themselves, at the expense of the working class.
"They have no regard for the suffering of employees or the impact on workers and their families during a pandemic."
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